Texas maps trigger Democratic discord

Politico

2 days ago

IN TODAY'S EDITION:— Latino leaders line up behind Casar— Schumer vows to block extension of Trump's DC police takeover— RSC pitched potential Medicare reforms
The new Texas maps are causing quiet discord among House Democrats in danger of being displaced.
The GOP proposal threatens to draw Reps. Lloyd Doggett and Greg Casar into the same seat — a majority nonwhite Austin-area district. Doggett's urging of Casar to run in a newly-created 'even more Hispanic' district has particularly rankled national Latino leaders who don't want Casar bigfooted out of Congress.
'It's a horrible argument,' Texas-based veteran Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha said of Doggett's push. 'Every Latino leader, Latino member of Congress and local Latino leader will be behind Greg.'
House Democrats declined to speak about the situation on the record. But some said they hope the 78-year-old Doggett — who was the first Democrat to call for Joe Biden to step aside from the ticket last year — will decide against a thorny primary with Casar, a 36-year-old rising star in the party.
'[Doggett] should pass the torch,' said one House Democrat member granted anonymity to speak freely.
Democrats fear a contest between the two risks pulling resources from the party's broader effort to retake the House.
'Fighting and putting money or energy against each other is not how we beat Donald Trump,' said another House Democrat, a Progressive Caucus member.
But not everyone is counting out Doggett, who's been in office since 1995.
'Even at his age, he's a very, very good campaigner,' said another House Democrat.
Doggett told us the decision will ultimately be up to Austin residents, 'not D.C. consultants.'
'Apparently the only reason being given for ousting me is that my constituents have reelected me so many times for effectively representing them,' Doggett said in a statement. 'It's surprising that anyone would encourage Greg to abandon his newly configured CD-35 with a 57 percent Hispanic population and the power of incumbency. We need to prevent Trump from winning at least some of the 5 districts he is claiming.'
Casar's redrawn district is shifted to east San Antonio and includes other Republican counties, displacing it from its previously included region of Austin — where Casar has been clear he intends to run.
Elsewhere in Texas: Rep. Jasmine Crockett told CBS Texas this week she might run for a Dallas-area seat currently held by Rep. Marc Veasey after being drawn out of her current home. Veasey could decide to run for the other Dallas-area seat, though that would potentially leave Rep. Julie Johnson with the conundrum of either running for a majority-Republican seat or one of the two safe Dallas-area Democratic seats.
Johnson said in an interview that if the maps were enacted, 'it will require all of us to take a look at what opportunities we have, where did the bulk of our constituents line up and how we can continue to represent them.'
In the Houston area, Rep. Al Green's redrawn district voted for Trump in 2024, ensuring he has no chance there. He could opt to run for the vacant deep-blue seat last represented by the late Rep. Sylvester Turner — but doing so could displace the ambitious young Democrats currently running in the special election to succeed Turner.
TGIF. Email us: [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail] and [e-mail].
IN MEMORIAM — Former Delaware governor and nine-term U.S. House Rep. Mike Castle has died at 86. As governor, Castle led efforts on a comprehensive welfare reform package. While serving in the House from 1992 to 2011, he served on the Financial Services and Education and Workforce committees.
THE LEADERSHIP SUITE
Schumer plans to block DC police takeover, reignite Epstein battle
House Republicans not only want to grant Trump an extension of the 30-day limit on his D.C. police takeover, they're hoping it'll happen in more cities — even as Democratic leaders gear up to try putting a stop to it.
'We're gonna support doing this in other cities if it works out in Washington, D.C.,' House Oversight Chair James Comer told Newsmax Thursday. 'We spend a lot on our military. … We need to focus on the big cities in America now, and that's what the president is doing.'
Comer acknowledged any new legislation would need the help of at least some Senate Democrats. But that's looking increasingly unlikely as Democrats continue to condemn the move, citing a thirty-year low in violent crime in the District.
'No fucking way,' Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told a reporter when asked if he'd grant an extension.
Schumer also said that Trump's actions are meant to distract from the Jeffrey Epstein files. The minority leader promised that upon lawmakers' return, Democrats would continue to hammer Republicans to compel the release of more documents.
Jeffries pans Trump's BLS shakeup
Jeffries said Trump's decision to fire the former BLS commissioner and nominate Heritage economist E.J. Antoni is 'a disgrace.'
'But it's part of a consistent pattern,' Jeffries told CNBC Thursday. 'The Trump administration has attacked the free enterprise system here in the USA. The Trump administration has unleashed the largest pay-to-play scheme in modern American history, and everybody in corporate America knows it.'
POLICY RUNDOWN
RSC GETS CONSERVATIVE HEALTH PITCH FROM PARAGON — House GOP staffers gathered Thursday to hear from conservative health policy experts as lawmakers consider crafting a second party-line megabill this fall.
