đ¨BREAKING: Republicans released their proposed Texas congressional map Wednesday, delivering on a request from President Donald Trump that could set off a nationwide redistricting battle between red states and blue states over control of the House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm election.
— Marc Elias (@marcelias.bsky.social) July 30, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Any locals (or ex-locals) want to chime in here?
Texas House Republicans unveil new congressional map that looks to pick up five GOP seats www.texastribune.org/2025/07/30/t… via @texastribune.org. #ProudBlue Texas GOP push ahead with a redistricting plan that 63% of Texans oppose. Greene Cuellar and Cesar are all at risk. Lawsuits incoming
— Marty Taylor (@realmartyt7.bsky.social) July 30, 2025 at 1:24 PM
… This unusual mid-decade redistricting comes after a pressure campaign waged by President Donald Trumpâs political team in the hopes of padding Republicansâ narrow majority in the U.S. House.
Currently, Republicans hold 25 of Texasâ 38 House seats. Trump carried 27 of those districts in 2024, including those won by Democratic U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar of Laredo and Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen.
Under the proposed new lines, 30 districts would have gone to Trump last year, each by at least 10 percentage points.
The map was immediately panned as racist and illegal by Democrats, who have been raising the alarm about the prospect of voters of color being diluted. The proposed map splits voters of color in Tarrant County among multiple neighboring Republican districts and changes the shape of the 35th District in Central Texas, which was originally created as a result of a court order to protect the voting rights of people of color…
The changes would create two more districts in which white residents make up a majority of eligible voters, or citizens who are old enough to vote, hiking the number of such districts from 22 under the current map to 24. It would also add one additional district where Hispanic residents, the stateâs largest demographic group, form the majority, bringing the total to eight under the new plan. And it would create two majority Black districts, where previously there were none…
Also targeted are Democratic U.S. Reps. Julie Johnson of Farmers Branch â whose Dallas-anchored district would be reshaped to favor Republicans â and Marc Veasey of Fort Worth, whose nearby district would remain solidly blue but drop all of Fort Worth â Veaseyâs hometown and political base. That seat â now solely in Dallas County â contains parts of Johnsonâs, Veaseyâs and Rep. Jasmine Crockettâs current district, raising the prospect of a primary between Veasey and Johnson…
Among the new majority-Black districts is the 18th Congressional District, centered in Houston, which has been represented by a decades-long run of renowned Black Democratic members, including Barbara Jordan, Mickey Leland, Sheila Jackson Lee and, most recently, Sylvester Turner, whose death in March left the seat vacant. The map proposes to pack even more Democratic voters into the solidly blue seat: Harris won the district with 69% in 2024 and would have carried it with 76% under the new boundaries.
Crockettâs Dallas seat would also become majority Black.
The 18th District was among Texasâ four majority-minority congressional seats flagged by the U.S. Department of Justice as unconstitutional racial gerrymanders, a charge Texas Republicans have interchangeably denied in court and cited as the basis for pursuing mid-decade redistricting.
Any new map will inevitably be challenged in court. Courts have found that at least one of Texasâ maps violated the Voting Rights Act every decade since it went into effect in the mid-60s. The current map is still being challenged in federal court in El Paso, with no verdict yet reached.
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Republicans in the Texas House have released a proposed new redistricting map that seeks to fulfill President Trump's desire to add up to five additional GOP congressional seats in the state.
— NPR (@npr.org) July 30, 2025 at 2:39 PM
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This is insane. No other way to put it. The TX GOP is completely out of control, while at public hearings with overflow crowds, the public is begging for them to stop.
One Texas redistricting map puts Lubbock, San Antonio â 350 miles apart â in same dist www.statesman.com/story/news/s…— John Bisognano (@johnbisognano.com) July 29, 2025 at 10:45 AM
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Republicans in Texas just rolled out their proposed Congressional map that cut 5 Democratic seats out of thin air.
Letâs be clear: these maps are not about representation, itâs a power grab to silence voters and suppress votes.
(1/2)— Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (@repjasmine.bsky.social) July 30, 2025 at 12:38 PM
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They know their policies are unpopular, and they are afraid of losing. So what do they try to do? Cheat.
If your big idea is âcheat harder,â maybe itâs time to rethink your politics.
(2/2)— Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (@repjasmine.bsky.social) July 30, 2025 at 12:38 PM
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NEW: The Texas House redistricting committee has set a hearing on the new map for Friday, August 1, starting at 10 a.m. Notice says the hearing will last 10 hours. #txlege
— Michael Li (ćäšć¨¸) (@mcpli.bsky.social) July 30, 2025 at 11:34 AM
War for Ukraine Day 1,252: Kyiv in the Crosshairs
Ohio Mom
Ohio is getting in line right behind Texas. Sigh.
