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AUSTIN, Texas (CN) — Despite intense pushback during a public hearing on Friday, Texas House Republicans are poised to advance their plans to redraw the state’s congressional districts in their favor.
Friday was the first — and likely last — public hearing on Texas House Republicans’ recently released proposal, redrawing 37 of the state’s 38 congressional districts, outlined in House Bill 4. Under HB 4, Republicans could gain up to five additional seats in the upcoming 2026 midterms, boosting their chances of retaining control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
During the hearing, Democrats in the Texas House and members of Congress called the new map rigged, and while he did not use the same language, Todd Hunter, a Republican from Corpus Christi who authored HB 4, confirmed as much.
“It is important to note that four of the five new districts are majority minority, Hispanic. … Each of these newly drawn districts now trends Republican,” Hunter said. “Political performance doesn’t guarantee electoral success; that’s up to the candidates. But it does allow Republican candidates the opportunity to compete in these districts.”
Hunter was transparent in describing the factors of redistricting, citing changes in population, a recent court ruling and, chief among them, partisanship. The representative was also open while talking about how HB 4 came to fruition. He said a team at the law firm of Butler & Snow used current population and voting data to draw the lines.
In the lead-up to Friday’s hearing, much attention from the public and members of the legislature has been placed on a lettersent to Governor Greg Abbott from the U.S. Department of Justice accusing districts in the state’s current maps, written in 2021, of being unconstitutional. The letter was cited by Abbott in his proclamation announcing redistricting as an agenda item for the special legislative session. President Donald Trump has also said in press conferences that he would like to see Texas redraw the congressional maps to favor Republicans.
Trump was a key figure in much of the public testimony the committee heard. Several members of Congress called out the House Republicans for doing the president’s bidding in proceeding with redistricting now.
“This is not a Texas map, it is a Trump map,” Congressman Lloyd Doggett, a Democrat from Austin, said. “It was not requested by any Republican or any Democrat in Texas. It was imposed by President Trump, who has a stranglehold on Congress, and the only question here is whether he also has a stranglehold on this Texas legislature.”
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat from Dallas, argued that HB 4 gives a racial advantage to whites while packing Blacks and Latinos into districts of their own.
“The state of Texas has only 39% Anglos, yet somehow, under this map, we are going to have almost 70% of these seats are going to be chosen by Anglos,” Crockett said.
Crockett said that if HB 4 passes and becomes the state’s new congressional map, she has every intention of suing the state for violating the Voting Rights Act.
In addition to Crockett and Doggett, U.S. Representatives Sylvia Garcia, Al Green, Marc Veasey and Greg Casar testified before the committee, sharing their concern for what it would do to their communities.
As of 5 pm, the committee was still hearing from members of the public. The committee may vote on HB 4 as early as Friday but could save a vote of approval for Saturday.
The legislature has until Aug. 19 to pass a new congressional map in both chambers before the special session ends. If lawmakers fail to reach the quickly approaching deadline, Abbott may call an additional 30-day session to give lawmakers another shot.
Aside from the stiff deadline, Republicans may face trouble in reaching their goals if House Democrats deny their chamber a quorum by fleeing the state. In doing so, the legislature would cease all consideration of bills, but they run the risk of daily fines and arrest by state police.
As Texas Republicans move forward with redistricting, Democratic state governors are inching closer to redrawing their states’ maps to favor their party. On Thursday, California Governor Gavin Newsom said Abbott and Trump’s attempt to game the system will require his state to act.
Texas House Democrats have traveled to meet with Newsom, as well as Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, to speak about ways to combat Republicans’ redistricting plans in the upcoming midterm elections.
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