Texas Republicans Engineer Mid-Decade Redistricting of Congressional Maps

After a two-week absence outside state lines, marked by national media attention and a struggle to maintain their message, Texas House Democrats returned just as a new special session began. The Republicans' plan to redraw the state's congressional maps was swiftly passed through the House and Senate, with Governor Greg Abbott signing House Bill 4 into law on Friday. This move has been touted as a victory for Democrats, who claim their walkout was successful in prompting California to advance a new map of its own, which would significantly reduce the number of Republican seats in the state. However, the new maps in Texas have reverted to a strategy used in the 2010s, where urban cores in cities like Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, and Fort Worth were divided into a handful of ultra-liberal seats, while the rest were merged with rural areas, diluting the power of liberal voters and predominantly Black and Latino communities.

Key Takeaways:

• The new congressional maps in Texas, which were passed into law on Friday, revert to a strategy used in the 2010s, dividing urban cores into ultra-liberal seats and merging them with rural areas.
• The maps dilute the power of liberal voters and predominantly Black and Latino communities, maximizing the power of conservative, largely white voters.
• The new maps could deliver the GOP as many as five additional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, providing them with a larger majority and protecting them from Democratic-led oversight.
• The changes have overhauled the electoral landscape in Texas, with ambitious Republican politicians now competing for a handful of additional seats, and Democratic politicians facing fewer seats to fight over.
• The redistricting has already sparked internal party disputes, with Congressmen Lloyd Doggett and Greg Casar locked in a potentially contentious primary showdown.
• Governor Abbott's intentional delay in calling a special election for the 9th Congressional District has denied Democrats a member in Washington and allowed Republicans to redraw the map to their advantage.
• The changes have also thrown the parties into a game of musical chairs, with Republicans rushing to declare their candidacy for various seats, including Briscoe Cain's campaign for the new 9th outside Houston.

Statistics:

• The new maps could deliver the GOP as many as five additional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
• The changes have overhauled the electoral landscape in Texas, with 5 urban cores (Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, and Fort Worth) being divided into a handful of ultra-liberal seats.
• The number of liberal voters and predominantly Black and Latino communities have been diluted by the new maps, while conservative, largely white voters have seen their power maximized.
• The maps have also thrown the parties into a game of musical chairs, with Republicans rushing to declare their candidacy for various seats.

Sources:

• Prospect.org: "Organizing to Win: Greg Casar"
• Prospect.org: "Texas Observer: Gov. Abbott Refuses to Call Special Election"
• Prospect.org: "Donald Trump Won't Be Saved by Maps"