Democrats are struggling to respond to a White House-backed push to redraw Texas’ congressional maps with five new safe GOP seats, which could short-circuit their entire midterm campaign effort.
A huge part of the problem: The party has split into two factions. One is ready to ditch the long-running practice of nonpartisan redistricting wherever possible, recognizing that the new Texas map would put the recapture of the House all but out of reach.
The other group of Democrats is dreading a map-making arms race that the party would be waging on uneven turf, all while exposing its members to charges of hypocrisy after their years-long push for fair congressional districts.
“What they’re doing is wrong,” Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., told Semafor when asked about Texas Republicans. “It’s this win-at-any-cost devolution of our political system. But I don’t think the response is to undo the good work that’s been done.”
Over in Maryland, Sen. Chris Van Hollen aligned with the fight-back camp. The Democrat told Semafor that his state “should maximize its ability to respond to what Republicans are clearly trying to do in places like Texas,” which would include trying to eliminate the safe seat drawn for GOP Rep. Andy Harris.
Worst of all for Democrats, it’s not as simple as rewriting their own blue-state maps. A nationwide, mid-cycle redistricting battle would likely favor Republicans, given the comparative lack of impediments that exist in red states.
Outgunned and facing relentless pressure to respond to President Donald Trump’s power plays, Democrats are still trying to get on the same page about what to do.
At the state level, as Republicans in Austin held public hearings that were dominated by opponents of mid-decade redistricting, Democrats are starting by combing over the rules. Depending on the state, they’re facing obstacles from tight deadlines to supermajority map-making requirements to constitutional bans on gerrymandering.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has led the party in pressing to redraw maps anyway, meeting with frustrated Texas Democrats and warning of dire consequences if Republicans hold the House next year thanks to the new seats in Texas.
“All eyes on Texas,” Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., told Semafor, adding that “if Texas follows Trump’s extreme agenda, then I think not just California, but states across the country, would have to consider all options.”
Texas Democrats, particularly Black lawmakers who might lose their seats as a result of a redraw that Republicans have billed as necessary for diversity, are embracing that stance.
“The cruelty is the point, and to stay silent is to betray the generations who bled for us so we could have the right to vote,” Rep. Marc Veasey, whose Fort Worth seat could be erased by Republicans, said during Monday’s hearing in Austin.
But some progressive-leaning nonprofits are openly distancing themselves from Democrats whom they’ve partnered with on successful independent redistricting campaigns in the past.
Common Cause on Tuesday launched a campaign against both the Texas plan and a “partisan power grab” by Newsom.