The new congressional districts would potentially net Republicans five more seats by carving out districts in North Texas, Austin and Houston
On Wednesday, July 30 Texans got their first chance to see the new proposed redistricting map that Republicans are trying to impose in the special session. Governor Abbott added redistricting as a special agenda item after reports surfaced that the Trump White House was fearful of losing their House majority in next year’s midterm elections.
The new congressional districts would potentially net Republicans five more seats by carving out districts in North Texas, Austin and Houston. Two districts currently represented by Democrats Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar would also become redder.
Over the past week, hearings happened throughout the state and virtually with most Texans testifying against mid-decade redistricting. At a rally ahead of a hearing in front of the House Committee in Arlington, several Democratic and labor leaders voiced their extreme opposition to this process.
Congressman Marc Veasey, whose district under the new map would shed nearly all of Tarrant County, blasted the redistricting efforts. He said that the only thing that keeps “Trump up at night” is the prospect of losing that House majority which is why redistricting has taken on a “priority” for the White House. After the first redistricting draft was released, Veasey issued a statement calling the map both “racist” and “illegal.”
“What Donald Trump and Greg Abbott are doing isn’t about democracy – it’s about consolidating power. Republicans are bending their knee to a wannabe king, drawing maps in backrooms to appease a man who tried to overthrow an election and now wants to overthrow the will of Texans,” said Veasey.
For now, it’s unclear what the next move will be from Texas Democrats. There have been rumblings that members of the Texas House will pursue a quorum break, a strategy that was used in 2003 during another mid-decade redistricting attempt. Members of the Texas Democratic House have taken day trips to meet with the Governors of California, Illinois, and New Mexico about a national redistricting strategy.
On Friday, August 1 the first scheduled hearing will take place since the proposed redistricting map was filed. Witnesses looking to testify at that hearing in Austin can sign up here. It will also be streaming starting at 10:00 a.m. here.
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