The newly proposed map would reshape two North Texas districts currently represented by Democrats.
FORT WORTH, Texas — Texas Republicans released their proposed map as they try to heed President Trump’s call to flip five Congressional districts for Republicans ahead of the midterms.
The newly proposed map would significantly reshape two North Texas districts currently represented by Democrats.
“There are two democrats in North Texas, Marc Veasey and Julie Johnson, who are in a tough situation because of this map,” said Puck Congressional Reporter Abby Livingston.
Districts 32 and 33, currently represented by Reps. Julie Johnson and Marc Veasey, would change significantly under the new map.
District 32, represented by Julie Johnson, would go from a non-white voting age population of about 63% to a 47.6% non-white voting age population, a swing of about 16.2%
The change turns a previously minority-majority district into a majority white district.
Under the proposed map, instead of representing parts of Dallas, Collin and Denton Counties, the Congressperson from District 32 would represent parts of Dallas, Collin, Rockwall, Hunt, Rains, Wood, Upshur and Camp Counties.
Veasey called the map a “racist redistricting plan.”
“Let’s be clear – this map is racist, it’s illegal, and it’s part of a long, ugly tradition of trying to keep Black and Brown Texas from having a voice,” Veasey said in a statement. “What Donald Trump and Greg Abbott are doing isn’t about democracy – it’s about consolidating power. Republicans are bending their knee to a wannabe king, drawing maps in backrooms to appease a man who tried to overthrow an election and now wants to overthrow the will of Texans.”
In a statement, Rep. Julie Johnson called the proposed map “corrupt, racist, power grab.”
“This map is a disaster — crafted to divide neighborhoods and rig the game for Donald Trump,” said Rep. Johnson in a statement. “It’s a desperate move from a party losing its grip on a changing state. Thousands of Texans have overwhelmingly spoken up against this scheme across the state. The message is clear: We don’t want this done in our name.”
She said Democrats are gearing up for a fight.
District 33, represented by Veasey, would go from a non-white voting age population of 84.2% to a 73.2% non-white voting age population, a swing of about 11%.
The newly released map would cut Tarrant County out of District 33 entirely, Veasey was born and raised in Tarrant County.
The proposed map flips District 32 from a Democratic to a Republican stronghold, according to Dave’s Redistricting App.
District 33 remains mostly Democratic, but becomes more competitive under the new map. Under the existing Congressional map, 74% of voters typically vote Democrat; if the new map is adopted, that number drops to 65%
“I do think that achieving a 5-seat net gain is certainly reality,” said Republic Political Consultant Alfredo Rodriguez. “The other thing to look at with this map is they are pitting democrat versus democrat. Only one of them can win so that means that’s one less democrat in the congressional delegation.”
The proposed map would also pack more minority voters into existing Democratic strongholds. District 30, currently represented by Rep. Jasmine Crockett, is 4% less white under the proposed map.
The proposed changes, released amid Texas’s ongoing special legislative session, have sparked widespread backlash, including from Democratic lawmakers who have vowed to break quorum to avoid a vote on the new map.
“We’ve seen this show before and there are very little means a minority party has to stop something like this,” said Livingston.
States typically undergo the process of redistricting every ten years when the census releases new population data. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott added redistricting to the special session agenda after President Donald Trump urged Texas Republicans to reshape districts in the Republicans’ favor.
Republicans in Texas currently hold 25 of the state’s 38 seats, and the new map ups the total they could win to 30, the Associated Press reported.
Texas’s efforts to add new Republican seats have inspired other red states to follow suit, and it’s also prompted blue states to consider redrawing their own districts to counter GOP efforts.
On Monday, hundreds of North Texas packed into a hearing about the proposed redistricting plan in a meeting held at UT Arlington, WFAA previously reported. Speakers included Democratic lawmakers, including Veasey.
“Donald Trump is demanding loyalty maps—maps drawn not to represent, but to erase,” Veasey said. “Maps that would strip away the voice of Black and Brown Texans who built this state and fueled its growth.”
In a statement, Texas Democratic Party Chairman Kendall Scudder said Democrats will use “every available method” to oppose the map.
“Nothing is off the table,” Scudder said.