Latest news with #congressionalmaps
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas Dem Rep pushes Democrats to gerrymander blue states as GOP redraws Texas map
President Trump is urging Texas lawmakers to redraw the state's congressional maps, although state maps are typically drawn at the end of each decade, making the timing ahead of the 2026 election unusual for such a move. Rep. Julie Johnson (D-TX), whose district may be targeted by the GOP to maintain their majority in Congress, joins Alex Witt to discuss.
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State of Texas: Special session redistricting brings risks; THC, floods, STAAR on agenda
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Texas' first special session of 2025 starts Monday, during which state lawmakers will consider new congressional maps approve the proposal. Special sessions explained: How they work, what the rules are Michael Li, senior counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice, specializes in voter participation among minority communities in Texas. He said that the only possible way he sees Republicans being able to maximize gains in Texas is by breaking up majority-Black or Latino districts in cities, like Houston and Dallas. 'In Texas, there really isn't a way to maximize Republican seats anymore without really targeting the political power of communities of color,' Li said. 'It's for districts that are majority non-white and that are all represented by Black or Latino members that have been floated around as districts that might be redrawn or tweaked in some way.' A statement from the Texas Democratic Party released July 10 identified the Houston-area 9th, 18th and 29th congressional districts, as well as the Dallas-Fort Worth 33rd congressional district as the seats most vulnerable to redistricting. All are currently represented by Black or Latino members. 'I am ready, willing and able': House Democrat says he'd break quorum to stop redistricting The Voting Rights Act of 1965 requires certain states to have majority-Black or Latino districts, and courts have recently struck down maps for violating that provision. Alabama and Louisiana were forced to draw new maps ahead of the 2024 election that created an additional Black-majority district, and Texas is already facing litigation over its current maps. The non-white population of Texas is also quickly growing. Texas earned two additional seats in Congress after the 2020 Census, and is currently projected to gain even more if population trends hold. 'This special session and the redrawing of Texas's congressional map … is coming just as we have census data showing that people of color provided all of Texas's population growth between 2023 and 2024,' Li said. 'The white population of Texas actually fell a little bit for the first time.' That leaves congressional candidates with little time ahead of the December filing deadline, especially if the new maps become tied up in court. 'It's almost certain that Black and Latino voters, and perhaps other voters, will be in court trying to block these maps, and there will be a fight about whether the maps will be in place for 2026 or not,' Li said. 'There isn't a lot of time to get new maps in place.' There are also other risks besides legal challenges: Current districts are drawn in a way that minimizes competition and packs cities into just a handful of districts, giving Republicans an edge. Any new map the GOP draws would make current Republican seats more vulnerable in order to create gains. That comes with risks, Li said, because population and demographic changes could upend the map in unpredictable ways. Li said that Republicans are facing pressure from President Trump to get it done, but will have to weigh whether or not they want to take a gamble. 'The question really is, are they willing to give that up, particularly the younger and the members who have less time in Congress, are they really willing to have a much more competitive map for the rest of the decade,' Li said. THC regulation up for consideration Governor Greg Abbott identified six bills he vetoed that are up for further consideration during the special session. Chief among the list is the highly scrutinized Senate Bill 3, which would have outlawed all consumable hemp products containing THC, the intoxicating chemical found in cannabis. In his veto proclamation, the governor made it clear he wants the legislature to look at regulating the hemp industry over a complete ban. He argues the way SB 3 is currently written would be legally fought for years to come. 'If I were to allow Senate Bill 3 to become law, its enforcement would be enjoined for years, leaving existing abuses unaddressed. Texas cannot afford to wait,' Abbott wrote. At one point in its legislative lifespan, SB 3 was not structured as a complete ban on THC products. State Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian, substantially changed the bill in the House Committee on State Affairs. It allowed the hemp industry to continue manufacturing hemp drinks and tinctures, and 'other consumable forms as long as they do not resemble a common snack marketed to children,' according to a summary of the bill changes. The King version of the bill also created a regulatory framework for those products that would have been carried about by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and the Department of State Health Services. 'It allows for some hemp sales to be continued. It bans vapes. It bans vape shops. It bans all synthetics. Delta-9, the natural flower that's grown and sold in Texas, would remain,' King said. The bill was ultimately changed back to its original state after an amendment by State Rep. Tom Oliverson, R-Cypress, on the House floor. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick championed SB 3 the entire session and made it one of his top priorities before the session started. He called the products 'poison' to the community and would not settle for anything less than an outright ban. