Texas Republicans Unveil Congressional Map Giving Them A Chance To Pick Up 5 Seats

The connection whitethorn still alteration earlier lawmakers see it further, and members of nan committee whitethorn still mention caller proposals for information passim nan entirety of nan typical session.

At nan moment, members of that committee are scheduled to talk nan projected representation during a gathering connected Friday. Legislative Democrats, however, person suggested they could interrupt nan broader process by leaving nan authorities and denying Republicans nan quorum basal to beforehand a bill.

The mid-decade redistricting effort, for illustration galore regularly scheduled representation redraws, is steeped successful partisan politics, pinch an oculus toward helping Republicans clasp connected to their constrictive U.S. House mostly successful adjacent year’s midterm elections.

The New York Times reported past month that members of Trump’s governmental cognition had privately urged Texas Republicans to redraw their maps up of nan 2026 midterms. And Trump himself publicly praised nan efforts, pressing Texas lawmakers earlier this period to return actions that would thief nan GOP summation 5 House seats.

The lines successful nan recently projected maps trim into nan South Texas legislature districts presently held by Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez; nan Dallas-area territory held by Rep. Julie Johnson; and Houston-area territory held by Rep. Al Green. The recently projected lines besides efficaciously harvester nan Austin-area districts held by Democratic Reps. Greg Casar and Lloyd Doggett.

According to a reappraisal of nan maps and demographic and voting information by NBC News, nan projected boundaries look to put much Latino voters into Cuellar’s caller territory — a move that bets that demographic shifts successful nan area are adjuvant for Republicans. Gonzalez’s projected territory includes substantially much achromatic voters than nan existent version.

Green’s seat, meanwhile, is being redrawn to see substantially much achromatic and Latino voters, and acold less Black voters. Green, who has represented nan territory since 2005, introduced articles of impeachment against Trump conscionable past month.

Johnson, whose existent territory is mostly nonwhite, would now represent, nether nan projected maps, 1 almost evenly divided betwixt achromatic and non-white voters.

Then there's Casar and Doggett. The caller lines raise nan anticipation that nan 2 Democrats would person to tally successful a superior against each different — a imaginable that Casar vowed to fight, raising nan imaginable of ineligible action.

“Merging nan 35th and nan 37th districts is forbidden elector suppression of Black and Latino Central Texans,” Casar wrote connected X. “By merging our Central Texas districts, Trump wants to perpetrate yet different crime — this time, against Texas voters and against The Voting Rights Act.”

“United, we will conflict backmost pinch everything we’ve got,” Casar wrote. “If Trump is allowed to rip nan Voting Rights Act to shreds present successful Central Texas, his ploy will dispersed for illustration wildfire crossed nan country. Everyone who cares astir our populist must mobilize against this forbidden map.”

In 2024, Trump carried 2 of nan 13 Texas seats that Democrats presently hold, nan South Texas districts of Cuellar and Gonzalez. Cuellar’s territory went to Trump by 7 points, while Gonzalez’s went to Trump by 4 points, according to study by NBC News’ Decision Desk. Cuellar won his spot by little than 6 points, while Gonzalez was victorious by little than 3 points, illustrating nan slim margins astatine play successful nan region.

The redistricting process typically occurs astatine nan commencement of each caller decade, erstwhile caller census information is available. Texas’ maps, which were drawn successful 2021, are still being fought complete successful court, pinch a suit alleging they discriminate against Black and Latino voters.

Texas Democratic Party Chairman Kendall Scudder slammed nan connection successful a statement, accusing authorities Republicans of kowtowing to Trump and vowing to conflict its implementation.

“Texas Republicans person yet revealed their caller redistricting map, and unsurprisingly, it is drawn to correspond Donald Trump, not nan voices of Texans. It is illegally drawn successful a measurement that silences nan voices of number communities crossed Texas,” Scudder said.

“When Donald Trump knows he can’t win, he cheats, and Texas Republicans conscionable proved they are incapable to guidelines up to their wannabe dictator,” he added. “This is designed for Donald Trump, not for Texans. Texas Democrats will usage each disposable method to reason this racist, hopeless powerfulness grab. Nothing is disconnected nan table.”

The maps are definite to look guidance from non-political actors arsenic well. The mobility is whether immoderate ineligible action would forestall a caller representation from taking effect for nan 2026 election.

Dan Vicuna, nan elder argumentation head for voting and adjacent practice astatine nan authorities watchdog group Common Cause, said connected a telephone pinch reporters earlier nan projected maps were revenge that nan group would legally situation immoderate maps revenge successful Texas it felt were "gerrymandered."

"We will sue," Vicuna said. "We've been location before, and we will perfectly beryllium location again to situation unfair maps, sloppy of who draws them."