SpaceUnit
No way Dems win this redistricting battle. Â We just have to move on and get out the vote.
kindness
Republicans now think any Democratic win is cheating. Yea it’s all just a power play with them now. Look at the Supreme Court since they got 6 votes.
cain
Every blue state governor should respond likewise. If we can show that we can flip the house by out doing them maybe they will back down.
TS
And the US used to be the leader in attacking other countries because of their lack of fair elections. How things change when the GOP right to rule comes under attack.
SiubhanDuinne
O/T, has anyone seen commenter raven lately?
Mr. Bemused Senior
Or maybe we just have to adopt these tactics. I regret taking this position but the time is long past for comity and assuming good will on the part of Republicans. That ship has sailed.
Timill
@SiubhanDuinne: Last commented on the 19th in thread balloon-juice.com/2025/07/19/saturday-morning-open-thread-everybody-needs-a-hobby/ I think. Checking further
ETA: checked and still the answer.
Jackie
@Ohio Mom: I read DeSantis is, too. No surprise there.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@cain:
Both odious Dem governors, Newsom and Hochul, have said they’ll respond.
Okay, Hochul’s made a statement or two that if memory serves were kinda tepid. Newsom, OTOH, basically said “bring it on” and that he’d work with his legislature to make TX Republicans regret the day they did this.
If Newsom follows thru on this, he’ll earn a lot of cred with people like me who otherwise wish he’d vanish from the political landscape.
So many Dems whine about gerrymandering. Old political geographer here. It’s an old, tried and true tactic in the the “politics is a blood sport” school. We shouldn’t shy away from it but embrace it.
Is gerrymandering an overall “good” for democracy? Hell no. But it’s the rules and why should we not work them to our advantage when we can?
Melancholy Jaques
White Americans really want their Herrenvolk democracy and the Republicans, including the supreme court, are determined to give it to them.
Mr. Bemused Senior
@Timill: ah, jiggly pancakes. I think I will not try to make those.
Martin
@SpaceUnit: I don’t know about that. Most of the states that use independent commissions are blue states. NY, NJ, WA, CA. Most red states are already pretty close to maximally gerrymandered and would be creating competitive districts in the effort to expand their map.
CA would have to be extraordinarily aggressive but they could take all 9 GOP seats if they really committed to it. I think the problem is that there’s a good chance USSC would strike down the Dem maps and claim we were too close to the election to strike down the GOP ones, because that’s what they do.
I don’t like the idea of it, but if the blue states can put out maps showing more pickups than the GOP can, and that serves to defuse the whole situation then I think this is a worthwhile exercise.
Chetan Murthy
@Martin: Blue States cannot fight a lawless Federal government while obeying the law themselves.
cain
@comrade scotts agenda of rage:
I want Washington State and Oregon to also follow through on this a well.
The time of comity is over. The GOP has been depending on our sense of comity and getting along. It’s time to dispense with that. They are bullies. If they want a bloodsport then they are going to get one.
You know they’ll whine like crazy when we do exactly that. All fair in war.
Doug R
@cain:
bsky.app/profile/governor.ca.gov/post/3lv7myqycrc2m
Governor Gavin Newsom
âŞ@governor.ca.govâŹ
This moment requires us to be prepared to fight fire with fire â and we won’t hesitate to act if Texas Republicans move ahead with this ridiculous power grab.
rikyrah
Get some balls.
Redraw these blue state maps.đ đ
cain
@Chetan Murthy: 100% this.
If they do this they’ll invigorate the Democratic party. We’ve all been waiting for the kind of aggressive moves that counter theirs. I get it that there are rules in the house and senate, but this is what fighting looks like outside of those institutions.
The thing is, we’ll back down if they back down. We don’t have to follow through unless they decide to do it.
MobiusKlein
It’s just so stupid they can just redistrict on a whim, any year they like.  How does this make things better.
SpaceUnit
Really can’t speak to the chances of blue states gerrymandering. Â I won’t bet on it. Â The Supreme Court will find some reason to block it.
But these red state efforts will certainly pass SC muster. Â That’s the world we’re living in.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@Martin:Â â
“Independent” commissions in such states don’t draw neutral maps. Again, old political geographer here. CO is a prime example of this.
If you look at the criteria for drawing districts, half contradict the other making it impossible to actually complete the mission. It’s an old issue in political geography, nothing new.
