President Trump’s political team encourages Republican leaders in Texas to examine how the district lines of the State Chamber could be restored before next year’s mid-term elections to try to save the majority of the party, according to people from Texas and Washington who know the effort.
Washington’s push has upset some Texas Republicans, who fear finding the limits of the Texas Chamber’s seats to make the red democratic districts by adding republican voters reliably, neighboring republican districts may turn against a shot that should already promote democrats.
Rather than returning democratic districts, new lines could endanger the outgoing Republicans.
But a person close to the president, who spoke under the guise of anonymity because the person was not allowed to speak publicly, nevertheless urged a “ruthless” approach and said that Mr. Trump would welcome any chance of taking seats in mid-term. The president would pay particular attention to those of his party who help or affect this effort, warned the person.
During an “emergency” meeting Monday evening in the Capitol, the Republicans of the Texas Congress professed little interest in redrawing their districts, according to a person informed of the rally who was not authorized to comment on publicly. The 20 -minute meeting, organized by the representative Michael McCaul, the main member of the State delegation, focused on the push of the White House.
The representative Pete Sessions, a republican of Texas, said that the legislators planned to come together again to share data and “be on the same wavelength” on the possible restart of the card.
“We make sure, you must express yourself. We must have a conversation. We must think about these impacts on the entire delegation,” said Sessions.
Other members leave the meeting, including Mr. McCaul, refused to comment.
The redistribution of states is supposed to arrive at the beginning of each decade, when the new census data requires the replay of house seats to correspond to population changes within states. Rediscoven in mid-December is rare and almost always controversial.
The cards which were drawn by the republican legislature in 2021, after the last census, are Still in progress, in forums, including a trial that started last month In a federal court in El Paso.
But speaking between the Republicans to resume the task, has swarmed the Capitol of Texas since the session earlier this year. The Governor, Lieutenant Governor and the Attorney General have all discussed the possibility in recent weeks, according to a person familiar with the discussions.
In recent days, this conversation has become more serious. He seemed to be partly motivated by President Trump’s concern that the Republican Party could lose his slim majority in the House, giving up the second half of his mandate and empowering democratic surveys on his administration.
Trying to pass through new cards would almost certainly trigger a murderous political fight of the genre seen for the last time in 2003, when representative Tom Delay, a leader of the Texas Republican Chamber, forced a restart of Texas political cards. Democrats in the Texas Legislative Assembly fled the state in an attempt To stop them. In the end, the Republicans prevailed, drawing new cards and obtaining the majority of the Texas House delegation, which they have held since.
But this effort came at a time when the state had gone from democratic control to republican control, and there were many possibilities for the cartography drawers to create new districts for the Republicans to win.
The Republicans now holding an advantage of 25 to 12 in the delegation of the Chamber of the State on the Democrats, these opportunities would be more limited. (There is a vacant seat, in a deeply blue district of Houston.)
However, those who put pressure on the plan believe that the Republicans could potentially collect up to four or five house seats in 2026, according to two of the people who know the discussions.
This would involve pushing the republican voters of safe republican districts in neighboring democratic districts to make them more competitive. During a year of waves for Democrats, this could endanger the Republicans in practice as well as for the Democrats.
“The only way to make the state more competitive at Congress is that you do it at their expense,” said state representative, Trey Martinez Fischer, a Democrat in San Antonio, about the Congress Republicans. “I think the Republicans have already maximized their card, given the demographic changes in the state.”
This week, the Democratic Party of Texas announced that it would start a vast organizational effort through the State in partnership with a major PAC of Texas, a group that has received significant funding from billionaire George Soros. The Democrats have already watched a potential opportunity in Texas for a van in the Senate if the prosecutor general polarizing the state, Ken Paxton, prevails in his primary on Senator John Cornyn.
Any attempt to rediscover the mid-December would force the legislature in Texas to approve new cards. Since the Legislative Assembly was again in session until 2027, Governor Greg Abbott, a republican, should call a special session.
“According to my understanding, it would be in July,” said Ron Reynolds, a Democrat in the Texas Chamber of the Houston region, saying that his information had come indirectly from a republican member of the Texas Chamber. “It’s something they keep very tight lips.”
Mr. Abbott, Mr. Paxton and Lieutenant-Governor of the State, Dan Patrick, did not respond to requests for comments. Neither the White House spokesperson either.
The trial on current maps, drawn in 2021, is conducted before a panel of judges of the American district courts in El Paso. Organizations representing black and Hispanic voters argue that cards illegally disadvantage their communities.
The Ministry of Justice under President Joseph R. Biden Jr. had continued on the 2021 cards, but the Trump administration abandoned the government’s challenge Earlier this year.
Megan Mineiro contributed Washington reports.