Latest news with #SuzanDelBene
USA Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Democrats vow to respond to Trump, Texas' redistricting plan
WASHINGTON − Democrats are prepared to respond in full to Texas Republicans' controversial redistricting proposal, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Suzan DelBene warned. "If they go down this path, absolutely folks are going to respond across the country," DelBene, a Democratic congresswoman from Washington, told reporters at a meeting July 23. "We're not going to be sitting back with one hand tied behind our back while Republicans try to undermine the voices of the American people." "Hopefully they won't go down this path," she added. Lawmakers in the Lone Star State are currently evaluating Gov. Greg Abbott's request to redraw congressional maps and make a handful of Texas' 38 districts more friendly to Republican candidates. The move follows the urging of President Donald Trump and comes as House Republicans hold a razor thin majority. Trump has said he hopes map adjustments could put as many as five Texas districts in play for the GOP, providing critical cushion in next year's elections when Democrats have precedent on their side. The party that does not hold the White House often has the advantage in midterm congressional elections. Texas Democrats have a slim toolbox to prevent Republicans from following through with their rare mid-decade redistricting effort. But beyond state borders, lawmakers and governors from blue bastions, including California and New York, have suggested an equal and opposite counterattack. 'We can act holier than thou,' California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a July 16 press conference. 'We can sit on the sidelines, talk about the way the world should be. Or we can recognize the existential nature that is this moment.' The coast-to-coast response has left the door open for other red states to jump in the mix. Missouri Republicans are pondering a plan to give their party a geographical leg up, Punchbowl News reported. Florida and New Hampshire are other Republican-led states where a mid-decade redistricting could be feasible. Ohio is mandated by their state constitution to reassess their map before 2026. In response to concerns about a tit-for-tat redistricting arms race, DelBene directed blame to Republicans in Texas: "They've already started down that path." Democrats are also hoping that any shifts by the GOP in Texas will backfire. Moving reliably red voters into blue districts, they argue, could put incumbents in the districts they left at risk. "They should be careful what they ask for," DelBene said. "When they start playing with maps, they also change districts, and that will make a lot of Republicans vulnerable."
Reuters
3 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Despite risks, Texas Republicans launch Trump-backed effort to redraw congressional lines
July 22 (Reuters) - Texas Republicans on Monday launched a high-risk, high-reward redrawing of the state's 38 congressional districts, a move championed by President Donald Trump to protect the party's narrow U.S. House majority in next year's midterm elections. Trump has told reporters he expects the effort to yield as many as five additional House Republicans. Republicans hold a narrow 220-212 majority in the House, with three Democratic-held seats vacant after members' deaths. But redistricting experts said the plan could backfire if Republicans try to squeeze too many seats out of what is already considered a significantly skewed map. "Redrawing the Texas map is a dangerous proposition for House Republicans and their incumbents," Suzan DelBene, a Democratic congresswoman from Washington State and chair of the party's congressional campaign arm, told reporters. "It's basic math. For them to try to break up Democratic-held districts, they will have to weaken Republican districts, who already are facing political headwinds." Under the current lines, Republicans control 25 seats, nearly two-thirds of the districts in a state that went for Trump last year by a 56% to 42% margin. States are required to redistrict every 10 years based on the U.S. Census but the Texas map was passed just four years ago by the Republican-dominated legislature. While mid-cycle redistricting occasionally takes place, it is usually prompted by a change in power at the legislature. "This is totally unprecedented for a party to redraw its own map," said Michael Li, a redistricting expert at New York University's Brennan Center for Justice. "I can't think of another situation where the party got what it wanted, did very well and then decided to redraw its own map." Texas Democrats expressed disapproval on the state Senate floor on Monday and criticized Republicans for pursuing redistricting during a special legislative session that will also address funding for flood prevention in the wake of the deadly July 4 flash flooding that killed more than 130. But they have little recourse in a legislature dominated by Republicans. "I think this is a tremendous waste of time," Senator Roland Gutierrez, a Democrat, said. Asked about Democratic criticisms, a spokesman for Governor Greg Abbott previously said the governor was "dedicated to delivering results on issues important to Texans" during the session, including flood relief and tax cuts. Gerrymandering, the process of manipulating district boundaries to benefit one party, typically includes both "packing" and "cracking." Packing involves cramming as many opposition voters into a district as possible, making it easier to win the surrounding districts; cracking divides opposition voters into multiple districts, diluting their electoral power. When lawmakers push too far, however, they run the risk of creating a so-called "dummymander," in which the margins are thin enough that the other party ends up winning districts in a voting shift. Trump's Republicans already face vulnerabilities ahead of the 2026 elections. Only 41% of Americans approve of the job he is doing, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling, and the president's party historically underperforms during midterm elections. Democrats privately concede that Republicans could fairly easily draw a new map to oust two vulnerable Democrats, Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez, whose heavily Latino south Texas districts swung toward Trump in 2024. But gaining five seats is a tougher task. "This has dummymander written all over it," said New York University's Li. "When you gerrymander, you're making a bet that you know what the future of the state will look like. In some states, that's a safe bet; in Texas, it's very much not." Texas