GOP map would boot top Texas Dem from her own district

After Republicans in the Texas legislature proposed a redistricting plan that could give the GOP five new seats in the U.S. Congress, it emerged that the redrawn lines would force a vocal Democratic congresswoman — who’s long been critical of President Donald Trump — out of her own district. The move has led that lawmaker, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, to brand the rare mid-decade redistricting proposal “a power grab to silence voters.”

Pushed out

Before the new gerrymandered Texas map created at Trump’s behest was unveiled, Crockett claimed, she and other incumbent Democratic members of Congress were asked to verify their home addresses. “I currently don’t live in the [Congressional District] 30 that they created. … That’s not where I live now,” Crockett — who currently represents a large portion of Dallas — said in a video reacting to Republicans’ redrawn map. “They are supposed to take that into consideration, and these are some of the things that the court will look at when they’re trying to determine whether or not there were problems with creating the maps,” she added, calling the situation “really awful.”

More competitive Democratic districts

Critics of the redrawn map proposed by Texas Republicans could also force incumbent Democratic lawmakers to go up against other Democrats currently serving in office, further reducing Dems’ political influence on behalf of Texans. Fox News reported that Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett, for example — who at present represents Texas’ 37th Congressional District, which is in the Austin area — would have to run against Democratic Rep. Greg Casar — who represents the neighboring 35th District, which also covers Austin — if both wanted to remain in Congress.

Integrity at stake

Crockett, an attorney who’s served in Congress since 2023, didn’t hold back as she shared her disappointment in the plan. “It is so sad that these people have no integrity and could care less about doing what’s right,” she said, lamenting Republicans’ efforts to create more seats for their party on Trump’s orders, which would effectively reduce the number of Democrats representing Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Hurting communities

“It truly breaks my heart to have people sign up [to] run for office, say that they want to help their communities, and they’re doing everything to hurt communities,” Rep. Crockett — who has accused the GOP of deliberately trying to weaken nonwhite voters’ political influence, as most of the districts at issue are represented by nonwhite lawmakers — shared in her video response to the redrawn and overtly partisan map. “It’s very disheartening that these are the people that are in control.” Republicans have maintained it’s not racial but partisan strategy.

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