Trump wants five-seat gain through Texas redistricting

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said a Texas redistricting plan ahead of the midterm elections should gain Republicans five seats in the U.S. House.

What they're saying:

"Five. I think we get five and there could be some other states," Trump said. "Texas would be the biggest one."

The other side:

U.S. Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) weighed in on the matter. He says there could be consequences for everyone, not just Democrats.

"This is a five-alarm fire, what's going on in Texas right now," he said. "It's completely unacceptable because we're running over the voting rights of conservative and progressive Texans alike if Texas Republicans are allowed to completely redraw the maps and completely change the rules of the game because Donald Trump doesn't want to be held accountable."

As for what Democrats should do next, he said: 

"Texas Democrats need to have every option on the table. That includes breaking quorum, having filibusters, marching in the streets, and dedicating the campaign resources to run against every single congressional Republican that goes along with this."

Casar says there should be an independent commission that draws districts.

"We should have maps where voters get to elect and un-elect their politicians rather than having politicians redraw the maps and redo the rules every time they do something unpopular so that they're picking their voters instead of their voters picking them," he said.

Texas congressional redistricting

The U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter to Abbott saying four congressional districts in Texas show signs of racial gerrymandering that is unconstitutional.

All four districts are held by Democrats, so the move has Democrats crying foul.

U.S. Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) says there could be consequences for everyone, not just Democrats.

"This is a five-alarm fire, what's going on in Texas right now," he said. "It's completely unacceptable because we're running over the voting rights of conservative and progressive Texans alike if Texas Republicans are allowed to completely redraw the maps and completely change the rules of the game because Donald Trump doesn't want to be held accountable."

The DOJ called out three majority Democrat districts in Houston, and one in Dallas.  Republicans hold 25 of the state's 38 congressional seats. 

Trump said he wasn't calling for a complete redrawing of the state's congressional maps.

"Just a very simple redrawing. We pick up five seats," Trump said.

Texas lawmakers will take up the issue of redistricting in a special session that begins next week.

The president went on Truth Social Tuesday morning and said he spoke to "our Great Congressmen and women of Texas."

"I keep hearing about Texas ‘going blue,’ but it is just another Democrat LIE," Trump wrote. "With the right Candidate, Texas isn't ‘going Blue' anytime soon."

Casar says there should be an independent commission that draws districts. 

"We should have maps where voters get to elect and un-elect their politicians rather than having politicians redraw the maps and redo the rules every time they do something unpopular so that they're picking their voters instead of their voters picking them," he said.

The other side:

The idea of redistricting ahead of the midterms has Democrats calling the move a way for Trump to "rubber stamp the chaos he's brought to all our lives."

"Only losers change the rules in the middle of the game, and here they are, doing it again, all while making the Texas families pay higher taxes, lose their healthcare, and defund their public schools," the Texas Democratic Party said in a release.

As for what Democrats should do next, Casar says, "Texas Democrats need to have every option on the table. That includes breaking quorum, having filibusters, marching in the streets, and dedicating the campaign resources to run against every single congressional Republican that goes along with this."

What is redistricting?

The redistricting process usually happens every 10 years after new census data is released.

Texas' maps were last redrawn in 2021.

Texas lawmakers drew political maps that would protect the GOP’s majorities in the Texas Legislature, on the State Board of Education and within the state’s congressional delegation to Washington, D.C. Throughout the process, Texas Republicans — nearly all of whom are white — struggled against demographic tides to protect their grip on power.

A lawsuit was almost immediately filed claiming the maps dilute the vote of communities of color.

Those 2021 maps are still on trial.

Texas has had to defend its maps in court after every redistricting process since the Voting Rights Act took effect in 1965.

PoliticsTexas PoliticsDonald J. Trump