Texas map fight escalates as Jeffries vows ‘all options' to stop GOP plan

Fox News

6 days ago

The top House Democrat says that "all options should be on the table" in the Texas redistricting battle.
"We will fight them politically. We will fight them governmentally. We will fight them in court. We will fight them in terms of winning the hearts and minds of the people of Texas and beyond. The Texas Democrats are going to show up and stand up and speak up for what's right for the people of Texas, and that's showing courage and conviction and character in doing that," House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York said on Thursday at a news conference in Texas with Democratic state lawmakers.
The news conference came a day after Texas GOP state lawmakers unveiled the first draft of their proposed new congressional redistricting map, as part of their push to flip five Democrat-held seats in the reliably red state.
"We'll see what happens over the next few days, over the next few weeks. But the one thing I know is clear that Texas Democrats are fighting for the people," he added.
The Republican push in Texas is part of a broader effort by the GOP across the country to keep control of the House, and cushion losses elsewhere in the country, as the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats in midterm elections.
Democrats control just 12 of the state's 38 congressional districts, with a blue-leaning seat vacant after the death in March of Rep. Sylvester Turner.
The GOP plan relocates Democratic voters from competitive seats into nearby GOP-leaning districts, and moves Republican voters into neighboring districts the Democrats currently control.
Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, both conservative Republicans and Trump allies, said they needed to redistrict because of constitutional concerns raised by the Justice Department over a handful of minority-dominated districts.
But the move is potentially risky, as it makes some once-reliably red districts more competitive.
Redistricting typically takes place at the start of each decade, based on the latest U.S. Census data. Mid-decade redistricting is uncommon—but not without precedent.
Democrats are slamming Trump and Texas Republicans for what they describe as a power grab, and vowing to take legal action to prevent any shift in the current congressional maps.
And Democrats in blue-dominated states are now trying to fight fire with fire.
"Two can play this game," California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on social media recently.
The next day, after a meeting, Democrats in California's congressional delegation said they were on board with an ambitious plan to try and gain at least five seats through redistricting. Democrats currently control 43 of the Golden State's 52 congressional districts.
Jeffries, after his two-day stop in Texas, heads to California for meetings with state Democrats.
But it won't be easy to enact the change, because in California, congressional maps are drawn by an independent commission that is not supposed to let partisanship influence their work.
Newsom has suggested that the state's Democratic-controlled legislature move forward with a mid-decade redrawing of the maps, arguing that it might not be forbidden by the 17-year-old ballot initiative that created the independent commission.
The governor also proposed quickly holding a special election to repeal the commission ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Both plans are considered long shots, as they would face plenty of legislative, legal and financial hurdles.
Democrats in other heavily populated blue states, including New York, Illinois, and New Jersey, are also considering making changes to their maps, but have redistricting limits enshrined in their state constitutions.
Meanwhile, Ohio is required by law to redistrict this year, and a redrawing of the maps in the red-leaning state could provide the GOP with up to three more congressional seats.
And Republicans are also mulling mid-decade redistricting that might give the GOP a couple of more House seats in red states such as Florida, Missouri, and Indiana.