Proposed Texas redistricting map would drastically shift Democrat-held seats

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.

The justice department accused Texas of illegally gerrymandering four of the targeted Democratic districts along racial lines. In response, Governor Abbott made redistricting a special session priority, even though he and the republican majority approved the current map in 2021.

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.

"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. As the proposed lines would divide communities across Dallas, Richardson, Garland, Mesquite and Balch Springs.

Congresswoman Julie Johnson responded to the new map proposal in a press release.

"This map is a disaster— crafted to divide neighborhoods and rig the game for Donald Trump," said Rep. Johnson. 

"It's a desperate move from a party losing its grip on a changing state. Thousands of Texans have overwhelmingly spoken up against this scheme across the state. The message is clear: We don't want this don in our name."

Johnson states the new map is "strategic, intentional, and violates voting rights."

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.

"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.

Congressman Al Green said in a press release following the recent map proposal, "Today, I received what appears to be the proposed redistricting congressional lines for Texas. Of the many points that can be made, I shall call three to the attention of the public now and more later. Point one: the map is extreme invidious discrimination and accomplishes what the President has demanded of the Governor and more. Two, the DOJ demanded that the race card be played, and the Governor dealt the people of Texas a racist hand. Three, I will be on the ballot and will announce more of my intentionality after I have engaged in deliberations."

Rio Grande Valley

SMU political scientist Matthew Wilson says part of the proposed map could make that point difficult to prove, based on what's happening in two of the redrawn districts along the Rio Grande Valley.

"The more interesting part is what it does in the districts along the border. Where it really strengthens the Republicans' hands in multiple Valley districts, but actually at the same time creates more majority Hispanic districts than the current map. So that's an interesting wrinkle of the proposal. What Republicans are really counting on is that Republican shifts among Valley Latino voters will be enduring,"

Wilson talked about the new Texas redistricting map proposed by state representative Todd Hunter, a Republican representative from Corpus Christi.

The redrawn map creates five additional GOP-leaning districts statewide, including two here in North Texas.

Wilson gave some insight into the GOP strategy.

"It's definitely aggressive and there are a couple of interesting features to it," said Wilson.

"It looks like what is currently Julie Johnson's district is going to become a lot more Republican. And so, if she wants to stay in Congress, she would likely have to challenge Veasey for what would be left of a kind of coalition district. And that would raise very interesting questions about whether a white representative like Johnson could effectively run in a Democratic primary in a majority minority district against Veasey."

Could Texas Democrats leave the state to block quorum?

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.

This version of the redistricting map is unlikely to be the final version. Lawmakers in the House and Senate will need to agree on a map before it can be sent to the governor for approval.

Even then, the map is likely to be challenged in court if past precedence is any indication.

Texas has had to defend its maps in court after every redistricting process since the Voting Rights Act took effect in 1965.