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LetMyPeopleVote

(170,468 posts)
Tue Jul 22, 2025, 12:21 PM Jul 22

Maddow Blog-5 reasons you should care about Texas' Trump-inspired redistricting scheme

Why is the Texas Republicans' redistricting gambit a story with importance far beyond the Lone Star State? There are several reasons.

Trump wants Texas Republicans to rig their map so that the GOP controls 80% of the state’s U.S. House delegation.

Why would this matter to people outside of Texas? I can think of five reasons, actually.

Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-07-21T19:38:02.405Z

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/5-reasons-care-texas-trump-inspired-redistricting-scheme-rcna220026

The other will be an assignment from Donald Trump.
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/post/3ltzhikkkia2n



......But more than 20 years ago, at then-Republican Rep. Tom DeLay’s behest, Texas Republicans launched a radical mid-decade redistricting gambit (for the handful of you who were reading my original blog in 2003, I referred to this at the time as “re-redistricting.”) The partisan dispute was fierce — Democratic legislators literally fled the state to deny the quorum needed to conduct legislative business — but the GOP scheme ultimately succeeded, and the party secured an additional six seats in the U.S. House.....

Why is this a story with importance far beyond the Lone Star State? Several reasons, actually.

1. Control of Congress is on the line: The Republican majority in the House is already narrow, and if historical patterns hold true, Democrats are likely to make gains in the 2026 midterm elections. If, however, Texas manages to execute this district map scheme, it will make it that much more difficult for Democrats to claim a majority, long before voters even start casting ballots.

2. This is a radical abuse: It is not illegal to engage in abuses like these, but such efforts are clearly at odds with democratic norms and appear to make a mockery of the Voting Rights Act. Several years ago, in a very different context, Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island delivered memorable remarks on the “because we can” standard and approach to governing, and five years later, that concept — if a party has the power, it should exercise that power, without regard for norms, traditions, values or restraint — remains relevant......

4. Other red states might follow. The current focus is on Texas, but the president has already indicated that he’s eyeing similar efforts to rig district maps in other states — he’s specifically said there could be four such states — including a possible effort in Ohio.

5. Blue states might follow, too. If Texas Republicans pursue such a gambit, what’s to stop Democrats in blue states from engaging in comparable schemes? Nothing. In fact, some Democratic leaders have already expressed an interest in tit-for-tat retaliation, with California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently writing online, “Two can play this game.”

The broader fight, however, is just now getting started, but the endpoint is not close. Watch this space.

My current congressional district was an R+22 district but Troy Nehls won the 2024 election by 24% Texas is heavily gerrymandered already.

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Maddow Blog-5 reasons you should care about Texas' Trump-inspired redistricting scheme (Original Post) LetMyPeopleVote Jul 22 OP
Here is one possible map being floated by the GOP for Harris County LetMyPeopleVote Jul 22 #1
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