So what these “independent” commissions do is instead draw ‘X’ number of districts that are decidedly (R) and an equal number that are decidedly (D), then toss in a couple of “competitive” districts and call that “fair” from a statewide standpoint. Example is Boebert’s district here in CO, it’s drawn to be very red, there’s nothing competitive about it because one of the mandates is to try and draw ‘compact’ districts while making them ‘competitive’. You can’t do that with the demographics.
If I sound critical of that process, I am, but then the “independent” commissioners don’t really have any way out given the constraints they’re operating under.
Which is why I don’t like ‘independent’ commissions *unless* every state has them.
Chetan Murthy
@cain: I hope you understand my meaning. For Blue states to effectively resist, they -must- break Federal laws, -must- violate the Supremacy Clause. They must proceed to arrest and imprison Federal agents, use state police powers to stop ICE in its tracks. They must refuse to render tax monies to the Feds, etc. And they must do this -in concert-: even California isn’t big enough to stand alone, but if all the Blue states did it together, it would stop Trump in his tracks.
Do I expect this? No. -Should- we expect this? -No-, because the Democratic Party is not designed for this. It’s a fact.
Martin
@comrade scotts agenda of rage: I don’t think that’s true in CA. In fact, I’m not sure how the makeup of our commission would accomplish that.
eclare
What a majestic kitty in the photo today!
JoyceH
Iâve said for a while that the only way weâll get nationwide bans on gerrymandering and bipartisan agreement that itâs a good thing is for California and New York to gerrymander. They can gerrymander the GOP to death because there really are more of us than there are of them. Thatâs why itâs so infuriating that the entire government is in the hands of Them.
tobie
@comrade scotts agenda of rage: I found this post from Hochul today responding to Texas’s proposed redistricting. (Link is to Nitter, not Xitter.)
Urza
Its only illegal if the Sinister Six say it is. So anything California does to try and even things up.
Sandia Blanca
My Congressman, Lloyd Doggett, sent a message to his email list this afternoon describing how the proposed plan would put “a number of Austinites [ ] in districts with Congressmembers based in San Angelo, Victoria, and Waco.” Describing the measure as “taking a hatchet to chop up Austin and our state,” he noted that Austin would be represented by four Republicans and one Democrat, District 37. District 10 (Rep. McCaul); District 27 (Rep. Cloud); District 11 (Rep. Pfluger); District 17 (Rep. Sessions).
We Texans are very pissed off about this ham-handed move by the Republicans, and it’s been heartening to see so many of our state and federal Dems working together to fight it. I will not be surprised if some of them leave the state as they’ve done in previous sessions to delay similar takeover attempts. Funding is apparently available to make this happen.
Msb
@Martin: exactly. The Rs will keep doing it until it stops working – for them.
cain
@Chetan Murthy:
That might be hard to do. It would require something very desperate. I don’t think the democratic party has it in them. I’m not sure the public has it in them either.
Chetan Murthy
@cain: I agree with you. Which is why I pray for devastation in all the Red States. Impoverishment, pandemic, bankruptcies, and every manner of harm to those states. B/c the only thing that’ll save this Republic is the incompetence of Trump and his minions.
JWR
@Urza:
And here’s where the Dems have to make a decision about when it might be smart to simply defy the Seditious Six.
NotMax
Map Men do gerrymandering.
;)
WTFGhost
@TS: To be fair, many Republicans are plain spoken about not wanting a lot of people to vote, and, in private, might flat out say that of course they want racist voting districts. Hell, when Texas was sued for violating the VRA, their defense was “we didn’t draw districts that way to harm Black voters – we did it to harm Democrats, and it just so happened…” and, no, I’m not making that up.
“I’m as corrupt as eff, but, don’t you dare call me racist!” is a new defense, and, alas, might have actually worked. The VRA doesn’t try to make flat out corruption unlawful, just, corruption that harms minorities.
@Urza: Roberts wants fig leaves and window dressing, and that matters; more importantly, for the Feds to override the states, Congress has to pass legislation – it’s unlikely that the VRA will provide any grounds to reverse redistricting at the state level.
That said, Roberts is willing to betray the country, and its Constitution, and if the fate of democracy is in his hands, he’ll gladly try to kill it, if it’s what Republicans want.
What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?
Isn’t it the case that to do this kind of gerrymandering the state waters down the redder districts and if it gets done too aggressively many of them could turn competitive? Maybe TX has enough buffer that that’s not an issue but it’d be hilarious if 2026 turns into a wave election and this backfires on them.
