Latest news with #MidtermElections
CNN
11 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Over 200 rallies are expected across the country to protest Trump-led redistricting plans
Donald Trump Congressional newsFacebookTweetLink Follow At parks, coffee shops, churches and government buildings around the country, hundreds of people are expected to gather today with a simple message: 'Stop the Trump takeover.' The rallies are a bid to combat Republican-led plans to redraw congressional maps. The main event will take place in Texas, where a new congressional map backed by President Donald Trump that could net Republicans five additional seats in the 2026 midterm elections inspired the state's Democratic lawmakers to flee the state – preventing the quorum needed to vote. 'Trump is terrified of the American people,' said the Texas for All Coalition, which is helping organize the events, in a news release. 'He knows he can't win on his ideas, so he's trying to take Congress by hook or by crook – and he's doing it by silencing the voices of communities of color. We're not going to let that happen.' Organizers emphasized 'a commitment to nonviolence' at all events in event page descriptions. Over 200 events are planned in 34 states, according to the event's official website. The Democratic National Committee is helping organize events, it announced in a news release. 'From coast to coast, people will be showing up at their statehouses, city halls, and community spaces to make it clear – we see what Trump is doing, and we won't stand for it,' said the DNC. A swath of nonprofits and other organizations are also supporting the effort, including Planned Parenthood, the Working Families Party and Human Rights Campaign. Trump described the proposed Texas congressional map as a 'very simple redrawing' at the White House. 'We pick up five seats,' he added. But it doesn't end with Texas. Republican leaders in other states, too, have proposed changing their congressional maps ahead of next year's midterms. The White House is pushing Missouri legislators to consider a special session to redraw maps. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has floated the idea of changing his state's maps, and has said he thinks the Trump administration should give the state another seat. In Ohio, maps must be redrawn due to a quirk of state law – which may make the state's delegation even more Republican and carve up two Democratic seats, according to a report in June from CNN's Fredreka Schouten. Democratic lawmakers have announced their own plans to fight back, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who kicked off his own redistricting push on Thursday. Here's more on what we know about today's protests. Today's largest protest is slated to happen in Austin, Texas. Over 1,000 people have RSVPed for the event, which will start at the state's Capitol. 'Texas is being used as a testing ground for extremist policies and partisan games that don't reflect our values,' reads the event page. 'Thousands of Texans have shown up against the racially gerrymandered congressional map lawmakers are trying to force through in order to weaken the voting power of communities of color.' Former Congressman Beto O'Rourke, United Farm Workers cofounder Dolores Huerta, Democratic US Rep. Greg Casar and Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas are expected to speak, according to a news release from the Texas for All Coalition. Drag queen Brigitte Bandit and singer Gina Chavez are also expected to perform. Across Texas, events are also planned in Houston, Dallas, San Angelo, Tyler, McAllen, Conroe and Kingwood. Events and rallies are also scheduled in dozens of other states, both in Democratic strongholds and Republican-majority states. Local organizers are planning each city-specific event. In New York City, demonstrators are expected to gather in Central Park. In Washington, DC, where Trump has deployed the National Guard and declared a federal takeover of the local police department, organizers are painting banners and signs to place around the city. Protesters in Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina, plan to hold a 'bridge brigade,' holding signs on 16 different bridges. Demonstrations are also planned in Cincinnati, Ohio; Sarasota, Florida; and Jefferson City, Missouri, among other cities. The planned events include rallies, teach-ins, banner drops and art-making at locations that include a bookstore in Jacksonville, Florida, and a Tesla showroom in Palo Alto, California. The demonstrations follow a string of other protests organized since Trump took office for the second time in January, including the 'No Kings' protests in June and demonstrations against the president's deportation campaign in July. Drucilla Tigner, the executive director of statewide coalition Texas For All, said in a news release that the fight extends far past Texas. 'Across Texas, and across the country, communities are speaking out in a united voice to call for an end to the Trump takeover,' she said. 'Though this fight started in Texas, it doesn't end here. This isn't just about redistricting or one state's politics.' 'It's about the future of our democracy.'
