Texas Republicans are orchestrating a mid-decade congressional redistricting : NPR
The special session of the Texas legislature led by the Republicans will include a rare cycle of rediscovering mid-December.
Ari Shapiro, host:
The legislature of the State of Texas has opened a special session today. While many Texans focus on recovery of floods and preparation for disasters, Andrew Schneider of Houston Public Media reports that a rare cycle of redistribution of the congress deserves the attention of the legislators over the next month.
Andrew Schneider, buzzing: the Texans still absorbed the shock of the deadly flood in the country of the hill when Governor Greg Abbott proclaimed the agenda of the special session. But the agenda also included the redistribution of the congress. The representative of the Gene Wu State of Houston directs the Texas House Democratic Caucus.
Gene Wu: You use one of the worst absolute tragedies that has struck the families of Texas for a long time – because, like Uvalde – and use it to give you a political advantage. What kind of disgusting and disgusting political maneuver is it?
Schneider: Abbott said he added redistribution to the special session call in response to a letter from the United States Ministry of Justice, which identified four districts of the Congress representing communities in which black and / or Latinos residents make up the majority as, quote, “unconstitutional racial gerrymands”. Democrats ridiculed this explanation, saying that it is the Republicans who are racly Gerrymandering. The Texas Republican Party has been transparent so that redistribution can help preserve control of the GOP Congress. President Trump said that he hoped that the Republicans could earn five seats with a redrawn card.
Sylvia Garcia: Unfortunately, you know, they have the votes.
Schneider: Houston Democrat deputy Sylvia Garcia represents one of the districts that Trump Department of the Ministry of Justice wants to become again.
Garcia: So, unless we were working – and we intend to retaliate – and we retaliate strong and we ensure that our voices are heard, we can end up with a very, very different card, and people will be confused, not knowing who their representative is and what is happening. So it’s really a sad situation.
Schneider: But the deputy for the state of Washington, Susan Delbene, who chairs the campaign committee of the Democratic Congress, says that the Republicans should pay attention to what they wish.
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Suzan Delbene: So, any new card that the Texas Republicans draw almost certainly the number of competitive districts, thus endangering more Republican holders. These are basic mathematics. To try to break the districts held by democrats, they will have to weaken the republican districts which are already faced with political -contrary winds.
Schneider: The GOP strategist, Sara Marie Ridley, admits that the Republicans run a calculated risk, but it says that the redistribution is not as dramatic as it is characterized.
Sara Marie Ridley: And ultimately, voters will always have the power to determine their representation. And so if you really don’t like it, use it to motivate voters who could otherwise stay at home.
Schneider: We have contacted several republican members of Texas of the Congress and the legislators of the Republican State to ask questions about the redistribution. None was available to comment. The special session should operate for 30 days, ending in mid-August. For NPR News, I am Andrew Schneider in Houston.
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