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says Gov. Abbott wants to legalize recreational THC First flood-related bill filed ahead of special session Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, D-Austin, filed the first flood-related bill of the special session. It proposed changes to emergency warning systems operated by municipalities and counties. Senate Bill 25 would allow municipalities to collect residents' contact information to enroll them in emergency alerts, sent via text message, with their consent and the ability to opt-out at any time. Texans would also be able to choose to enroll in emergency alerts when they apply for or renew their driver license. Related: Special session will also target transgender Texans The bill represents the first of expected flood-related measures as lawmakers prepare to address the July 4 Central Texas disaster that exposed gaps in warning systems across the region. Shortly after SB 25 was filed, Sen. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, filed SB 26, a flood relief program that provides loans to small businesses. SB 26 would provide interest-free loans to small and micro-businesses to be used for any expenses, so long as they are Texas-based, impacted by the Central Texas floods and be in good standing with the state. Abbott placed flood warning systems at the top of his 18-item special session agenda following the July 4 floods that killed dozens of people across Central Texas. Kerr County, which suffered the heaviest losses, lacked a flood warning system despite being located in an area known as 'flash flood alley.' 'Replace the people that failed us': Former Kerr Co. IT official calls for change after flood alert delay The disaster raised questions about whether residents received adequate warnings before the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in 45 minutes, devastating communities along its banks. During the session, joint House and Senate committees will examine disaster preparedness and flooding issues. The committees will hold their first hearing July 23 at the Capitol, followed by a second hearing in Kerrville to gather resident input. Texas lawmakers create flood disaster committees ahead of special session The committees will examine four areas outlined in Abbott's agenda: flood warning systems, flood emergency communications, relief funding for Hill Country floods, and natural disaster preparation and recovery. Eckhardt's bill adds to growing legislative momentum to address flood preparedness issues that became apparent during the Central Texas disaster, which marked one of the deadliest flood events in state history. Odessa lawmaker files bill to scrap STAAR After multiple failed attempts in recent years, State Representative Brooks Landgraf, R-Odessa, is once again trying to eliminate the STAAR test from Texas public schools. Landgraf's House Bill 92 aims to eliminate the STAAR exam and reduce the scope of standardized testing in Texas classrooms. The bill targets all state-mandated assessments that exceed federal requirements and is intended to take effect in the 2025–2026 school year, if passed. 'Texans have made it clear: They want to scrap the STAAR test,' said Landgraf in a statement. 'Students, parents, teachers, and taxpayers are tired of an unnecessarily expensive system that prioritizes high-stakes test scores over actual learning.' HB 92 proposes a shift away from a test-driven education system and instead seeks to restore classroom instruction time and encourage a more well-rounded learning experience. The bill would retain only those standardized tests that are required under federal law, aiming to alleviate pressure on both educators and students. Landgraf pushed similar legislation during the regular session, but fell short of final approval. He says the special session presents another opportunity to 'get this right.' 'We were so close to scrapping STAAR earlier this year,' he said. 'This bill gives Texas another chance to get this right and put the focus of our school system where it belongs, on preparing students for life, not just filling in bubbles on an exam.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Bloomberg
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Paxton Threatens to Arrest Democrats If They Flee Texas
By Updated on Save Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton threatened to arrest state Democrats who obstruct plans to draw new congressional maps, raising the stakes for a controversial effort backed by President Donald Trump as a way of protecting the slim Republican majority in the US House of Representatives. Paxton, a firebrand Republican running for the US Senate, warned lawmakers not to leave Texas ahead of a special legislative session next week after national Democratic leaders encouraged state representatives to resist the plan. If enough Democrats flee, the legislature would be short of the minimum number of lawmakers required for a vote — a move that Democrats have unsuccessfully tried in recent years to block legislation.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Redistricting expert explains the risks behind GOP plan for new maps
