I'm a Democrat who left Texas. New GOP maps will silence Latino voters.

USA Today

a day ago

I joined my fellow Texas Democrats in leaving the state to deny Republicans the required quorum they need to pass manipulated congressional maps.
This summer, Texas tragically lost more than 135 of our neighbors, many of them children, to the devastating July 4 floods. In the wake of that heartbreak, Texans deserved leadership, compassion and action.
Instead, Texas Republicans are exploiting the tragedy to launch a blatant and calculated power grab. They've hijacked what should be a special legislative session focused on helping grieving survivors to instead do the bidding of President Donald Trump and push through new congressional maps − a process normally conducted every 10 years after the Census.
This isn't just political opportunism. It's an insult to the people who lost their lives and the communities still suffering.
This is also a test.
In 2024, Democrats nationwide took the Latino vote for granted and paid for it. We can't afford to make that mistake again.
We must be clear about what's really happening in Texas now. Republicans are using Latino voters as political pawns.
Latino voices, electoral power and ability to fully participate in our democracy are under threat. Democrats must stand up and show that we will not allow them to be silenced without a fight.
Texas and national Republicans know the math. They understand that Latinos are now the largest population in our state, and that Texas elections have national consequences for the balance of power in Washington.
A redistricting primer: Texas Democrats face their Alamo with new GOP congressional map
Rather than work to earn more Latino votes, Republicans, at the direction of President Donald Trump, are instead tactfully carving them out of districts, dividing up their communities and working to silence their influence.
Let's be clear:These proposed maps are designed to entrench Republican power, pad the party's slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and rig future elections. They are not a reflection of the will of the people, nor based on any new census data.
Republicans' hidden agenda isn't so hidden
In Austin, for example, we're seeing the impact firsthand. The maps would eliminate the Latino opportunity district, robbing a diverse, civically engaged city of fair representation at a time when our population has soared.
Austin would be forced into a newly drawn Republican district stretching hundreds of miles to east Texas. Similar scenarios would play out across south Texas, Houston and Dallas, where millions of Latinos live.
These new Republican maps send a message to Latino voters − and voters in general − that their voices don't matter.
As Democrats, we can't wait for an election cycle to speak out and act with conviction. It's not enough to oppose these maps. We must fight for a Texas, and a country, where every voter, in every neighborhood, has an equal voice.
After all, a hallmark of a thriving American democracy is that voters choose their elected leaders − not the other way around.
Opinion: Texas Democrats know they're fighting a losing cause. At least they're fighting.
As chair of the Progressive Caucus' redistricting effort, I've led these fights before, and I'm prepared to do it again.
As a Latina and proud daughter of the Rio Grande Valley, I refuse to sit back while Republican leaders silence our communities, try to erase Latino political power and rig our democracy behind closed doors.
That's why I joined my fellow Texas Democrats, as I did in 2021, in leaving the state, denying Republicans the required quorum they need to pass these manipulated maps. They've left us no choice.
I must do everything in my power to stand up for my constituents and all Texans. That includes not letting these maps get a vote on the floor to begin with.
If it can happen in Texas, it can happen elsewhere
I believe we have the power − and the people − on our side to stop this shameful scheme. Texans must be willing to show up at hearings, share their stories, and demand transparency and fairness in this process.
We need Democrats nationwide to see this moment as a front-line voting rights battle. It's not just another local fight.
Because if Republicans make Texas their blueprint, what's to stop them from doing this in other states?
Latino voters have seen this play out before. Politicians come around every few years talking a big game about representation, then disappear until the next election cycle.
It has to end. The way we fight now with these maps will determine whether we earn the right to ask for Latinos to vote for us later.
This moment is how Democrats can start to regain trust with Latino voters, and all communities of color. That means the stakes are high, but so is the opportunity.
This is not just a fight about maps. It's a fight about who counts, and who has power in our democracy.
History has its eyes on us, and it will remember who met this moment with resolve to win. And who stayed silent.
Democratic Rep. Gina Hinojosa chairs the Texas House Progressive Caucus' redistricting effort.