JWR
@WTFGhost:
When I wrote my comment up at #32, I was thinking of the Mario Savio speech, delivered in 1964 at Berkeley’s Sproul Hall, especially when he said this:
Now there’s a fun idea to pour into John #$%^&$ Roberts’ brain, because boy, he and his five BFFs have made quite a thing of going off the rails for the Repugs, and it’s getting really really old, really really fast.
p.a
Mr Negative here: I can see this maladministration & its Do”J” declaring election “abnormalities” & their Cong puppets refusing to seat members or whole delegations. There is a procedure for this I believe, and it should be something the Dems prepare for (among all the other undemocratic plots &plans.) Fascists love a cover of “legality” if it’s available.
eclare
@Chetan Murthy:
Thanks.
rikyrah
Good Morning Everyone đ đ đ
MagdaInBlack
@rikyrah: Good Morning. Ain’t this weather better? 68 in Arlington Heights. YAY!
Baud
@rikyrah:
Good morning.
Professor Bigfoot
@rikyrah: G’mornin’!!
Baud
Media is so happy. Drama!
japa21
@MagdaInBlack: Much better
Baud
Baud
Baud
Professor Bigfoot
@Chetan Murthy: I’m not a praying man, being an atheist and all… but I’m sending the same wish into the ether.
They won’t learn until they get seriously hurt, and ain’t that just a goddamn shame.
Baud
eclare
@Professor Bigfoot:
Y’all do realize that Democrats live in those states?
But again, thanks for telling us to fuck off and die. I thought that was the Rethuglican message.
Baud
It’s good to remember what we lost.
Baud
A Man for All Seasonings (formerly Geeno)
@eclare: collateral damage is inevitable in any war.
Soprano2
@Baud: It’s hard to think about how much good could have been done if Harris had won. For one thing, FFOTUS would be under serious threat of prosecution for his crimes.
eclare
@A Man for All Seasonings (formerly Geeno):
Agreed, but you don’t have to wish for it to happen.
chemiclord
And right there, is the heart of the problem. If the “Average American Voter” has no appetite for a fight, the people they elect to represent them aren’t going to either.
A political party can certainly nudge the electorate somewhat… but the heavy lifting simply has to be done by society at large.
zhena gogolia
@Soprano2: When I let myself think about everything that would be happening if Harris-Walz had won . . .
I don’t have enough Kleenex in the house.
eclare
@zhena gogolia:
Along with everything that would not be happening.
sab
@eclare: I forget where Chetan Murthy lives, but Professor Bigfoot is a Democrat living in a red state.
Splitting Image
@Baud:
Makes you wonder how many cases would be recorded in the US if the states were all still committed to recording this sort of thing.
Soprano2
@eclare: I keep sharing stories on FB about some of these ridiculous ICE arrests and CPB detentions with the comment that I don’t think these type of things are what independent voters who voted for FFOTUS had in mind. I want to remind people of some of the ridiculous things that are happening because of their decision to vote for him.
satby
@Baud: We can hope that helps, but Hamas are fanatics that are totally ready to sacrifice almost everyone in Gaza to their war with Israel. Which Netanyahu counts on to excuse his own war crimes.
satby
@MagdaInBlack: it’s so much better! 61° after another light rain this morning.
Kirk
@eclare: I’m in Dallas – Julie Johnson’s District 32.
I fully endorse the “push them till it hurts” position. yes, there are a lot of us who will be hurt. But those who vote R and the plurality that won’t vote at all need reason to change, and in this day of scam and empty promise “we’ll be better” isn’t enough.
terraformer
They’re going to do what they want to do, no matter what anyone – particularly, their constituents – think
While this has been true for many years, it’s on overdrive now, because collectively, MAGA realizes that this moment, when they have *complete control* of government, is their last chance to lock everything in so they never give up power (read: via free and fair elections) again
Anyway
dunno about that. The modern Rethug party has two main missions – cut taxes for the rich and crush Ds, libs. Was that driven by their voters or by groups allied to Rs and aided by reactionary billionaires â Kochâs, Mellons, Musk etc.
Ds on the other hand are committed to better governance reaching across the aisle for bipartisan bills etc. Most of their voters do want that, I believe.
RevRick
@Chetan Murthy: I get the anger behind this sentiment; I feel it myself. But according to the ancient rabbis, the one impermissible prayer is to ask that others be harmed. They go so far as to say, you cannot pray, âI hope itâs not my house thatâs on fire,â when you see fire trucks heading for your street, because that wishes harm on another.
chemiclord
Normally I charge for my editing services, but I’ll do it for free this time, just for you.
Professor Bigfoot
@eclare: No, since I LIVE in one of those red states⌠but unless and until these white people come to harm from their own electoral choices, WE WILL BE HURT ANY DAMN WAY.
If you think Iâm telling US to roll over and die, you do not know me at all.
