What you need to know, the biggest difference
With the intention of solidifying Republican dominance in the House until at least 2026, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has called for reconfiguration of the state’s congressional maps during the upcoming special legislative session.
Mr. Abbott posted his legislative agenda on his official social media pages, so it surfaced that he has been equally concerned about improving Texas's flood response and preparedness systems, especially in the wake of the floods that recently devastated Texas Hill Country.
Texas remains highly competitive with 38 congressional districts. Trump’s campaign team has been trying to capitalize and push for more Republican seats. Still, Texas’s deregulated congressional map scaling isn't a fan favorite as evidenced by the lack of enthusiasm from the state's congressional delegation as covered last month by the New York Times.
In Texas, the Republicans hold firmly to the 25 out of 38 seats while the Democrats control 12 along with one contested seat. It doesn't take a political expert to figure out how current Congressmen would adapt from losing some Republican voters to gain some in new districts.
Abbott’s latest decision, based on the contentious lines drawn by the Justice Department, is yet another case where he is paying attention to the “constitutional concerns” supporting Obama.
The former Trump campaign attorney and current assistant attorney general for the civil rights division of the Justice Department, Harmeet Dhillon, sent a letter to the governor on July 7 stating that there were “unconstitutional racial gerrymanders” in four Texas congressional districts.
The 9th, 18th, 29th, and 33rd congressional districts of Texas are held by Democratic representatives from the Dallas and Houston metropolitan areas. One of the districts, the 18th Congressional District of Houston, has been unrepresented since March following the death of Congressman Sylvester Turner. Although Democrats are clamoring for a special election to be held in the summer, he has pushed the election to November.
Mr. Abbott suggests the new special session starts on July 21, focusing on early warning systems and emergency communication improvements in the wake of the Texas floods. Other items on the agenda include regulations on intoxicating hemp products as well as reductions in property taxes.
In Texas, Democrats are accusing Republicans of concentrating on redistricting during a time of crisis.
Gina Hinojosa, a Democratic member of the State Congress, referred to it as an “obvious display of partisan politics” that was happening at an unacceptable time while the search and recovery efforts were still in full swing.
“This is a governor that has let me down before. But this is the first time I am completamente dis”
