By Joseph Ax and Brad Brooks (Reuters) -Texas legislators on Wednesday took up a new state congressional map intended to flip five Democratic-held U.S. House seats in next year's midterm elections, after dozens of Democratic lawmakers ended a two-week walkout that had temporarily blocked passage.

House Bill 4, the redistricting legislation, is the only item on the lawmakers' agenda when they reconvene on Wednesday.

The gambit has triggered a national redistricting war, with governors of both parties threatening to initiate similar efforts in other states.