Democrats plans to counter Republican redistricting efforts : NPR

Senator Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Is expressed during a press conference after the Senate lunches in the American Capitol on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.

Tom Williams/ /CM-Roll Call, included via Getty Images

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Tom Williams/ /CM-Roll Call, included via Getty Images

Senator Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Said that the republicans’ redistribution efforts are an attempt to “fake the election before its start”.

“They say the calm part aloud, and it is not even a whisper. It is with a megaphone. Morning edition. “It really reminds me of the 2020 elections when Donald Trump called the Secretary of State of Georgia and said:” Go find 11,000 votes. “”

“They will do everything you need to win. The rule of law will be damned,” he added.

The republicans of the Texas House of Representatives unveiled a new redistribution card on Wednesday proposed to meet Trump’s demand to add five Republican seats in the state. The restart could be essential to determine which party controls the American house after the middle of next year.

Rediscuping, or restarting the boundaries of the legislative district and the Congress of States, generally occurs every 10 years after the ten -year American census. But the Republicans explicitly declared that they undertake a rare redistribution in mid-December for partisan reasons. The Texas Republican Party said that the effort is “an essential step in preserving control of the GOP in the Congress”. Trump himself said that a “very simple redrawn” would collect five seats for the Republicans in Texas.

Padilla claims that the Republicans restart the lines of the congress before the middle of the middle because Trump’s agenda is “unpopular and harmful” for the Americans.

“Their only hope of preserving power through the mid-term is not to convince the American public about their ideas or their achievements. It is to fake elections before it begins,” he said.

A Martínez and Padilla of NPR explained why the Republicans have settled to redistinguer before the middle and what the Democrats do to counter their actions.

The following conversation has been modified for duration and clarity.

Strengths of the interview

A Martínez: Senator, you push an investigation to find out if the managers of the White House have violated the Hatch law, which prevents federal employees from participating in political activities during its service. Why do you think that the White House officials may have raped the Hatch law?

Senator Alex Padilla: RIGHT. Well, there are so many things that do not go with this effort to bring Texas to redirect and extract additional republican seats, because that’s what Donald Trump wants. But starting with the way they go, Donald Trump calls [for it] From the field of the White House and officials of the engaging White House, the senior officials of the Ministry of Justice, to coordinate with the Republican officials of Texas in this effort. There is a law on books known as Hatch Act, which explicitly prohibits administration officials from engaging in partisan political activity.

Martínez: But not the president. RIGHT? The president does not apply to the Hatch law.

Padilla: This does not apply to the president but he applies to everyone around him. And in the past, there have been people who have been in trouble to help political campaigns through mentions and fundraising. It’s a level. It is much more devious. And the president was very clear – he does not even try to hide it – that the objective of redistribution in Texas is to create additional republican seats, which is a supporter as he does.

Martínez: But the Democrats have had redistribution efforts in the past. Why is it different?

Padilla: Well, when you do it again, which we have to do every ten years after the census, there are criteria that enter into the way the lines must be traced. You cannot do it discriminatoryly. This is part of the voting rights and the voting rights that have existed for decades. Whether republicans continue to respect them or not, it is one of the things that people watch.

Martínez: In California, the Democrats, including Governor Gavin Newsom, push to counter the redistribution of Texas with their own redrawing the districts. So, isn’t that a part of this political tatte that occurs throughout the country?

Padilla: Well, I think here is where things are: there is a card – a proposed map – which has been published by Texas officials but who has not yet been voted by the Legislative Assembly. It is therefore still time for Texas to withdraw – which, I think, is the ideal scenario. But if Texas passes with this – once again, this flagrant seizure of political power – because the issues are so high … We have to meet fire with fire. But the ideal scenario? Texas withdraws and we have a battle of ideas next year in the polls.

Martínez: What penalties should occur if there are indeed that there are violations of the Hatch law?

Padilla: Well, there is a variety of penalties, depending on the depth or the way in which these senior officials of the Trump administration – and those responsible for the Ministry of Justice were engaged here. We therefore confirmed that the special advice office began its investigation. We will wait for the investigation to end and provide some recommendations.

Suzanne Nuyen and Kristian Monroe edited the digital version of this room.