President Donald Trump’s political operation has approached Texas Republicans about redrawing the Texas congressional map forward of subsequent yr’s midterms, in a bid to guard Republicans’ fragile Home majority, a number of sources conversant in the discussions informed ABC Information.
Texas Republican lawmakers, who met on the subject on the U.S. Capitol Monday evening, described the conversations on the subject as preliminary, and most declined to debate the preliminary conversations, which have been first reported by The New York Instances.
“I am not going to touch upon it,” mentioned Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas.
WASHINGTON, DC- MARCH 18: The U.S. Capitol Dome is seen behind the highest of the doorway to the senate facet of the Capitol on March 18, 2025, in Washington, DC.
J. David Ake/Getty Photos
“We’re nonetheless sort of cogitating,” mentioned Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas.
At present, Republicans maintain a 25-12 majority of the state’s seats. One Houston-area Democratic seat is vacant, after the demise of Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Texas.
If Republicans in Austin determined to maneuver ahead with redistricting, it isn’t clear how they’d reconfigure the map. One Republican supply conversant in the discussions mentioned that as many as 5 seats at present held by Democrats might be focused.
However the supply identified that any effort to attract Republican voters into Democratic seats might backfire — leaving extra seats susceptible to authorized challenges, or for Democratic pickups in a wave election.
“There’s an outdated Southern saying: Pigs get fats and hogs get slaughtered,” the supply mentioned to ABC Information in regards to the potential dangers of redrawing the map.
A second Republican supply conversant in the discussions informed ABC Information that Texas GOP figures have mentioned the potential for redistricting with the White Home.
Republicans at present have a 220-212 majority within the U.S. Home, with three vacancies. They started the session with a slender five-seat majority and will face a possible redrawing of the Wisconsin congressional map relying on the result of a number of lawsuits filed with the state supreme court docket.
Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, mentioned the conversations present that Republicans are “positively” fearful about dropping seats in November, on condition that the present map, authorised in 2021, was drawn by Republicans for the approaching decade.
There’s one energetic federal lawsuit over the present map, introduced by advocates who’ve argued it discriminates towards voters of colour.
“I do not suppose there’s any query about that. I imply, why else would you need to try this understanding how unsettled that would make the voters really feel?” Veasey mentioned.
Requested about GOP worries about dropping management of the Home, Babin mentioned, “We’re at all times involved in regards to the midterms. Who needs to enter the minority? I do not.”
Redistricting earlier than the following census could be uncommon, however not unprecedented in Texas.
In 2003, Republicans led by former Rep. Tom DeLay pushed by way of an early redrawing of the maps to wrestle management of nearly all of the state’s seats from Democrats, sparking a political battle that made its technique to the Supreme Courtroom.
The White Home and Gov. Greg Abbott’s workplace didn’t reply to requests for remark.
“I can not management it, so I do not care,” mentioned Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, who recommended that his district might be a kind of redrawn.
“If we have been to essentially undergo with it, districts like mine would clearly be those which can be focused as a result of I reside within the suburbs. I am the one you must take from the agricultural areas and put within the suburbs, so I would be mainly going again to my outdated district I suppose.”
Republicans’ conversations come as some Democrats have, as soon as once more, set their sights on making positive aspects in Texas.
The Texas Democratic Celebration has launched a brand new organizing effort with the Texas Majority PAC, an outdoor group backed by liberal megadonor George Soros, the PAC introduced this week.
Texas Republicans are anticipated to huddle on the subject with White Home representatives this coming Thursday, lawmakers informed ABC Information.
ABC Information’ Lalee Ibssa contributed to this report.
