Texas State House Democrats Break Quorum to Block Vote on Racist Trump Map and Take the Fight Across the CountryThe Texas Democrats’ move opens a national front in the battle to protect voting rights and stop Trump’s assault on democracy.
Texas Democratic House Members are headed to, or already at, undisclosed locations to make good on their pledge to use every option possible to halt adoption of the racist Trump congressional redistricting map. Their action denies Republicans the two-thirds member quorum required to conduct business in the Texas State House.
This bold move by Texas Democrats to halt work on the Trump redraw in Texas and establish a national front to stop his dangerous attack on democracy has the overwhelming support of informed Texans. Over less than the one week Trump Republicans allowed for public comments, thousands of Texas citizens appeared in person or filed written objections. They uniformly condemned Greg Abbott and weak Republican leaders for betraying them by imposing a map that is an expression of intentional racial discrimination.
In obeying Trump’s orders, Abbott and Texas Republicans have created an unprecedented political emergency for Texas and America. Democratic lawmakers are confronting the emergency head on. The quorum break does more than stop consideration of the racist Trump map. It sounds a national alarm to all Americans to fight the unparalleled attack on democracy that may have begun in Texas but can sweep dangerously across the country.
Here are the facts on Trump’s racist Texas congressional map:
Statewide
- In Texas, Republican partisan gerrymandering IS racial gerrymandering. And it’s against the law. Racial gerrymandering violates the Voting Rights Act and the Constitution.
- The Texas population is less than 40 percent Anglo. The last U.S. Census reported that Anglos were responsible for less than 5 percent of Texas’ population growth. Yet, Anglos currently control 25 of 38 Texas congressional seats – more than 65 percent. Minority Texans have the opportunity to consistently elect their candidate of choice in only 13 Districts.
- Over the past decade, Democrats have received 43 to 47 percent of the vote in statewide races, yet Democrats are the favored party in only 13 – less than 35 percent. Under a fair map, at least 16 of Texas’ 38 congressional seats should favor Democrats.
- In the Trump map, Texas Republicans again engage in gross racial gerrymandering to create 5 additional Republican-favored districts by packing and cracking minority neighborhoods to reduce the total number of minority opportunity districts from 13 to only 8.
Dallas/Fort Worth
- The Trump map dismantles Congressional District 33 (D – Marc Veasey) removing it entirely from Tarrant County and then reassembling it entirely in Dallas County.
- Both District 33’s Hispanic and Black citizen populations are reduced, leaving Tarrant’s large Black and Hispanic voting populations entirely robbed of voting influence in congressional races.
- Dallas County-based Congressional District 32 (Julie Johnson) is currently a multiracial district where Hispanics and Blacks are part of a coalition where minority citizens elect their candidate of choice.
- Under the Trump map, District 32 is dismantled and reconfigured as a rural-based district extending far into east Texas where Anglos Republicans will decide election results.
Austin/San Antonio
- Current District 35 (D – Greg Casar), includes large Hispanic neighborhoods in both Travis and Bexar counties who have consistently elected their candidate of choice.
- The Trump map directly attacks their ability to elect their chosen candidate by merging large parts the district’s Austin base into safe Democratic District 37 (D – Lloyd Doggett) and removing all of District 35 population in Bexar County.
- These voters are replaced with population from rural counties to the east. Even though the total Hispanic population is increased, they will be overcome by high-turnout rural-based Anglos.
Houston
- More outrageous features of the Trump map are the treatments of District 9 (D – Al Green) and District 29 (D – Sylvia Garcia) in Harris County.
- District 9 is converted from a Black majority district into a nominally Hispanic majority district where Black influence is erased and where Anglos have the strongest electoral voice. It is no surprise that the first Republican expressing interest in running in the Trump District 9 is MAGA Republican Anglo State House Member Briscoe Cane.
- In District 29, which was drawn in 1991 as a majority Hispanic district where Hispanic candidates elect their candidate of choice, Hispanic voting age population is grossly reduced and then combined with a large African American population. It survives as a Democratic multiracial district that Congresswoman Garcia can likely hold, but Hispanic voters will not necessarily have the strongest voice.
Rio Grande Valley/South Texas/Border
- In the Rio Grande Valley and along the border, the Trump map shores up Republican-held Districts 15 (R – Monica De La Cruz) and 23 (R – Tony Gonzales) by adding rural Anglo voters.
- In Democratic-held districts 28 (D – Henry Cuellar), and 34 (D – Vincente Gonzalez), the Trump map adds rural counties with relatively high Hispanic populations but low voter participation. This cynical move gives the illusion of Hispanic influence, but real voting strength shifts to Anglos.
- While both Gonzalez and Cuellar can win reelection, they likely must win a higher share of Anglo support to do it.