CNN
12 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Over 200 rallies are expected across the country to protest Trump-led redistricting plans
At parks, coffee shops, churches and government buildings around the country, hundreds of people are expected to gather today with a simple message: 'Stop the Trump takeover.' The rallies are a bid to combat Republican-led plans to redraw congressional maps. The main event will take place in Texas, where a new congressional map backed by President Donald Trump that could net Republicans five additional seats in the 2026 midterm elections inspired the state's Democratic lawmakers to flee the state – preventing the quorum needed to vote. 'Trump is terrified of the American people,' said the Texas for All Coalition, which is helping organize the events, in a news release. 'He knows he can't win on his ideas, so he's trying to take Congress by hook or by crook – and he's doing it by silencing the voices of communities of color. We're not going to let that happen.' Organizers emphasized 'a commitment to nonviolence' at all events in event page descriptions. Over 200 events are planned in 34 states, according to the event's official website. The Democratic National Committee is helping organize events, it announced in a news release. 'From coast to coast, people will be showing up at their statehouses, city halls, and community spaces to make it clear – we see what Trump is doing, and we won't stand for it,' said the DNC. A swath of nonprofits and other organizations are also supporting the effort, including Planned Parenthood, the Working Families Party and Human Rights Campaign. Trump described the proposed Texas congressional map as a 'very simple redrawing' at the White House. 'We pick up five seats,' he added. But it doesn't end with Texas. Republican leaders in other states, too, have proposed changing their congressional maps ahead of next year's midterms. The White House is pushing Missouri legislators to consider a special session to redraw maps. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has floated the idea of changing his state's maps, and has said he thinks the Trump administration should give the state another seat. In Ohio, maps must be redrawn due to a quirk of state law – which may make the state's delegation even more Republican and carve up two Democratic seats, according to a report in June from CNN's Fredreka Schouten. Democratic lawmakers have announced their own plans to fight back, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who kicked off his own redistricting push on Thursday. Here's more on what we know about today's protests. Today's largest protest is slated to happen in Austin, Texas. Over 1,000 people have RSVPed for the event, which will start at the state's Capitol. 'Texas is being used as a testing ground for extremist policies and partisan games that don't reflect our values,' reads the event page. 'Thousands of Texans have shown up against the racially gerrymandered congressional map lawmakers are trying to force through in order to weaken the voting power of communities of color.' Former Congressman Beto O'Rourke, United Farm Workers cofounder Dolores Huerta, Democratic US Rep. Greg Casar and Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas are expected to speak, according to a news release from the Texas for All Coalition. Drag queen Brigitte Bandit and singer Gina Chavez are also expected to perform. Across Texas, events are also planned in Houston, Dallas, San Angelo, Tyler, McAllen, Conroe and Kingwood. Events and rallies are also scheduled in dozens of other states, both in Democratic strongholds and Republican-majority states. Local organizers are planning each city-specific event. In New York City, demonstrators are expected to gather in Central Park. In Washington, DC, where Trump has deployed the National Guard and declared a federal takeover of the local police department, organizers are painting banners and signs to place around the city. Protesters in Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina, plan to hold a 'bridge brigade,' holding signs on 16 different bridges. Demonstrations are also planned in Cincinnati, Ohio; Sarasota, Florida; and Jefferson City, Missouri, among other cities. The planned events include rallies, teach-ins, banner drops and art-making at locations that include a bookstore in Jacksonville, Florida, and a Tesla showroom in Palo Alto, California. The demonstrations follow a string of other protests organized since Trump took office for the second time in January, including the 'No Kings' protests in June and demonstrations against the president's deportation campaign in July. Drucilla Tigner, the executive director of statewide coalition Texas For All, said in a news release that the fight extends far past Texas. 'Across Texas, and across the country, communities are speaking out in a united voice to call for an end to the Trump takeover,' she said. 'Though this fight started in Texas, it doesn't end here. This isn't just about redistricting or one state's politics.' 'It's about the future of our democracy.'
CTV News
15 hours ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Power Play. Democrats release plan to boost party's California U.S. House seats in fight for Congress
LOS ANGELES — In a display of cutthroat yet calculated politics, Democrats unveiled a proposal Friday that could give California's dominant political party an additional five U.S. House seats in a bid to win the fight to control Congress next year. The plan calls for an unusually timed reshaping of House district lines to greatly strengthen the Democratic advantage in the state ahead of midterm elections, when Republicans will be defending the party's fragile House majority. It amounts to a counterpunch to Texas, where the GOP is trying to add five seats to its House delegation at the urging of U.S. President Donald Trump as he tries to avoid losing control of Congress and, with it, prospects for his policy goals in the later part of his term. If approved by voters in a November election, the California blueprint could nearly erase Republican House members in the nation's most populous state. The Democratic plan is intended to win the party 48 of the state's 52 U.S. House seats. The proposal was released by the campaign arm of House Democrats, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Democrats in the state Legislature will hold hearings and plan to vote on maps next week. Leaders did not immediately comment on the DCCC maps. New districts have boundaries to boost