Geminid
@Baud: That joint call for Hamas to disarm could be important. It certainly got plenty of attention, especially Qatar’s participation. France and Saudi Arabia staged this conference and it looks like they prepared well.
Meanwhile, Steve Witkoff is meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem today. We’ll see what comes of that.
chemiclord
@Anyway: I know about that. All the billionaire investment and astroturfing would have meant fuck all if the reactionary grassroots didn’t go, “Fuck yeah! This is what I want to hear!”
American history is littered with the “average voter” preferring peace with reactionaries over meaningful change. Until that changes, there’s not terribly much a left of center party (regardless of what you name said party) is going to be able to do to make that happen.
Geminid
@chemiclord: I think your timeline is off. Netanyahu supported Hamas *before* October 7, 2023 and he committed his war crimes *after* that date.
eclare
@Anyway:
Please check your link. I never said that.
eclare
@Professor Bigfoot:
I thought I did know you, as much as you can know anyone over the ether. But Chetan said that he was praying for devastation in the red states, and you agreed with him. Go back and read his comment.
LAC
@Kirk: exactly! That is the unfortunate reality of today’s america. We get the government we voted for. On all levels, not just “daddy” president. The level of pain has to hit harder than this for the seismic changes needed to have a fully engaged electorate and a functioning political apparatus The current garbage leaders in red states should never get elected as dogcatchers much less governors, AGs, etc. To those voters in those states that are”persuadable” , things crashing down around them may be the only way.
RevRick
@eclare: See my comment #67
chemiclord
@Geminid: I would be very careful suggesting that Israel’s disproportionate response policy didn’t start until Oct 8th, 2023.
Netanyahu supported Hamas specifically because he knew they’d allow him to be increasingly aggressive in a way that the Palestinian Authority wouldn’t.
eclare
@RevRick:
Thank you. I always appreciate your knowledge and perspective.
I should say that more often.
Anyway
@eclare: Ooops i’m so sorry – fat finger…
Ksmiami
@JWR: yep the court is no longer worth following. Itâs a failed institution. Done. Garbage
Geminid
@chemiclord: I am being careful, more careful than you. Israel did not strike Hamas in Gaza between the 11-day war in May of 2021 and October 7, 2023, when Hamas broke the truce that ended the preceding war.
And I would be careful with this tecnique of editing peoples comments in the way you did, striking out words and adding your own. It’s offensive, and some day somebody will do it to you and you’ll see why. If you want to argue a point, just argue it. Don’t play one-upmanship games.
Ksmiami
@RevRick: I want harm on them because they voted for it. And the only way we go forward is to go through. The fire is here. No time for soft measures or compassion for the enemy. The Republican Party is the enemy. Period. What they want is a fascist oligarchic state. Fuck them and fuck that.
Professor Bigfoot
@eclare: And as I said, unless and until white people suffer, they will continue to make the rest of us suffer.
I hate it, but *there it is.*
Until they understand that their continual choice of white supremacy over true, multi-ethnic, multicultural democracy, they will continue to make us ALL suffer
INCLUDING THEMSELVES.
So unless you can find a way to wake white people up to the trap theyâve set for everyone, yeah, I think it will take multiple climate-driven disasters in this country for WHITE PEOPLE to EVERÂ wake the fuck up.
You show me how to wake them up in any other way.
TB Hill
Betty
@JoyceH: The last time New York tried gerrymandering, they were shut down. Has anything changed there?
tam1MI
Didn’t the composition of the State Supreme Court change?
Chris S. Sherbak
@What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?: Exactly. Not sure there’s much can be done besides slowing it down enough to hope (?) SCOTUS says it’s too close to the election to change. At some point, seems like the population will shift enough to make this impossible.
PLUS I will continue to post Nick Powers analysis that TX is ALREADY competitive at the state level IF we can just get Dems to believe their vote DOES count and get off the couch in those elections. IF the Gov and AG and SoS are Dems there might just be a chance to rein the legislature in. youtube.com/watch?v=hGw-rE08_Q0
Geminid
@Betty: There is one more liberal judge on New York’s highest court, and one less conservative. That was the case last year when Albany Democrats had another chance to gerrymander congressional district. But they made only minor adjustments to their redistricting commission’s maps. Evidently they were afraid of being burned again like they were in 2022, I guess because of the underlying law. I think there is an anti-gerrymandering provision in their constitution.
Albany Democrats tried a fairly aggressive gerrymander in 2022 but were tripped up in the courts and ended up worse than before. That same year, Illinois Democrats got away with a more aggressive gerrymander; different courts and probably different underlying laws.