XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, alt.politics.republicans

This could backfire on Texas if they move a lot of Democrats into
Republican districts, as pissed as people are these days it could turn
out to be a net loss. Texas is already gerrymandered to the hilt anyway.


White House eyeing five-seat GOP pickup in Texas in midterms as part of redistricting push
By Sarah Ferris, CNN
3 min read
Updated 6:06 PM EDT, Tue July 15, 2025

CNN - President Donald Trump pitched a key group of Texas Republicans
Tuesday on his strategy for his party to hold onto power in the
midterms: Redrawing those members' districts to allow for even more GOP
seats.

In a call with the House GOP's Texas delegation, Trump told members the
White House believes they can flip as many as five US House seats as
part of a Republican redistricting effort in the state, according to a
source familiar with the call.

Redrawing maps in Texas this year would be a highly unusual move after
the state approved the last set of maps in 2021. But Trump and his team
have for weeks been boasting of the idea to the Texas delegation and GOP leaders, which they believe will help cushion their party against any
losses in a midterm that's historically unfavorable to the sitting
president.

"Just spoke to our Great Congressmen and women of Texas," the president
wrote on his Truth Social platform shortly after speaking with the Texas delegation, adding later: "I keep hearing about Texas 'going Blue,' but
it is just another Democrat LIE. With the right Candidate, Texas isn't
'going Blue' anytime soon!"

The White House has been aggressively pushing the redistricting plan
behind the scenes, describing it as a key part of their midterm plan. Democrats, meanwhile, are hammering Trump and Texas Republicans for what
they see as a political power grab, while vowing to take legal action to
block the maps from going into effect.

Texas' attempt to redraw maps in less than 18 months will be a frenzied scramble: The Texas State Legislature is set to return next week for a
special session to begin the process of redrawing the state's
congressional map, known as redistricting.

But it will face intense scrutiny from both local Republicans and
Democrats. Democrats plan to fundraise specifically for their legal case against the plan, which - if successful - could mean months of court
delays.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries met with his Texas Democrats on
Tuesday, where they discussed ways to fight the White House and the
governor's plans to further gerrymander the state's maps.

"Democrats are going to push back aggressively because it's the right
thing to do," Jeffries told reporters.

Some Democrats are eager to see their own blue states use the same
tactics to shore up more Democratic-friendly House seats: California
Gov. Gavin Newsom, for instance, has suggested this week that he, too,
could attempt to redraw congressional districts to weaken the opposing
party's power.

"Two can play this game," the Democratic governor wrote on X in a post
on the president's message to Texas Republicans, first reported by
PunchBowl News.

But such efforts would be an uphill battle, given that states like
California have already relinquished much of their power to an
independent commission, which guarantees GOP representation in the
process.

Jeffries, for his part, did not rule out the idea but left it to Newsom
and other blue-state governors.

"All options will continue to be on the table as it relates to our
efforts to push back legislatively and legally in Texas," Jeffries said
when asked by CNN if Democrats would be willing to use the same
gerrymandering playbook as the GOP. But, he added, "I think that I'll
let Gov. Gavin Newsom, Gov. Hochul and others continue to speak for
themselves on this issue."

While the administration has communicated its aim to pick up as many as
five seats to Texas members and GOP leadership in recent weeks, some Republicans remain privately skeptical and believe a pickup of two seats
would be more likely, a Republican familiar with the discussions said.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

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