Democratic edge While a general notion behind drawing districts is to unite what's called communities of interest — neighborhoods and cities that share similar concerns or demographic traits — the proposed remapping would create a jigsaw of oddly shaped districts to maximize Democratic clout. The 1st Congressional District is currently anchored in the state's conservative far northeast corner and is represented by Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a Trump supporter. The district has a nearly 18-point GOP registration edge. Under the proposal Democrats would end up with a 10-point registration advantage in the district after drastic reshaping to include parts of heavily Democratic Sonoma County near the Pacific Coast. In the battleground 41st District east of Los Angeles, now represented by long-serving Republican Rep. Ken Calvert, Democratic and Republican registration is currently split about evenly. But in the redrawn district, Democratic registration would jump to 46 per cent, with GOP registration falling to 26 per cent. Texas remains at stalemate in push for more GOP seats The release of the plan came the same day that Texas Republicans began a second special session to approve new congressional maps sought by Trump to bolster his party ahead of the 2026 elections. The GOP's first special session in Texas ended without approving new political maps, thwarted by Democrats who staged a nearly two-week walkout that meant not enough lawmakers were present to pass any legislation. Gov. Greg Abbott then quickly called a second session that then started without the necessary quorum to conduct business. Newsom promises fight with Trump In California, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that his state will hold a Nov. 4 special referendum on the redrawn districts. 'We can't stand back and watch this democracy disappear district by district all across the country,' Newsom said. Newsom's announcement marked the first time any state beyond Texas officially waded into Trump's fight, though several governors and legislative leaders from both parties have threatened such moves. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, who heads the House GOP campaign arm, said Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, is 'shredding California's Constitution and disenfranchising voters.' 'Californians oppose Newsom's stunt because they won't let a self-serving politician rig the system to further his career,' said Hudson, who heads the National Republican Congressional Committee. In Texas, absent lawmakers have said they will return to Austin once California Democrats take more formal steps on their own redistricting plan that they've been shaping behind closed doors. Trump is trying to protect Republicans' slim House majority in Washington and avoid a repeat of the 2018 midterms, when the GOP yielded control during his first presidency to a Democratic majority that stymied his agenda and twice impeached him. The nation's two most populous states have been at the forefront of the resulting battle that has reached into multiple courtrooms and statehouses controlled by both parties. Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows chided his colleagues who left Austin, accusing them of 'following Gov. Newsom's lead instead of the will of Texans.' The speaker said, however, that he's 'been told' to expect a quorum on Monday. 'Let's be ready to work,' Burrows said, ticking through a litany of issues without mentioning the president or redistricting. Fight has gone national Trump has urged other Republican-run states to redraw maps, even dispatching U.S. Vice President JD Vance to Indiana to pressure officials there. In Missouri, a document obtained by The Associated Press shows the state Senate received a US$46,000 invoice to activate six redistricting software licenses and provide training for up to 10 staff members. Newsom encouraged other Democratic-led states to 'stand up — not just California.' House control could come down to a few seats in 2026 Nationally, the partisan makeup of existing district lines put Democrats within three seats of a majority. Of the 435 total seats, only several dozen districts are competitive. So even slight changes in a few states could affect which party is in control after the 2026 midterms. New maps are typically drawn once a decade after the census — the last being in 2020. Many states, including Texas, give legislators the power to draw maps. California is among those that empowers independent commissions with the task. California Democrats hold 43 of the state's 52 House seats. A new California map would take effect only if a Republican state moves forward. It would remain through the 2030 elections. After that, Democrats say they would return mapmaking power to the independent commission voters approved in 2008. Some people already have said they would sue over the effort. Republican former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a longtime opponent of partisan redistricting, signaled he won't side with California Democrats even after talking to Newsom. On Friday, he posted a photo of himself at the gym wearing a T-shirt that said, 'Terminate gerrymandering,' with a reference to an obscenity and politicians. 'I'm getting ready for the gerrymandering battle,' Schwarzenegger wrote. ___ Nguyễn reported from Sacramento, California, Blood reported from Los Angeles and Barrow reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writer David Lieb in Jefferson City, Missouri, contributed. Michael R. Blood, Trân Nguyễn, Nadia Lathan And Bill Barrow, The Associated Press
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Emerson College Poll shows how Texas voters feel about redistricting, Senate race
