California's redistricting plan will target 5 Republican seats
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Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Redistricting fight escalates as both parties commit to gerrymandering voter maps
Maria Garcia, founder of the Hispanic Republican Club of North Texas, admits her party's attempt to redraw congressional district maps is a straightforward political tactic to gain up to five Republican seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 election. It's a tactic she fully supports. Democrats have gerrymandered other states to their advantage, argued Garcia, a former school crossing guard and healthcare worker. Now, it's Republicans' turn in Texas. 'It's just trying to pick better seats so we can continue to have control,' she said. 'I mean, why wouldn't you want that as a Republican?' The push to redraw congressional districts continued to escalate over the weekend as legislators in at least 12 states indicated they could initiate redistricting before the midterm election, which will determine whether Republicans maintain their slim House majority. A win by Democrats would present the first real challenge to President Donald Trump's second-term America-first agenda, which has so far moved forward with little pushback from Republican lawmakers. The moves come after Texas Republicans, at the request of Trump, agreed to consider redrawing the state's map during a special session called by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to wrap up unfinished business on flood relief and public education. In response, Democrats left the state Aug. 3 to deny Republicans the quorum required to vote on the redistricting plan, calling the effort a blatant attempt to stack the deck ahead of the 2026 election. Democrats said they plan to stay away until the end of the special session Aug. 19, but Abbott threatened Sunday to continue to call special sessions indefinitely until they return to the statehouse. 'This could literally last years,' Abbott said on 'Fox News Sunday.' 'As soon as this one is over, I'm going to call another one, then another one, then another one, then another one.' Now, legislators in blue states like California, New York, Illinois, New Jersey and Maryland have all indicated they might redraw their congressional districts in favor of Democrats if Texas moves forward with its plan. Republican leaders in Indiana, Ohio, Missouri and Florida said they are also discussing new maps after Trump made clear his desire to win House seats through redistricting efforts. States are required to redraw congressional districts every 10 years following the U.S. Census, but numerous states have also had to redistrict following judicial rulings that find the maps unconstitutional. Some states also allow redistricting between censuses, such as Texas, but midterm redistricting rarely happens. Still, redrawing gerrymandered districts before a midterm isn't illegal. The U.S. Supreme Court in a 2019 case ruled that federal judges have no authority to decide whether partisan gerrymandering goes too far. State supreme courts could make a ruling, but some have also determined they don't have the authority to regulate gerrymandering. The one exception is maps that divide up districts based on race, which in some cases have been determined to violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Partisan practice Political tampering with voting maps isn't unique to either major party. Both blue and red states where one party controls the legislature and governor's seat have historically gerrymandered maps in favor of their party. Today, deep red states like Texas and Florida and deep blue states like Illinois and Oregon still have hyper-partisan congressional districts, according to The Gerrymandering Project at Princeton University. In total, 15 states received a failing grade on drawing congressional district maps without partisan motives. What makes the escalating redistricting showdown different from past efforts is the deep current political polarization in which both parties see each other as disloyal enemies, argued Kirby Goidel, a political scientist at Texas A&M University. 'Part of it is rooted in this idea that the people that I don't agree with, the people of the other party, aren't Americans who want the best for America,' he said. 'They're evil. They're bad. They're cheaters.' Hayden Padgett, chairman of the Young Republican National Federation, lives in Plano, Texas. He argued that the new congressional map is 'more in line' with what the average Texas voter wants. He called Democrats who have fled the state 'untrustworthy partners' who refuse to work with Republicans. 'They're just pissing everybody off and making it completely unlikely they're going to get anything they want, not only on this, but on things in the future,' Padgett said. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, on Sunday called Trump a 'cheater' during an interview with NBC News, and said the new Texas map violates the Voting Rights Act and the Constitution. Republicans 'know that they're going to lose (Congress) in 2026, so they're trying to steal seats. ... That is what these Texas Democrats are trying to stand up against,' Pritzker said. In California, legislators have said they plan to unveil this week a proposed new congressional map favoring Democrats. The map would be decided on by voters during a special election in November. California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday told Trump in a letter that his state would call off its potential plan if the president ended efforts in Texas and other GOP-led states to redraw their maps. Newsom called Republicans' efforts an 'unprecedented' attempt to rig the 2026 election. 'You are playing with fire, risking the destabilization of our democracy, while knowing that California can neutralize any gains you hope to make,' Newsom wrote. Garcia with the Hispanic Republican Club of North Texas argued the ability to gerrymander means the Trump-led tactic is fair game in order to keep a majority in the House. She said Democrats have 'done even worse things' to gain power, and it only makes sense Republicans do the same. 'Why can't we do what we need to do with Texas?' she said. 'We're just trying to help our party wherever we can.' But Goidel, the Texas A&M political scientist, worries that such an attitude could spell disaster for American democracy. Voters lose trust in the government when they believe the system is rigged, he noted. If states across the nation start redrawing voter maps as part of a partisan power grab, that distrust could reach a fever pitch, Goidel cautioned. 'I don't see how we end up at 2026 without a loss of faith in fair-and-free elections,' he said. 'People will see it's not fair. Everything's a game of just trying to manipulate the outcome.'
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Clinton County Republicans push back against Stefanik's attacks on GOP chair
PLATTSBURGH — An anonymous mass text message went out to area Republicans' cell phones Tuesday evening making several accusations against Clinton County GOP Chairwoman Jerika Manning. Manning, who is one of three county Republican chairs who will decide the party's candidate in the upcoming 115th assembly district special election, was accused in the message of trying to 'secretly' and 'illegally' rig the election and put herself up as the Republican candidate. The anonymous sender also accused Manning of putting up a 'placeholder candidate' when she got 'caught red handed.' The message concluded by saying that is why Manning must resign as chair 'immediately' because 'she continues to lie to GOP committee members.' The anonymous message was sent out just hours after NY-21 Congresswoman Elise Stefanik publicly called for Manning to resign as GOP chair Tuesday. 'NOT BE INTIMIDATED' Manning denied the accusations made against her in the text message. 'An anonymous and false text message is being sent to voters in Clinton County, filled with blatant lies about me and my record,' Manning said in a statement Wednesday. 'Let me be crystal clear: I have never sought to run for the 115th Assembly seat. In fact, members of the Assembly approached me about running, and I declined. My focus has always been — and remains — on serving as your County Clerk, a position that holds deep personal meaning for me following the passing of my dear friend and predecessor.' Manning is currently running for Clinton County Clerk and will be on the ballot for the Republican Party this November. Brandi Lloyd is running on the Democratic side. Both hope to be the successor to long-time Republican Clerk John Zurlo, who died one year into his four-year term in December 2024. 'These lies are being spread by those who want to undermine the lawful, constitutional process for filling a special election vacancy and replace it with insider deals. They know they cannot win on truth, so they are resorting to anonymous attacks and lies,' Manning continued. 'I will not be intimidated, and I will not abandon my responsibility to our voters. We must demand integrity in both our elections and our campaigns — and that starts with rejecting dirty tricks and holding accountable those who break the law to influence your vote.' SURPRISE ENDORSEMENT As previously reported by the Press-Republican, Stefanik endorsed village of Malone Mayor and Franklin County Legislator Andrea Dumas to be the Republican candidate last week. State Sen. Dan Stec, R-C, Queensbury, did so as well. When the county committee leadership did not follow suit, Stefanik and Stec called on Manning to resign. 'Elise Stefanik is RIGHT,' Stec wrote on his Facebook page Tuesday. 'The current chair's persistent rejection of outstanding candidate Andrea Dumas is the last straw. The Clinton County Republican Committee needs new leadership!' The endorsements came as a surprise to some in the Clinton County Republican Committee, especially because state election law dictates that a candidate for this special election cannot be officially nominated by Democratic or Republican chairs until after current Assemblyman Billy Jones's resignation is official Aug. 31. Clinton County Republican Committee Vice-Chair Jeff Luck said the endorsements were done 'without warning' and without seeing if any other candidates were being considered by the committee first. 