At the briefing convened by the Republican Study Committee, Paragon Health Institute President Brian Blase and two of his colleagues — Demetrios Kouzoukas, the director of the institute's Medicare Reform Initiative, and Gabrielle Minarik, a program manager — spent the first half hour debunking Democratic talking points against the Medicaid cuts in Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.'
Then, according to one person who attended the briefing, the Paragon experts spoke at length about potential 'reforms' to Medicare Advantage and ways to eliminate fraud in the higher federal matches for individuals who qualify for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
The Paragon experts also said Congress would need to find savings from spending cuts just shy of $1 trillion to put the federal government on a fiscally sustainable path in the next budget reconciliation bill — even if it won't be politically popular. A study co-authored by Blase found that Medicaid issued $1.1 trillion in improper payments over the past decade, which is double the amount previously found by the Office of Management and Budget.
SENATE DEMS PROBE LUTNICK'S FIRM — Sens. Ron Wyden and Elizabeth Warren have launched an investigation into Cantor Fitzgerald, the financial services firm formerly led by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, related to reports that the company now offers financial products tied to the legal outcomes of tariffs, Ari Hawkins reports.
Wyden and Warren — the ranking members of the Finance and Banking panels, respectively — wrote in a letter released Thursday to Brandon Lutnick (the secretary's son and current firm chair) that such products pose enormous conflicts of interest given the elder Lutnick's prominent role as chief architect of Trump's tariffs policy.
Senate Democrats were widely concerned during Howard Lutnick's confirmation hearings that his vast wealth and ties to special interests could pose ethical challenges. A Cantor Fitzgerald spokesperson, however, told Ari that the allegations are 'absolutely false' and that the firm does not facilitate 'business in litigation claims involving the legality of U.S. tariffs.'
Best of POLITICO Pro and E&E:
THE BEST OF THE REST
'East Berlin in the 1950s': Democrats Rage at Trump's Immigrant Checkpoint in D.C., from Riley Rogerson at NOTUS
Jeffrey Epstein battle set to reignite in Congress, from Emily Brooks and Mike Lillis at The Hill
THE CARRYOUT A recess spotlight on lawmakers' Capitol Hill food recs
Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove usually goes for a salad at Au Bon Pain because her office is in Cannon, 'but if I want to get spicy,' she added, 'I do the poke bowl in Rayburn.'
'I stay away from all things tacos,' Kamlager-Dove said.
What do you eat on the Hill when you want to get spicy? Email [e-mail].
CAMPAIGN STOP
FIRST IN INSIDE CONGRESS: BLUE SENATE MAJORITY OR MIRAGE? — Democrats have renewed hope in their Senate chances after landing top recruits, Holly Otterbein and Nick Wu report this morning.
While Republicans are still favored to maintain Senate control, Democrats are optimistic now that they've convinced former Sen. Sherrod Brown and former Gov. Roy Cooper to run in Ohio and North Carolina, respectively — though Brown hasn't made an official announcement yet.
Next, Democrats are hoping to recruit Maine Gov. Janet Mills to challenge Sen. Susan Collins and former Rep. Mary Peltola to run against Sen. Dan Sullivan in Alaska. The picks reflect an overall strategy to prioritize well-established candidates in several key states, even as much of the Democratic base hungers for generational change.
But Democrats acknowledge regaining the Senate is still a longshot.
'I'm not going to say we're taking back the Senate right now,' said Rep. Maxwell Frost. 'But it looks more possible than it ever was.'
NEW MAPS INCOMING — California Democrats are ramping up the redistricting fight — just as Texas Democrats prepare to concede.
California leaders are expected to release their proposed congressional map today, and Gov. Gavin Newsom said he'll put the issue to voters in a referendum on Nov. 4. This comes as Democratic state lawmakers announced their terms Thursday for returning to Texas and allowing a vote on Republicans' congressional map to move forward.
Newsom contrasted his plan to Texas Republicans' redistricting strategy, which was initially unpopular with state leaders until Trump pressed the issue.
'We're working through a very transparent, temporary and public process,' Newsom said. 'We're giving the power to the people.'
But voters may not be on board, Melanie Mason reports. The latest POLITICO-Citrin Center-Possibility Lab poll shows Californians largely prefer keeping the current, independent map drawing method rather than turning over that power to state lawmakers.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Sen. John Fetterman … Reps. Maxine Waters and Jeff Hurd … former Reps. Robert Pittenger, Elaine Luria (5-0) and Judy Biggert …POLITICO's Alec Snyder, Paula Friedrich and Daniel Naylor … Puck's Leigh Ann Caldwell … Devin O'Malley … former Justice Stephen Breyer … Maggie Mulvaney Wiggins … Annie Wolf … Bart Reising … Dara Cohen of Sen. Jacky Rosen's office … Karen Finney … Patrick Gleason of Americans for Tax Reform … Mary Elizabeth Taylor … Brett Doyle … ABC's Mariam Khan … Zahava Urecki … AP's Juliet Linderman
TRIVIA
THURSDAY'S ANSWER: Bob Koczera correctly answered that the inauguration date changed from March to January 20 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. And the three presidents inaugurated on January 21 were Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1957, Ronald Reagan in 1985 and Barack Obama in 2013.
TODAY'S QUESTION, from Bob: In which two U.S. states do the governors serve a two-year term, rather than four years?
The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to [e-mail].