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas voters have mixed opinions on the state's attempt to redraw congressional maps, according to new poll data from Emerson College on Friday. Pollsters asked 1,000 voters 'Do you support or oppose the proposal to redraw Texas' congressional map ahead of the 2026 Midterm Elections?' In total, 36% of respondents support the plan while 38% oppose it. The remaining (26%) said they were unsure. House Democrats announce they will conditionally return this weekend A majority of the 491 Republican respondents (58%) said they support the move. Just 12% said they opposed the attempt. Between the two, nearly a third of respondents said they were unsure. Democrats who responded to the poll said they largely oppose redistricting (70%), but 15% of Democratic respondents said they support it. The 'unsure' margin was approximately 16%. Respondents who weren't registered with either party had mixed responses — 43% opposed, 33% weren't sure, and 24% supported. Republican voters appear split between Sen. John Cornyn (30%) and primary challenger Ken Paxton (29%), with most saying they're still undecided (37%). 'Ballot tests' in the poll compared support for both candidates against Democratic candidate Colin Allred. Against Allred, both had around 45% support; however, a higher share of respondents said they would vote for Allred if Paxton were the candidate. As for voters' top issues, 30% said the economy, 20% said immigration and 15% said 'threats to democracy.' By party, Democrats were the most concerned about those 'threats' (31%) while a small minority of Republican respondents (3%, within the poll's margin of error) were. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Fox News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Dems accuse JD Vance of ‘congressional level shoplifting,' call for more to join AWOL lawmakers
Democratic lawmakers from the Texas and Indiana legislatures slammed Republican redistricting efforts before the 2026 Midterm Elections, with one Indiana lawmaker accusing Vice President JD Vance of being "engaged in congressional-level shoplifting." The lawmakers held a press conference in Chicago on Wednesday to protest an ongoing effort in Texas to pass a redistricting bill that would likely hand the GOP five additional congressional seats. During the event, Texas state Rep. Gene Wu, who is chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, said that by fleeing the state to deny a voting quorum in the Texas House, his caucus is "blocking a racist, unconstitutional and illegal gerrymandering effort." He said the AWOL Democrats are also "stopping the DC swamp from dictating who we get to vote for." This comes as Texas Governor Greg Abbott and other state authorities have called for the arrest and removal of Democratic lawmakers who disappeared from the state and brought legislative progress in the state House of Representatives to a grinding halt. Because of the missing Democrats, the Texas House has not been able to pass the redistricting bill though it passed in the Texas Senate on Tuesday. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Abbott said that, in addition to political backlash, Democratic lawmakers who accepted money to assist with their exodus could face felony bribery charges. Now, several Democrats are reportedly planning to return to the state as Abbott calls for a second special legislative session to pass the redistricting bill. Despite this, the Democrats are asserting that their efforts have been a success. Speaking on Wednesday, Wu said, "I'm so happy to be here today because in the past week we have heard from California, we have heard from New York, we have heard from Illinois, that people are ready to stand up. People are ready to fight back." Wu called on more people to join in the efforts and to take "more aggressive actions" to fight the GOP. "We cannot do this alone; that this is not a fight that we can sustain and win on our own," said Wu. "What we need is we need more people to join us. We need more states to come to our aid, and we need more people to say we will start taking more aggressive actions, we will defend against this." Wu went on to say that if Texas and other red states are "determined to do this," then "other states will make sure that it does not matter what they do, that we will nullify their actions." "We will make it pointless for them to attack our democracy," he said. In response, Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesperson for Abbott, told Fox News Digital that "Democrats fundamentally misunderstand Texans." "Texans expect their elected leaders to show up to work, and the Democrats refuse to do so," said Mahaleris. "Voters, especially Hispanic Texans, are increasingly deserting the Democrats and deserve to be able to vote for candidates who better align with their values. At the end of the day, candidates win on the merits, not the map. If Democrats have any hope of winning elections, they need to change their platform. Running away from a fight is not a solution and is the antithesis of being a Texan." Amidst this controversy, Vance has also called for red states to counter what he called "aggressive" Democratic gerrymandering in blue states like California, New York and Illinois. Speaking with Maria Bartiromo on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" this past weekend, Vance said, "We're just trying to rebalance the scales and frankly push back against a very unfair system created by the Democrats." Vance said Democrats have had the upper hand in the game for many years and, under President Donald Trump's leadership, Republicans are finally playing offense. "It's ridiculously unfair," he said of illegal immigrants being included in the total population used to determine how many seats each state receives in the U.S. House of Representatives. "The only real way to fight back against it is for us to redistrict, in some ways, as aggressively as these hard blue states have done," he added. On Wednesday, Indiana state Rep. Ed DeLaney, a Democrat serving in a majority Republican legislature, accused Vance of engaging in "congressional-level shoplifting." "JD Vance, in my view, and I'm being serious about this, the man is engaged in congressional-level shoplifting, and I say that again. That's what he's doing," said DeLaney. "Never in my life did I think that the Vice President of the United States would come to my state to ask our legislators to shoplift a congressional district like this, steal them off the shelf, run outside and wave them in front of the country. We cannot have this kind of conduct," he said. DeLaney asserted that "this game of, you know, ritual gerrymandering" puts at risk "the mutual respect of the legislature of our state and of Texas and of other states." He went on to say, "If these idiots get their wishes, what happens if they lose one of those five congressional races? Oh my God, let's have another redistricting next year. This has got to be put to a stop." He went on to say that the Texas Democrats "are the people who are going to try to put it to a stop," adding, "I know how hard it is, but we need to support them and stand with them. Otherwise, our people will be subjected to ever-changing districts, none of which are representative." Fox News Digital also reached out to Vance's office for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
