A proposed redraw of the congressional map by Texas state Republicans would effectively remove mouthy Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett from her district and potentially expand the state\u2019s Republican delegation in the U.S. House.<\/p>\n
Unveiled last week, the redistricting plan introduced by Texas House Republicans could yield as many as five additional GOP-held seats. The draft map\u2014still subject to revisions before final approval by both chambers of the state Legislature\u2014seeks to redraw district boundaries by incorporating more Republican-leaning areas into traditionally Democratic strongholds such as Dallas and Houston.<\/p>\n
Crockett, who represents Texas\u2019 30th Congressional District encompassing much of Dallas, has denounced the redistricting plan as \u201ca power grab to silence voters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crockett said that before the release of the proposed map, she and other Democratic incumbents were asked to verify their home addresses\u2014an unusual move that raised concerns about targeting specific lawmakers.<\/p>\n
The rare mid-decade redistricting push could also pit Democratic members against one another in primary races, as the number of safe seats shrinks, Fox News reported.<\/p>\n
For instance, under the proposed map, Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas\u2019 37th District in Austin would be drawn into the same district as Rep. Greg Casar, who currently represents the adjacent 35th District, also based in Austin.<\/p>\n
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called opposition to the redistricting plan an \u201call-hands-on-deck moment\u201d last week.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will fight them politically. We will fight them governmentally. We will fight them in court. We will fight them in terms of winning the hearts and minds of the people of Texas and beyond,\u201d Jeffries, who represents no one in Texas, said last week during a press conference in Austin.<\/p>\n
Jeffries went on to say that while corporations and universities are falling in line with what the Trump administration demands, \u201cTexas Democrats will not bend the knee.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Democrats complain about what Texas is attempting to do, they have been silent about how several blue states have gerrymandered their congressional districts to shut out Republican voters. Even states like New York and California, where GOP-registered voters number between 40-45 percent, are grossly underrepresented in the respective states\u2019 congressional delegations.<\/p>\n