Texans packed the Capitol to voice strong opposition to a Republican-led effort to redraw the state’s congressional map during a special legislative session. Speaking to two dozen lawmakers, a full hearing room, two overflow rooms, and hundreds more online, residents called the plan undemocratic and racially discriminatory.
“When I saw what you folks were doing up here in the Legislature, I got screaming mad,” said Christy Stockman of Corpus Christi. “It’s a good old-fashioned bait-and-switch, with a power grab added in.”
The hearing marked the first of seven scheduled public meetings by the House redistricting committee. Democrats on the panel accused Republicans of using the process to protect their slim U.S. House majority at the expense of voters of color.
“The effort to change these districts at this time has nothing to do with representing people better,” said Rep. Jon Rosenthal (D). “It's the opposite of that. It's a power grab at the expense of Black and brown communities.”
Texas typically redraws congressional lines every ten years, following the census. But the current push, only four years after the last redistricting, follows reported pressure from President Donald Trump, who is seeking five more Republican seats in Texas ahead of 2026.
Gov. Greg Abbott (R) added redistricting to the special session agenda, citing a recent Justice Department letter that said four districts were unconstitutionally drawn based on race. Attorney General Ken Paxton, however, has defended the current map as “race blind.”
Rep. Cody Vasut (R), chairing the committee, maintained that no new map has been drafted yet. “We really want to hear from people on this, and we are listening,” he said.
But many, including civil rights leaders, argued that the hearings are political theater.
“It felt like lawmakers were just checking the box,” said Gary Bledsoe, president of the Texas NAACP. “There's no real consequence to what we say and, no disrespect, but we have been disregarded in the past.”
Gabriel Rosales of the League of United Latin American Citizens said the plan continues a legacy of disenfranchisement. “It’s very demoralizing... and then people ask why Latinos don’t vote.”
Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, speaking at a rally outside the Capitol, said Trump and Abbott were “thick as thieves.”
“In order to continue this consolidation of authoritarian power... [Trump] has to retain control in the United States House,” O’Rourke said.