'Andrea Dumas is a very strong candidate, but they removed from the county committee members any other potential choices that were lined up in the process,' Luck said in a lengthy statement Wednesday. 'Worse, they began an immediate bullying campaign for us to concede the process and remove the freedom of Clinton County Republicans to express their voices. We declined.' Luck said the committee is following the law by not endorsing a candidate right now. 'The Clinton County Republican Committee intends to fully complete the state requirement to offer a candidate for the 115th Assembly District special election without the interference of both Congresswoman Stefanik and State Senator Dan Stec,' he continued. 'This will happen in as timely a manner as possible, and an announcement will be made at that time.' The special election is expected, but not confirmed, to coincide with the General Election on Nov. 4. DOUBLING DOWN In a statement Thursday morning, Stefanik continued her attack on Manning and echoed accusations similar to those in the anonymous text message. 'Today we ensured that every candidate including Andrea Dumas will now be fairly considered by all the Clinton County Town Chairs instead of the Clinton County GOP Chair and Vice Chair attempting to unilaterally disqualify candidates, float placeholders, float herself, and divide the committee,' Stefanik said. 'Previously the Clinton County GOP Chair had wrongly said to many that she would never consider certain candidates like Andrea Dumas. We stopped that in its tracks by exposing this. 'We successfully ensured that Clinton County would fairly consider Andrea and let town chairs decide rather than the County Chair who should focus on her flailing clerk's race. Other names that have expressed interest in pursuing this nomination are: Ted Blazer, Steve Chilton, and Nate Locke and all should be invited. Thank you Clinton County members for stopping your Chair from blocking Andrea Dumas, a proven vote getter and great Mayor and Legislator!'
Fox News
11 minutes ago
- Fox News
Trump-appointed judge strikes down anti-DEI measures from Education Department
A Trump-appointed judge struck down two actions from the Education Department aimed at rooting out diversity, equity and inclusion programs in American schools, arguing that the federal government cannot push their policies "at the expense of constitutional rights." In her ruling Thursday, U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher in Maryland found that the Education Department violated the law when it threatened to cut federal funding from educational institutions that continued with DEI initiatives. "The administration is entitled to express its viewpoints and to promulgate policies aligned with those viewpoints," Gallagher wrote, according to Politico. "But it must do so within the procedural bounds Congress has outlined. And it may not do so at the expense of constitutional rights." "The government did not merely remind educators that discrimination is illegal: it initiated a sea change in how the Department of Education regulates educational practices and classroom conduct, causing millions of educators to reasonably fear that their lawful, and even beneficial, speech might cause them or their schools to be punished," she added. The ruling followed a motion for summary judgment from the American Federation of Teachers and the American Sociological Association, which challenged the government's actions in a February lawsuit. The case centered on two Education Department memos ordering schools and universities to end all "race-based decision-making" or face penalties up to a total loss of federal funding. The conflict started with a Feb. 14 memo declaring that any consideration of race in admissions, financial aid, hiring or other aspects of academic and student life would be considered a violation of federal civil rights law. A further memo in April asked state education agencies to certify they were not using "illegal DEI practices." Violators risked losing federal money and being prosecuted under the False Claims Act, it said. A statement from the Education Department on Thursday said it was disappointed in the ruling but that "judicial action enjoining or setting aside this guidance has not stopped our ability to enforce Title VI protections for students at an unprecedented level." In April, a federal judge in New Hampshire already blocked the Trump administration from cutting funding to public schools that maintain diversity programs. U.S. District Judge Landya McCafferty said at the time that the effort by Trump's Education Department to block federal funding to public schools that continue to promote DEI programs likely violates the First Amendment, presenting what she described as "textbook viewpoint discrimination."
