This Week in Texas Politics: Redistricting lawsuit reboot

AUSTIN, Texas - It was another volatile week in Texas politics. We saw the reboot of a redistricting lawsuit, accusations of grifters within the Texas GOP and questions about diversity within the Texas Democrats.

FOX 7 Austin's Rudy Koski and his panel break down this week in Texas politics. 

RUDY KOSKI: "We're back in the LBJ Penthouse to talk about another Week in Texas Politics, and let's get right to it with Scott Braddock. What's your headline for the week, Scott? 

SCOTT BRADDOCK: "My headline would be 'it's put up or shut up time' as the filing deadline approaches."

RUDY KOSKI: "Patrick Svitek with the Texas Tribune. Patrick, what's your headline?"

PATRICK SVITEK: "Texans, the lights are going to stay on this winter."

RUDY KOSKI: "Stephen Dial, what's your headline with FOX 4?

STEVEN DIAL: "Power grid safe. Allegedly."

RUDY KOSKI: "And Brian Smith with St. Edward's University, Brian, what's your headline? 

BRIAN SMITH: "Department of Justice sues Texas again over redistricting."

RUDY KOSKI: "And let's talk about that, Brian, right off the bat. Is this just a reboot with an expected same results that we had 10 years ago? Or is there traction on this one? "

BRIAN SMITH: "You actually never know, one of the things about Texas, because we're so big because there are so many congressional districts and because it's so partisan, it's very low-hanging fruit that somebody made a mistake. The Biden administration, why not go for it?"

PATRICK SVITEK: "We're going to see in this case, you know, whether there's a legal basis for reversing or redrawing these maps as a result of what is pretty plainly clear in the observations of these maps."

STEVEN DIAL: "I think it's going to really come down to Texas is a majority-minority state and people have been challenging the fact that that's not reflected in the district lines. Now, will it be overturned? Will they have to redraw it? I don't think it's likely to happen. And then we got the filing deadline right around the corner."

SCOTT BRADDOCK: "The window for challenging these maps has been greatly narrowed. They can only focus on whether these are racially discriminatory. I think they have a pretty decent case on that. But as you know, really, they can no longer challenge it based on whether it's too partisan. And sort of an irony here is that it probably isn't too partisan. Texas still looks like a Republican state in these maps. Only take advantage is sort of on the margins for Republicans. They didn't greatly try to increase their numbers. They just tried to cement the majority they have."

RUDY KOSKI: "Patrick, it's no secret that there's some bad blood within the GOP under the Texas legislative dome that's been going on for a while between the moderates and the Freedom Caucus, folks. But you just wrote about Dan Crenshaw, a Congressman, a Republican, calling out his own group, calling them grifters. Has this problem really gotten bigger than what it is? Or is this just a tempest in a teapot?"

PATRICK SVITEK: "And basically what Crenshaw was saying, and if there are people in my party who know exactly what to tell or think, they know exactly what to tell conservative voters to get them amped up and to get them energized and sometimes in the process of that. The truth is sacrificed."

BRIAN SMITH: "And so, you know, Ronald Reagan, his 11th commandment, don't talk ill about fellow Republicans. We've seen that broken more than the Seventh Commandment lately, and I don't think it's smart for the GOP to be fighting right now because so much is going their way."

STEVEN DIAL: "Yeah, I agree. But we're also at a different time where we saw it with the Democrats, with the Squad, AOC and the others. This was bound to happen. Of course, the Republicans are trying to take back the House and Senate and get in control the next year. So optics wise, you wouldn't look at them having some infighting. But I think that's just the times that we're in right now."

SCOTT BRADDOCK: "As far as infighting in the Republican Party. We're going into the primary season. Guys, get used to it. We're going to see that for the next few months of Republicans beating each other up, tearing each other to shreds. But once it's over, the GOP has a pretty good record on coming back together to beat Democrats, at least in this state."

RUDY KOSKI: "Scott, you've been monitoring and watching an interesting case in the Lieutenant Governor's race, with Matthew Dowd jumping in, a former GOP operative, jumping in on the Democratic side and running and then bailing out, and then saying the Democrats have a diversity problem on the ballot. Do the Democrats have a diversity problem?"

SCOTT BRADDOCK: "No. The Democratic Party has long had a robust debate about whether their nominees for various offices reflect the diversity that's needed. You know, to elect a Democrat to high office, you have to have a coalition, as was talked about during the Obama administration. During his campaigns, they called it the coalition of the Ascendant. You had to have folks from all walks of life, and Republicans don't have that problem. They can still basically elect people to high office, mostly with the support of white men. Democrats can't do that."

STEVEN DIAL: "But regardless of who steps in it, I mean, let's be honest, it's an uphill climb for any Democrat that's going to try to run, especially in a year where you have an unpopular President."

BRIAN SMITH: "The Democrats don't have a diversity problem. They have an experience problem, where they just don't have a big bench of candidates who can jump in and fill in and run effectively in any office."

PATRICK SVITEK: "You know, there are some statewide primaries right now that have, you know, four or five credibly or somewhat credible Democratic candidates, and that's obviously how you build a bench. You have to have people step up and run and take chances."

RUDY KOSKI: "And with that, let's wrap up the week in Texas politics with one word, Stephen, we'll begin with you. What's your one word?

STEVEN DIAL: "Abortion?"

RUDY KOSKI: "Scott?

SCOTT BRADDOCK: "It's a phrase; fish or cut bait time."

RUDY KOSKI: "Patrick?"

PATRICK SVITEK: "Power."

RUDY KOSKI: "And Brian, what is your one word for the week?"

BRIAN SMITH: "Grifters."

RUDY KOSKI: "And with that, we wrap up another Week in Texas Politics."

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