SAN ANTONIO – With the deadline to file creeping closer, potential Texas congressional candidates have been left wondering one question above all others: Which map will it be?
The Republican-controlled legislature redrew the state’s congressional districts in hopes of picking up five additional seats ahead of what could be a challenging midterm election for the G.O.P. However, citing evidence of racial gerrymandering, a panel of three federal judges in El Paso blocked the map from taking effect this week.
Republicans hope the U.S. Supreme Court will overrule the judges and bring the map back into play, but the deadline for candidates to file is less than three weeks away, on Dec. 8.
Juan Sepulveda, a former visiting professor of practice in political science at Trinity University, thinks it’s possible a decision could take longer than that. But even if the decision comes after the filing deadline, Sepulveda thinks it’s possible the court could allow the new map to be used anyway.
“That also means that you know you’re going to have this crazy thing going on in terms of, if we’ve got that deadline, you’re filing. But filing for what?” he said.
Bexar County Precinct 3 Commissioner Grant Moody has been considering a run in the 35th Congressional District. Under the new map, it would be a Republican-leaning district around the south and east of San Antonio.
Under the latest redistricting maps, Texas’ 35th congressional district would move to the east of San Antonio instead of stretching past Austin. (Texas Legislative Council)
However, after Tuesday’s ruling, the district is back to the I-35-hugging confines of the current map, which elected U.S. Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) the head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
Texas’ 35th congressional district currently stretches from San Antonio to north of Austin (Texas Legislative Council)
“So there would be no situation where you would jump into the old 35 Congressional District if that was ultimately what played out,” Moody told KSAT.
Under the Texas Constitution, Moody would have to resign his seat as commissioner to run for Congress. So if there’s a question of which map will be in effect, he has his answer.
“There’s no circumstances where I would resign to run in an uncertain situation where I don’t even know which district I’m running in,” he said.
It might not have to be his final answer, though. Sepulveda thinks if a Supreme Court decision comes down after the Dec. 8 deadline, there’s a potential that the deadline gets extended “no matter what the decision is.”
Watch below: Local politicians on the judicial redistricting block
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