Texas representatives speak out against proposed redistricting map

Texas reps speak out against redistricting map

Members of the Texas Legislative Progressive Caucus (TLPC) are speaking out against the proposed redistricting map.

AUSTIN, Texas - Members of the Texas Legislative Progressive Caucus (TLPC) are speaking out against the proposed redistricting map.

The TLPC said they are showing a united opposition to President Trump's attempt to "rig Texas' congressional maps and commitment to fighting back."

Remarks were held by Representatives Gina Hinojosa, Jolanda Jones, Ron Reynolds, John Bryant, and others.

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Proposed Texas redistricting map would drastically shift Democrat-held seats

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump said he would like to gain five congressional seats through a midterm redistricting effort in the state.

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Gov. Abbott has been pushing his priorities of flood disaster mitigation and redistricting during this week's special session. On Friday, he signed other bills that passed the legislature this spring

The first draft of Texas' new congressional map was released on Wednesday.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump said he would like to gain five congressional seats through a midterm redistricting effort in the state.

The proposed changes mostly impact Democrat-held districts in the state's major metropolitan areas.

Central Texas changes

In Central Texas, Democrats Greg Casar and Lloyd Doggett would find their districts vastly different from the current map.

The district currently held by Casar would no longer include Travis County, while the district held by Doggett would no longer include a portion of Williamson County.

Both Casar and Doggett issued statements on the new map Wednesday, which essentially merges the two districts.

What they're saying:

Casar released this statement:

"Merging the 35th and the 37th districts is illegal voter suppression of Black and Latino Central Texans. By merging our Central Texas districts, Trump wants to commit yet another crime— this time, against Texas voters and against Martin Luther King’s Voting Rights Act of 1965.

United, we will fight back with everything we’ve got.

If Trump is allowed to rip the Voting Rights Act to shreds here in Central Texas, his ploy will spread like wildfire across the country. Everyone who cares about our democracy must mobilize against this illegal map."

Doggett released this statement:

"Trump is taking a hatchet to chop up Austin and our state with the sole objective of maintaining his one-man rule. This is designed to eliminate accessibility, accountability, and a strong voice for our shared values. For years, Republicans have failed in their attempts to use redistricting to get rid of me. If we continue working together, they will fail again. If Trump and his cowardly Republican accomplices get away with rigging Texas, voters in states across America will be at risk. For now, my sole focus is on defeating this Trump-imposed gerrymandering, which relies on crooked lines instead of honest votes. The only ‘What if’ that matters is ‘What if this crooked scheme is approved to give Trump a rubber stamp to do whatever he pleases.’"