The Texas state House passed a new congressional map Wednesday to boost the number of GOP-held seats in Congress, paving the way for final passage this week and teeing up a national redistricting war.
Texas House Republicans advanced the bill in an 88-52 vote, capping off weeks of drama punctuated by Democrats' decision to flee the state in an effort to block the new map. The state Senate is scheduled to take up the bill today before sending it to Gov. Greg Abbott (R) for a signature.
President Trump has championed Texas's unusual mid-decade redistricting efforts, saying his party's strong showing in the 2024 election means they are "entitled" to more seats in the House. Typically, redistricting occurs once every 10 years, after the latest census.
Republicans hold a 219-212 House majority, with four vacancies, which means small shifts in the map could tip control of Congress in 2026.
The change in Texas is expected to net the GOP five House seats in next year's midterms, prompting California to counter with its own bid for a new map led by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), a likely 2028 presidential contender.
The nationwide tit-for-tat has seen other states jump into the fight, including Florida, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and Missouri, among others.
"This is a last gasp of a desperate party clinging to power," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said in a statement on the Texas GOP advancing the new map while vowing to "confront Trump's legal insurrection head on" in the Empire State. "We'll meet him on the same field and beat him at his own game," she said.
Wednesday's vote caps off a whirlwind special session for the Lone Star State Legislature, which ground to a screeching halt when a group of more than 50 Democratic legislators fled Texas in order to deny their Republican colleagues the quorum required for their vote.
The contingent returned to Austin on Monday after two weeks away. With the state House stacked toward the GOP, there is little Democrats can do to stop the map — which they decry as gerrymandered and unconstitutional — from passing, although they are doing everything in their power to delay.
▪ The Hill: Texas State Rep. Chris Turner (D) proposed an amendment seeking to nullify the new map by arguing it violates the Voting Rights Act.
▪ The Hill: Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu introduced an amendment to have the new map take effect only after Attorney General Pam Bondi releases files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
OBAMA WEIGHS IN: Former President Obama on Wednesday endorsed Newsom's redistricting plan in California, calling it "a smart and measured approach." The former president, who has previously spoken out against gerrymandering, said at a fundraiser on Martha's Vineyard that he was hoping for a fair fight between both parties at the ballot box.
"But since Texas is taking direction from a partisan White House and gerrymandering in the middle of a decade to try and maintain the House despite their unpopular policies, I have tremendous respect for how Governor Newsom has approached this," he said.
Newsom has come out swinging against the Texas map by promising to redraw his blue state's electoral districts. But the road ahead for Newsom is rockier than for Abbott: California voters must approve the plan to bypass the state's independent redistricting commission. Democrats in the State Assembly and Senate are on track to pass the bill for the ballot measure today, and voters will decide in November.
Only if the ballot measure passes can California lawmakers redraw the map in the middle of the decade. Republicans have already challenged California Democrats' ability to put the measure before voters with a state Supreme Court lawsuit. Other top GOP leaders, such as former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and House Speaker Mike Johnson (La.), have also signaled they're preparing to fight the map.
Democrats have long decried gerrymandered maps, establishing a series of independent redistricting commissions in blue states over the past decade to ensure fairer maps. But now, with Republicans scrapping the normal playbook, even longtime activists against gerrymandering — including former Attorney General Eric Holder — are pushing Democratic governors to counter Texas by redrawing their own maps.
▪ Axios: Newsom's bid to redraw California's congressional seats has a 22-point advantage in support among the state's voters, the governor's longtime pollster writes in an internal memo.
HARDBALL: Newsom remains defiant. The governor on Wednesday appeared alongside Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin and Texas state Rep. Nicole Collier (D) on a call as they rallied the party behind California's redistricting push.
"Yes, we'll fight fire with fire. Yes, we will push back. It's not about whether we play hardball anymore — it's about how we play hardball," Newsom said on the call.
The appearance of Booker and Newsom together was notable, given both have been floated as 2028 White House hopefuls.
"This [is] all hands on deck right now. People are going to ask, 'Where did you stand when Donald Trump was violating court orders? Where did you stand when he was trashing the concept of due process in our country?'" Booker said. "'Where did you stand when he was sending out masked unidentified people in unmarked vehicles to sweep people off of our streets?'"
▪ The Hill: Collier on Wednesday abruptly left the DNC call, which she took from a state Capitol bathroom, after being warned she was committing a felony.
▪ The Washington Post: Collier has been staying overnight at the Statehouse after Republicans ordered Democrats to be monitored by police if they left the chamber again.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) on Tuesday slammed Republicans in Texas for their redistricting efforts while applauding Democrats' retaliation in other states.
"The Republicans, they are cheaters all day, every day. But we have never tried to match their energy until now. And I applaud it," Crockett said during an appearance on CNN. "This is a dangerous road to travel down, and I do applaud those in California that say, 'If you want to play with us, we will play back.'"
No comments:
Post a Comment