Proposed Texas redistricting map would drastically shift Democrat-held seats
Texas lawmakers released the first draft of the newly proposed congressional map on Wednesday.
The new map would shift several democratically held seats in the state.
President Trump has said he would like to see Republicans gain five seats in the U.S. House of Representatives through Texas' redistricting.
AUSTIN, Texas - The first draft of Texas' new congressional map was released on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump said he would like to gain five congressional seats through a midterm redistricting effort in the state.
The proposed changes mostly impact Democrat-held districts in the state's major metropolitan areas.
READ MORE:'Meet fire with fire': O'Rourke says Democrats need aggressive approach to Texas redistricting
While Republicans control 25 of the state's 38 Congressional districts, lawmakers are trying to relocate Democratic voters from competitive seats into more Republican-leaning districts and move more Republicans into democratically controlled districts.
What they're saying
"Texas Republicans have finally revealed their new redistricting map, and unsurprisingly, it is drawn to represent Donald Trump, not the voices of Texans," Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder said. "It is illegally drawn in a way that silences the voices of minority communities across Texas. When Donald Trump knows he can't win, he cheats, and Texas Republicans just proved they are unable to stand up to their wannabe dictator. Texas congressional districts should belong to Texans, who choose their representatives, but this proposed map lets the representatives pick their voters instead. This is designed for Donald Trump, not for Texans. Texas Democrats will use every available method to oppose this racist, desperate power grab. Nothing is off the table."
Dallas-Fort Worth changes
The new map targets three Democrat-held districts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of the state.
In District 33, the seat held by Marc Veasey, the new map would remove all the portions of Tarrant County that he currently represents.
The new map would also reshape District 32, which is currently held by Democrat Julie Johnson. The revised district would favor Republicans.
READ MORE: Arlington hearing sees strong pushback against redrawing congressional maps
Central Texas changes
In Central Texas, Democrats Greg Casar and Lloyd Doggett would find their districts vastly different from the current map.
The district currently held by Casar would no longer include Travis County, while the district held by Doggett would no longer include a portion of Williamson County.
Both Casar and Doggett issued statements on the new map Wednesday, which essentially merges the two districts.
What they're saying
"Merging the 35th and the 37th districts is illegal voter suppression of Black and Latino Central Texans. By merging our Central Texas districts, Trump wants to commit yet another crime— this time, against Texas voters and against Martin Luther King's Voting Rights Act of 1965," Casar said. "United, we will fight back with everything we've got.If Trump is allowed to rip the Voting Rights Act to shreds here in Central Texas, his ploy will spread like wildfire across the country. Everyone who cares about our democracy must mobilize against this illegal map."
Doggett called the map a move by Trump to maintain "his one-man rule."
"This is designed to eliminate accessibility, accountability, and a strong voice for our shared values," Doggett said. "For years, Republicans have failed in their attempts to use redistricting to get rid of me. If we continue working together, they will fail again. If Trump and his cowardly Republican accomplices get away with rigging Texas, voters in states across America will be at risk. For now, my sole focus is on defeating this Trump-imposed gerrymandering, which relies on crooked lines instead of honest votes. The only 'What if' that matters is 'What if this crooked scheme is approved to give Trump a rubber stamp to do whatever he pleases.'"
Houston-area changes
In Houston, the new map reshapes four currently Democrat-held districts. The biggest change to the districts would be in the seat currently held by Rep. Al Green. The new map would shift the district from covering southern Harris County and instead move it to the eastern part of the county.
Could Texas Democrats leave the state to block quorum?
What's next
As the debate on redistricting continues, Texas Democrats are considering their options to hold off the vote.
Democrat lawmakers could break quorum, a strategy used in 2021 when lawmakers flew to Washington, D.C., over changes to election laws.
However, in 2023, the state legislature passed a law saying that those who break quorum face a $500 fine each day they're absent.
Sources confirm to FOX 4 that some Democratic donors have offered to pay the fines. Wilson says this is teetering on the line of violating campaign finance laws.
The move would come with other challenges as well.
If Republicans wait to pass final flood relief measures until redistricting has been considered, and Democrats leave the state, breaking quorum could hold up both bills.
The Source
Information in this article comes from maps released by the Texas Legislature and previous FOX 4 reporting.
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