A massive rally was held in East Austin on Friday night, where prominent Democrats and lawmakers gathered to voice their opposition to ongoing efforts to redraw Texas’s congressional district map.
The event, hosted at the Delco Center, attracted thousands of supporters and was part of a series of rallies spearheaded by former Congressman Beto O’Rourke over the past month throughout Texas.
Among the attendees were several notable Democratic figures, including Congressman Greg Casar (D-TX 35), Congressman Joaquin Castro (D-TX 20), Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (D-TX 30), and State Representatives James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa, both hailing from Austin.
“This was 15 months before an election. We had more than 3,000 people filling up this venue. I mean, that’s unheard of,” Talarico highlighted, emphasizing the growing activism in the state.
The gathering was characterized by strong denunciations of redistricting efforts, which attendees labeled as “partisan gerrymandering.” The speakers framed the issue as not solely a matter for Texas but as a crucial battle for the entire nation.
“This is all a sham. This is not about serious policy-making. We’re not helping flood victims,” Talarico asserted. “We don’t need to redraw maps. This is all just a political gambit for Trump to try to break the next election.”
Adding fuel to the fire, the Senate Committee on Redistricting convened a virtual hearing on Friday to solicit input from Texans.
President Donald Trump is advocating for Texas to create five additional Republican seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, aiming to solidify GOP advantage in a chamber where they currently hold a slim margin with 220 seats against 212 for the Democrats.
The U.S. Department of Justice has expressed concerns regarding the current congressional map, which was drawn in 2021 and 2023. They identified that four districts were reportedly drawn based on racial considerations.
In response, Republican lawmakers have rejected these claims, with the Texas Attorney General adamantly defending the existing map in court.
“It is an attack on Texans, and it is an attack on America. Nothing less,” Hinojosa remarked during the rally, adding that this situation is unprecedented as the Justice Department targets congressional districts based on racial demographics.
Political district maps are redrawn every decade following the U.S. Census; however, there is no federal prohibition against mid-cycle redrawing. The Texas Constitution allows the governor and Legislature to amend these maps as they see fit.
Republicans are pushing for the redraw to create more seats that favor their party. Currently, Republicans command 25 of the state’s 38 congressional seats, while Democrats hold 12 and are expected to gain another vacant seat in an upcoming special election.
“I’m scared because we’re not in a partisan fight,” Crockett expressed passionately. “We are in a fight of good versus evil.”
The addition of five more GOP seats would enable Republicans to control 80% of Texas’s congressional delegation. However, the strategies behind achieving this objective for the redistricting process remain vague.
“This is the fight of our lives. We’re not going to let Donald Trump take our voices. We’re not going to let Donald Trump take our votes,” Casar passionately informed the crowd.
He emphasized the importance of Texas, calling it their state, home, and future, underscoring the resolve to fight back against the proposed changes.
Democratic leaders are preparing their supporters for what promises to be an arduous battle in the state legislature, should Republicans move forward with their redistricting agenda.
“We have the opportunity right here, right now in Texas to take the fight directly to Donald Trump,” Hinojosa declared. “It’s time to give this everything we’ve got.”
Legal challenges have already been mounted against the 2021 state legislative and congressional maps, with accusations that they discriminate against Black and Latino voters. A trial in El Paso last month addressed this issue, but a judicial ruling is not anticipated for several months.
The plaintiffs in the case argue that the call for a special session and the recent DOJ letter contradict the state’s long-standing assertion that racial considerations played no role in establishing the district boundaries in 2021.
Any newly drawn map in Texas is likely to face immediate legal scrutiny and challenges, potentially leading to lengthy court disputes.
Democrats have been vocal about their strategies, discussing options that could include breaking quorum to halt redistricting discussions altogether.
According to the Texas Constitution, a quorum requires two-thirds of the members present in each chamber to conduct business.
In the Texas House, 150 members are represented, with 100 needed for a quorum, while the Senate requires 20 out of 30 members. Currently, there is a vacant seat in the Senate.
Democrats, numbering 62 in the House and 11 in the Senate, lack the numbers to block legislation on their own if a sufficient number of Republicans agree to proceed.
However, they can prevent the assembly from meeting by denying a quorum, thereby blocking votes from taking place on the floor. This strategy is not new; it has been employed in past conflicts related to redistricting.
In 2003, during a previous mid-decade redistricting attempt, Democrats fled the state multiple times to obstruct a process initiated by then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.
Similarly, in 2021, Democratic lawmakers traveled to Washington, D.C., to delay an election reform bill vote, although that measure ultimately passed.
“It doesn’t just affect Texas. It affects all of us, no matter where we live. This is for all the marbles in 2026,” O’Rourke reiterated, calling for support for the legislators involved in these battles.
He emphasized that backing would come not just in the form of donations, but also through moral support to persevere in the fight ahead.
Both Hinojosa and Talarico expressed readiness to disrupt quorum, but it remains uncertain how many additional Democrats would be willing to join them in this effort.
“We’re ready to use whatever tools in our toolbox,” Talarico stated, resonating with the crowd’s determination to resist redistricting efforts.
As of now, there is no proposed new map available for public scrutiny. The lawmakers directing the redistricting process have indicated that they are still assessing the necessity for any changes, with the purpose of ongoing hearings to collect feedback and input from the community.
“They don’t have a map,” Talarico commented. “They just have a plan to try to cover up for Trump’s corruptions and threats.”
The redistricting committee hearings will continue, with sessions scheduled for both the House and Senate this weekend.
Participants and witnesses will engage in dialogue about potential changes as the discussions progress into next week, with significant implications for the political landscape in Texas and beyond.
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