TX Redistricting Thread

[goobergunch]

Saturday | July 05, 2003

TX: Redistricting Map Passes Committee

Earlier today, the House Redistricting Committee passed this map by a vote of 10 to 4. The map, proposed by Rep. Kent Grusendorf (R-Arlington), amended the proposed substitute by Rep. Phil King (R-Weatherford).
Finally, today, the committee passed a substitute by Rep. Kent Grusendorf (R-Arlington). The vote was 10 Ayes, 4 No's and one absent. In favor were all nine Republicans and Ron Wilson (D-Houston). Opposed were Rep. Richard Raymond (D-Laredo), Rep. Kino Flores (D-Mission), Ruth Jones McClendon (D-San Antonio) and Rep. Mike Villarreal (D-San Antonio). Rep. Vilma Luna (D-Corpus Christi) was absent.

This map made significant changes, especially in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and in East Texas. Like the Thursday map, this map protected Martin Frost, while completely destroying Ralph Hall's 4th district. With the elimination of Ralph Hall's 4th district, the center of gravity of several DFW area districts shifted to the east (see districts 3, 5, 6, and 32) to make up for the 4th. The 4th district is completely removed from north Texas, as it is now a Houston suburban / east Texas seat, and the 2nd, formerly an east Texas seat, now finds itself in north Texas. The 2nd would be the new Kenny Marchant (R-Carrollton) seat, taking in Carrollton, Coppell, Addison, Irving and Farmers Branch in Dallas County, then moving north to take in several Denton County suburbs, then stretching out along the Red River to include ten more counties. Most of the existing districts in the DFW area would change significantly. The 24th would look similar to the current 24th, although it completely removes Arlington (Frost's home) from the district, and connects the Dallas and Fort Worth portions of the district by a four-block thread. Should this plan be adopted, Frost would likely move back into the 24th and win easily. The 30th district (Eddie Bernice Johnson) changes little, but the 32nd (Pete Sessions) moves eastward to include Rockwall County (Hall's home) in this suburban Republican, north Dallas-dominated district. The 5th (Jeb Hensarling) and 6th (Joe Barton) districts shed some of their southern Metroplex counties and move eastward to take in counties currently in the 4th district of Ralph Hall. The 5th goes all the way from Lake Highlands (east Dallas) to Texarkana. At several points in Dallas County, the 5th and 32nd are only connected to themselves by several blocks. The 3rd district (S. Johnson) also moves east from Collin County to also include Hunt County.

The west Texas districts remain the same as the latest King map. Charlie Stenholm is paired with Randy Neugebauer in the new 19th, including Lubbock, and favoring Neugebauer. The new 11th would be open, favoring a Republican from Midland - Odessa. The new 17th divides McLennan County (Waco) again, placing Chet Edwards in the Williamson County based 31st district held by John Carter. The map throws the Black precincts of McLennan County into the 31st, but most of the rest of the county is in the 17th. The new 17th no longer includes Fort Worth suburbs in Tarrant or Johnson County, and would likely see a contest between Edwards (if he moved into the 17th), and a Waco Republican (unless I'm missing something). Without the Black community, Edwards would probably lose, unless he could incite a revolt among white Republicans angry with the division of McLennan County (unlikely, but certainly a possibility. Edwards would have no chance in the 31st against John Carter in a district anchored by a united Williamson County). Lloyd Doggett's 10th district in Austin remains in tact, as do the south Texas districts.

That brings us to East Texas. The new 1st District pairs Reps. Sandlin and Turner into a Republican district in east Texas based in Tyler. Turner could run in the 8th, but he would be forced to run against Rep. Kevin Brady in an overwhelmingly Republican district based in Montgomery County. The new 4th would pair Gene Green and Nick Lampson into a district with 337,000 suburban Harris County (read: Republican) voters. Green would run in the Hispanic majority 29th, and Lampson could run in the new 9th, but that district, while preserving more of his current district, also contains nearly 400,000 suburban Harris County (read: Republican) voters. Again, Chris Bell is put in the 7th with John Culberson, but he would likely run and win in the 25th, although there's a chance that he would face a primary challenge from Ron Wilson or another Black candidate in this 38% Black district.

more...http://www.polstate.com/archives/003283.html#003283

:-(

[jiacinto]

1. This is horrible

I really hope that somehow this plan can be stopped.

[goobergunch]

2. My hope is at the bottom of the article...

where it says that the Repukes need 3 more votes in the Senate to get their plan through. Come on, Dems...stand firm.

[goobergunch]

3. Texas House Heads Into Another Redistricting Floor Fight

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Texas House Heads Into Another Redistricting Floor Fight
Lawmakers To Convene Monday Afternoon


AUSTIN, Texas -- Only a week after the start of the special legislative session, Republicans are pushing ahead with a plan to redraw congressional boundaries and boost their party's numbers in Washington.

The measure was headed to the full House on Monday where the fight is almost certain to get nasty.

snip>

Rep. Richard Raymond, D-Laredo, has accused Republican lawmakers of trying to create "political ghettos" where minorities have no voice.

snip>

But one black Democratic legislator, Ron Wilson of Houston, who is on the redistricting committee and a member of GOP House Speaker Tom Craddick's leadership team, has been siding with the Republican effort. He said favors GOP attempts to create a new minority congressional seat.

http://www.clickonsa.com/ant/news/stories/news-231480020030707-090754.html

The repub map is designed to give them 21 seats in the US House, instead of the current 15

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posted by party_line in LBN

[PROGRESSIVE1]

4. To on to others as they do on to you!

Democrats in Illionois and New Mexico should do the same thing. They could possibly get 3 seats in Illinois and 1 in
New Mexico.