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Texas could soon have newly drawn congressional maps if lawmakers approve the proposal during the upcoming special session. After rumors emerged that President Donald Trump was pushing Texas Republicans to redraw the state's congressional maps to give the GOP an advantage in the 2026 midterms, Gov. Greg Abbott officially added it to the special session agenda Wednesday. One expert said there may be risks in redrawing the maps. Michael Li is the senior counsel in the democracy program at the Brennan Center for Justice and specializes in voter participation among minority communities in Texas. He said that the only possible way he sees Republicans being able to maximize gains in Texas is by breaking up majority-Black or Latino districts in cities, like Houston and Dallas. 'In Texas, there really isn't a way to maximize Republican seats anymore without really targeting the political power of communities of color,' Li said. 'It's for districts that are majority non-white and that are all represented by Black or Latino members that have been floated around as districts that might be redrawn or tweaked in some way.' A statement from the Texas Democratic Party released Thursday identified the Houston-based ninth, 18th and 29th congressional districts, as well as the Dallas-Fort Worth-based 33rd congressional district as the most vulnerable seats in redistricting. All are currently represented by Black or Latino members. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 requires certain states to have majority-Black or Latino districts, and courts have recently struck down maps for violating that provision. Alabama and Louisiana were forced to draw new maps ahead of the 2024 election that created an additional Black-majority district, and Texas is already facing litigation over its current maps. The non-white population of Texas is also quickly growing. Texas earned two additional seats in Congress after the 2020 Census, and is currently projected to gain even more if population trends hold. 'This special session and the redrawing of Texas's congressional map … is coming just as we have census data showing that people of color provided all of Texas's population growth between 2023 and 2024,' Li said. 'The white population of Texas actually fell a little bit for the first time.' The special session begins July 21 and can last no longer than 30 days. That leaves congressional candidates little time ahead of the December filing deadline, especially if the new maps become tied up in court. 'It's almost certain that Black and Latino voters, and perhaps other voters, will be in court trying to block these maps, and there will be a fight about whether the maps will be in place for 2026 or not,' Li said. 'There isn't a lot of time to get new maps in place.' There are also other risks besides legal challenges. Current districts are drawn in a way that minimizes competition and packs cities into just a handful of districts, giving Republicans an edge. Any new map the GOP draws would have to make current Republicans more vulnerable in their seats in order to create gains. That does not come without risks, Li said, because population and demographic changes could upend the map in unpredictable ways. Li said that Republicans are facing pressure from the president to get it done, but will have to weigh whether or not they want to take a gamble. 'The question really is, are they willing to give that up, particularly the younger and the members who have less time in Congress, are they really willing to have a much more competitive map for the rest of the decade,' Li said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's Texas-sized redistricting dreams: From the Politics Desk
Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team's latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. In today's edition we dive into President Donald Trump's ambitions in Texas, where Republicans are set to redraw their congressional maps. Plus, Steve Kornacki explores the dilemma facing Zohran Mamdani's opponents in the New York City mayoral race. Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here. — Adam Wollner President Donald Trump is setting a lofty goal for Texas Republicans as they prepare to tackle redrawing their congressional maps: He wants the party to pick up five House seats as a result of the process. 'A very simple redrawing, we pick up five seats,' Trump told reporters. That could prove to be a tall order, as Republicans already control 25 of Texas' 38 congressional districts. The specific areas the GOP could target when they take up redistricting in next week's special legislative session remain unclear. But two of them could be the Democratic-held South Texas districts that Trump won in 2024. According to an analysis by NBC News' Decision Desk, Trump carried Rep. Henry Cuellar's district by 7 points and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez's district by 4 points last year. Cuellar won his seat by less than 6 points, while Gonzalez won by less than 3 points. But any effort to place more Republican voters in Democratic districts risks making GOP-controlled districts more competitive. That's why some House Republicans in Texas have been skeptical of the effort. Still, Trump pushed Gov. Greg Abbott to forge ahead with an unscheduled, mid-decade redistricting push. It underscores the challenge Republicans face in protecting, much less expanding, their razor-thin House majority next year. As Steve Kornacki recently noted, the president's party has lost House seats in 13 of the past 15 midterm elections — and in many of those cases, those losses were steep. Trump downplayed the potential risk of redrawing Texas' map during a call with House Republicans in the state today, Melanie Zanona reported, assuring members they'd be able succeed in creating several new GOP seats, according to the source on the call. (Punchbowl News was the first to report the call.) Sen. John Cornyn, who is facing a GOP primary challenge from state Attorney General Ken Paxton, publicly backed the move. In a post on X, he argued that 'Hispanic voters in Texas have rapidly shifted in favor of the GOP,' meaning that the redistricting push 'will mean significant gains for Texas Republicans.' Democrats have been eager to engage on the issue. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential contender, has even floated redrawing his state's maps to counter the GOP's efforts in Texas. But that's also easier said than done: In California, an independent commission controls the redistricting process. 