AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - After a marathon debate that dragged into
the early morning hours, the GOP-led Texas House has approved a
redistricting plan that would all but guarantee a continued
Republican majority - albeit a smaller one than the party has now.

The map, approved on a 92-52 vote Thursday, would pit several
Republicans against each other, the natural result of an
unsustainable large super majority.

Some Republicans wanted to make the map a much bolder grab for conservative seats. The effort fizzled.

There is only so much the GOP can do given the constraints of
federal anti-discrimination laws and shifts in population away from
conservative rural areas and toward the suburbs that have seen
explosive and diverse population growth.

The House map faces another procedural hurdle before it can move
to the Senate.

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