is one of the fastest growing states in the nation, adding more than 1,500 people a day from 2023 to 2024, according to the state demographer. Texas lawmakers need only look back a few years to see how a seemingly safe gerrymander can shift. In 2018, during Trump's first term, Democrats flipped two seats and came close to winning a handful of other previously solid Republican seats, as suburban voters swung away from Trump. Following the 2020 census, Texas Republicans responded by drawing a map designed to protect their incumbents. Only three of the state's 38 districts are seen as competitive under the current lines. In calling for the special session, Abbott cited a letter from Trump's Justice Department that alleged four majority-minority districts – all held by Democrats – were unconstitutional racial gerrymanders. Democrats and civil rights groups have warned that breaking up majority-minority districts will dilute the voting power for people of color. The existing map is already the subject of several lawsuits claiming that it intentionally discriminated against minority voters. Some Democrats have also suggested fighting fire with fire by redistricting in states they control. California Governor Gavin Newsom has floated the idea of sidestepping the state's redistricting commission to draw a new, more Democrat-friendly map.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
House GOP campaign arm outraises Democrats in second quarter
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) outraised its counterpart, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), in the second quarter of 2025. The House GOP campaign arm brought in $32.3 million in the second quarter of the year, while the House Democratic campaign arm raised $29.1 million in the same period. In June alone, the NRCC raised $18.1 million and the DCCC brought in $12.7 million. In 2025 so far, the NRCC has raised a total of $69 million, while the DCCC has raised $66 million. However, the DCCC reported having $39.7 million in the bank, while the NRCC has $37.6 million cash-on-hand. The NRCC's second quarter haul is a milestone for the committee, which is normally outraised by its Democratic counterpart. The last time the NRCC outraised the DCCC in the first six months and second quarter of an election cycle was 2021. 'While House Republicans build a historical war chest to grow the majority, House Democrats are broke, divided, and hijacked by socialists,' said Mike Marinella, spokesman at the NRCC. 'Donors are slamming the brakes because they know this party is pathetic, aimless, and has no chance of taking back the majority.' In their own statement, the DCCC noted they have 'the better message, stronger candidates, and necessary resources' to win back the House next year. 'Republicans are running scared because they know they are poised to be rejected by the American people next year,' said DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.). 'Their support for the Big, Ugly Law is going to cost them the House Majority. It fails to lower costs for everyday Americans and instead rips health care away from millions, threatens funding for rural hospitals, and will lead to higher energy bills – all to pay for tax breaks for the wealthiest few. It's no surprise that it's the least popular piece of legislation of the 21st century,' The latest numbers from the House committees come as the Republican National Committee (RNC) reported raising $96.4 million during the first six months of the year, while the Democratic National Committee raked in $69.2 million in the same period. The RNC also holds a cash-on-hand advantage of $80.78 million to $15.22 million. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
4 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
House GOP campaign arm outraises Democrats in second quarter
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) outraised its counterpart, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), in the second quarter of 2025. The House GOP campaign arm brought in $32.3 million in the second quarter of the year, while the House Democratic campaign arm raised $29.1 million in the same period. In June alone, the NRCC raised $18.1 million and the DCCC brought in $12.7 million. In 2025 so far, the NRCC has raised a total of $69 million, while the DCCC has raised $66 million. However, the DCCC reported having $39.7 million in the bank, while the NRCC has $37.6 million cash-on-hand. The NRCC's second quarter haul is a milestone for the committee, which is normally outraised by its Democratic counterpart. The last time the NRCC outraised the DCCC in the first six months and second quarter of an election cycle was 2021. 'While House Republicans build a historical war chest to grow the majority, House Democrats are broke, divided, and hijacked by socialists,' said Mike Marinella, spokesman at the NRCC. 'Donors are slamming the brakes because they know this party is pathetic, aimless, and has no chance of taking back the majority.' In their own statement, the DCCC noted they have 'the better message, stronger candidates, and necessary resources' to win back the House next year. 'Republicans are running scared because they know they are poised to be rejected by the American people next year,' said DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.). 'Their support for the Big, Ugly Law is going to cost them the House Majority. It fails to lower costs for everyday Americans and instead rips health care away from millions, threatens funding for rural hospitals, and will lead to higher energy bills – all to pay for tax breaks for the wealthiest few. It's no surprise that it's the least popular piece of legislation of the 21st century,' The latest numbers from the House committees come as the Republican National Committee (RNC) reported raising $96.4 million during the first six months of the year, while the Democratic National Committee raked in $69.2 million in the same period. The RNC also holds a cash-on-hand advantage of $80.78 million to $15.22 million.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
'The American people deserve transparency' about Epstein case: Rep. DelBene
Rep. Suzan DelBene joined "PoliticsNation" to discuss the rescissions package that pulled funding from foreign aid and public media, plus President Trump's demand that the DOJ release grand jury testimony related to Jeffrey Epstein. The request comes after The Wall Street Journal's report on Trump's alleged 2003 birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein. MSNBC has not independently verified the document involved in the Journal's Epstein report. Trump also denied he wrote it in an interview with the