'It's painfully clear why Republicans are doing this,' said Rep. Suzan DelBene, the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. They know they are going to lose the majority next year.' Andrew Cuomo's decision to stay in the race for New York City mayor means there are three major general election alternatives to Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani. They each recognize that the only (arguably) plausible way of knocking off Mamdani is by consolidating opposition to him behind a single opponent. But when they look at each other, they all think the same thing: Why would I ever drop out for this guy? Start with Cuomo. All of the available polling since the June primary has him running ahead of both current Mayor Eric Adams and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa in a multicandidate race against Mamdani. This is why Cuomo is calling for Adams and Sliwa to exit the race if they haven't overtaken him by September. But everything else about Cuomo's position screams 'weakness.' His 12-point Democratic primary loss to Mamdani amounted to a political humiliation, given that he came to the race as the overwhelming favorite. And while he runs second to Mamdani, Cuomo's overall support in the available polling is between just 24% and 26%. Resistance to the former governor, who left office in scandal four years ago, seems to run high. An Emerson College poll this spring gave him a 41-47% favorable/unfavorable mark with all New York City voters. And a survey released Monday by Data for Progress (which has done work for a pro-Mamdani group) pegged it at 39%-59%. At 67, Cuomo's energy level has also come into question thanks to a limited public schedule and a series of public performances that were derided as listless. The way Adams and Sliwa see it, Cuomo already had his chance to stop Mamdani, and he demonstrated that he wasn't up to it. But good luck convincing Cuomo that either of them would fare any better. As the incumbent, Adams has the ability to make noise and get attention practically at will. And with new numbers showing a decline in violent crime, Adams is trying to convince New Yorkers that he finally has the city pointed in the right direction. But his liabilities are enormous. Even before his indictment last year on federal corruption charges, Adams was an unpopular mayor. And since the indictment — and maybe even more significantly, since President Donald Trump's Justice Department dropped the case — the floor has fallen out for Adams. The May Emerson poll put his favorable rating at a mere 19%, compared to 68% unfavorable. None of the post-primary polling has looked any better. For his part, Sliwa wields a bloc of voters simply by running on the GOP line. Republicans are a decided minority in New York City but still account for a little more than 1 in 10 registered voters. And Sliwa himself is a familiar presence to New Yorkers: He launched the Guardian Angels in the high-crime 1980s and has remained visible in local media ever since. But the limits of his appeal were seemingly made clear four years ago when, as the GOP nominee against Adams, he earned just 28% of the vote and lost by 40 points. And so Cuomo, Adams and Sliwa find themselves locked in a staring contest. Each has a claim to a chunk of the electorate. Each has a belief that they could beat Mamdani, if only the others would go away. And each has every reason to believe that the others are full of it. 📈 Inflation watch: Consumer prices rose in June as Trump's tariffs began to work their way through the U.S. economy. Read more → 🪧 Big, beautiful rebrand?: Some Republican strategists said they are advising lawmakers to sell the megabill Trump signed into law as the 'Working Family Tax Cuts' to give voters a clearer idea of what it does. Read more → 🌎 As MAGA world turns: Some conservative Republicans in Congress are breaking with Trump's handling of the files related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Read more → 🖋️ The autopen is mightier: Documents show that some of the letters Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., sent out in connection to his investigation into former President Joe Biden's use of an 'autopen' to sign documents were signed using a digital signature. Read more → ✂️ A spending-cut cut: Senate Republicans agreed to remove $400 million in cuts to PEPFAR, the Bush-era foreign aid program to combat HIV/AIDS, from Trump's rescissions package ahead of a procedural vote. Read more → 🪙 Crypto vote roadblock: Thirteen House Republicans voted with all Democrats to defeat a procedural rule that would have allowed a series of crypto bills lawmakers are considering this week to come to the floor. Read more → ☀️ Florida, Florida, Florida: A former lawyer for the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot is running for Congress as a Democrat against Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla. Meanwhile, Salazar introduced a bill with Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, that would provide legal status for certain undocumented immigrants. ⚖️ In the courts: Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., is facing a lawsuit seeking his eviction over alleged failure to pay thousands of dollars in rent at a property in Washington, D.C., according to court papers. Read more → 🤔 To impeach or not to impeach: Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, said he plans to bring up more articles of impeachment against Trump in the future, as House Democrats grapple with the politics of such efforts. Read more → That's all From the Politics Desk for now. Today's newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner and Dylan Ebs. If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at politicsnewsletter@ And if you're a fan, please share with everyone and anyone. They can sign up here. This article was originally published on
