In a determined energy seize to protect Republican management of the U.S. Home within the 2026 elections, President Trump is demanding Republican elected officers in Texas and different states redraw congressional district boundaries. He goals to deprive Black and Hispanic voters — most of whom are likely to assist Democrats — of the power to elect their favored candidates.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and his fellow Republicans, who maintain the bulk in each homes of the state legislature, are going together with Trump’s needs.
Abbott referred to as a particular session of the legislature to undertake a brand new map unveiled last Wednesday, which redraws congressional district boundaries in a manner that offers Republicans a good chance of selecting up as many as 5 further U.S. Home seats. This implies Republicans would management of 30 of the 38 seats Texas holds.
Dozens of Democratic members of the Texas state Home have left the state in a transfer to forestall the chamber from voting on the brand new congressional district boundaries that disenfranchise many Black and Hispanic Texans. The state Home can solely act if 100 of its 150 members are current.
Democrats maintain 62 seats, and a minimum of 51 have left the state, a spokesman said.
Abbott threatened to remove absent Democrats from workplace in the event that they didn’t present as much as vote on the brand new district map Monday afternoon, however Democrats mentioned he had no energy to oust lawmakers. Democratic Home members additionally face $500 fines for every day they’re absent from the particular session.
After the absence of Democrats prevented the state Home from voting on redistricting Monday, Abbott mentioned he has “ordered the Texas Division of Public Security to find, arrest and return to the Home chamber” any of the absent Democratic members the division can discover.
Democratic lawmakers stayed away Tuesday and once more prevented the Home from voting on redistricting.
Four of the Democratic congressional seats Republicans see as pickup alternatives if district boundaries are modified to favor the GOP at the moment are or had been till not too long ago held by Black or Hispanic lawmakers. The seat as soon as held by Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner (D) has been vacant since he died in March.
The Structure requires states to redraw congressional district lines each 10 years, so that each one districts have roughly the identical variety of individuals, based mostly on findings of the U.S. Census carried out as soon as every decade. However underneath stress from Trump, Texas is redistricting after solely 4 years.
Democrats within the legislature don’t have the votes to cease this uncommon transfer, prompting many Home members to go away the state. They and others are certain to file lawsuits difficult any new district boundaries Republicans impose.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 says no state or native authorities can “deny or abridge the best of any citizen of the US to vote on account of race or coloration.” Amongst different provisions, the law bars drawing election district traces that deny minority voters an equal alternative “to take part within the political course of and to elect representatives of their selection.”
For thousands and thousands of Black of us, the Voting Rights Act was our admission ticket to take part in American democracy.
My mother and father and plenty of relations in our house state of Louisiana by no means bought to vote earlier than the Voting Rights Act grew to become legislation, as a result of Southern states created many obstacles to Black individuals casting ballots as a manner of conserving us politically powerless. I used to be a younger lady in 1965, and due to the legislation I used to be capable of vote years later after I turned 18.
Sadly, as we’ve seen repeatedly, Trump doesn’t let the Structure or legal guidelines on voting rights or the rest cease him from doing what he desires.
He acts after which waits for lawsuits difficult his authority to be heard by U.S. district courts. If he loses he goes to circuit courts of enchantment, and finally the Supreme Court docket, which has a 6-3 conservative majority that always favors him. This course of can take many months.
The overwhelming majority of Republicans who management the Home and Senate with slender majorities have disgracefully given up their constitutional duty to behave as a test and steadiness on Trump’s efforts to do no matter he pleases. They don’t dare criticize the president, fearing he’ll work for his or her defeat in primaries.
However Democrats in Congress don’t have any downside criticizing Trump. In a fiery assertion denouncing the Republican redistricting map in his state, Rep. Marc Veasey, (D-Texas), said, “Let’s be clear — this map is racist, it’s unlawful and it’s a part of an extended, ugly custom of attempting to maintain Black and brown Texas from having a voice. What Donald Trump and Greg Abbott are doing isn’t about democracy — it’s about consolidating energy.”
However as a result of Republicans management the Home with a 219 to 212 majority, with 4 vacancies, they usually maintain a 53-47 majority within the Senate, Democrats can’t cease Trump’s abuses of energy.
Nevertheless, in the event that they win majority management of the Home subsequent yr, they may do an incredible deal to dam his legislative proposals and pressure him to make compromises, maintain hearings on his actions and maintain him and his appointees accountable. They may do much more in the event that they win management of the Senate.
Trump is nicely conscious of this, which is why he’s attempting to do no matter it takes to protect the Republican majorities within the Home and Senate within the 2026 elections. The occasion controlling the White Home normally loses congressional seats within the midterms, giving Democrats a good chance of taking the Home and a prospect of a minimum of narrowing the Republican majority within the Senate.
The aim of elections, after all, is to offer voters the chance to decide on the candidates they need to run authorities. However Trump and his enablers need to give Republican candidates the facility to decide on their voters by drawing district traces.
As The Hill has reported, Republicans in different states they management — Florida, Missouri and Indiana — might be a part of Texas in partisan redistricting in an effort to maintain their Home majority in subsequent yr’s elections. Ohio is definite to redistrict due to a unique state law and a long-running court case, and Republicans there might select to go onerous partisan, simply as in Texas.
Democrats accountable for California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois and Maryland could also be pressured to retaliate by carving up their congressional districts in ways in which assist their occasion protect and choose up Home seats.
It’s ironic that whereas Trump falsely claims his 2020 reelection defeat was the results of an election rigged by Democrats, he has turn out to be the rigger in chief on behalf of Republicans together with his efforts to maintain management of the Home via gerrymandering — drawing up election districts, usually in unusual shapes, to offer one occasion an unfair benefit in elections.
Gerrymandering gets its name from Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry, who signed a invoice into legislation in 1812 redrawing state Senate districts to the benefit of his Democratic-Republican Social gathering. One district was mentioned to appear like a winged salamander, main a newspaper cartoonist to attract it with the label “Gerry-mander,” which advanced into “gerrymander” years later.
Since Trump clearly loves gerrymandering and loves placing his identify on inns, resorts, golf programs, hats, steaks and different issues, maybe it’s time to retire the identify “gerrymandering” and honor our president by giving it a brand new identify.
“Trumpmandering” appears fairly acceptable for a follow that should finish.
Donna Brazile is a political strategist, a contributor to ABC Information and former chair of the Democratic Nationwide Committee. She is the creator of “Hacks: Inside the Break-ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in the White House.”