As the redistricting arms race heats up, a handful of Republican lawmakers have been critical of the Texas GOP’s effort to redraw its state’s congressional boundaries.
Why It Matters
Texas, with the support of President Donald Trump, kicked off the redistricting battle with a map that would place five Democrats in districts he won by double digits in last year’s election. That effort is on pause as Democratic legislators left the state to deny a quorum for a vote. But other states, led by Democrats and Republicans, could follow suit.
What To Know
Some Republicans have criticized states like California and New York mulling redraws but have not commented on Texas. But at least three Republican members of Congress have voiced opposition to Texas’ redistricting efforts while also criticizing Democratic states’ efforts to redraw their maps.
Representative Kevin Kiley, California
Kiley has introduced a bill that would prohibit any state from engaging in mid-decade redistricting.
During an interview with WBUR, Boston’s NPR affiliate, on Friday, Kiley voiced opposition to the Texas efforts.
“I don’t think gerrymandering is a good thing. I think it’s a problem wherever it occurs, whether it’s in a Republican state or a Democrat state, and I especially think it’s bad when it’s happening in an unscheduled way, as we’re seeing right now,” Kiley said.
When asked about whether it is appropriate for Texas Democrats to be pressured to return—whether by threats to remove the lawmakers who left the state from office or have the FBI locate them—Kiley said people watching the redistricting battle are thinking, “This is nuts.”
“This is not the way that the process is supposed to work,” he said. “This is not the way politics and representative government is supposed to work, and I think the whole spectacle just underscores the need to have a return to sanity here.”
If California redraws its map, Kiley’s district could be redrawn to take in more Democratic areas. Trump carried the district by about four points last year, though Kiley won reelection by about 11 points.
Representative Mike Lawler, New York
Lawler is another Republican whose district could be at risk of becoming more Democratic if New York redraws its map. He already represents a district won by former Vice President Kamala Harris last November and is a top target for Democrats as they try to reclaim a House majority.
He has introduced a bill to end partisan gerrymandering nationwide as well as mid-decade redistricting.
He told CNN this week that he believes what Texas is doing is “wrong.”
“The problem is that across the country, gerrymandering has been happening after each successive census, and it’s created less competitive districts,” he said. “There’s very little room in terms of trying to pick up seats.”
Representative Blake Moore, Utah
Moore has also spoken out against the redistricting efforts by Texas.
“I do not agree with state efforts to redistrict mid-decade. It undermines established norms and gives blue states a glaring green light to do the same,” he told local news station KSL. “Partisan gerrymandering is clearly done by both sides, but to allow this wildfire to spread mid-decade is a step too far.”
When reached by Newsweek, a Moore spokesperson referred to that statement.
Newsweek also reached out to Kiley’s and Lawler’s offices for comment via email.
Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, shared a meme about the redistricting battle, comparing Texas Democrats leaving the state to Republicans leaving Washington to avoid a vote on legislation to compel the release of the Epstein files.
What People Are Saying
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, told Fox News: “California has a problem. They’ve got to amend the state Constitution, as I understand the law out there, to do it. We have to fight for every inch of ground in the country. We are in an era of very small margins, as you said, because of gerrymandering and redistricting. But they have to follow the law. I’m convinced the red states will, and we will probably have a few more seats out of that, of course, and that’s good news for me.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said during a press conference on Monday: “If Republicans are willing to rewrite these rules to give themselves an advantage, then they’re leaving us no choice; we must do the same. There’s a phrase, ‘You have to fight fire with fire.’ That is a true statement of how we’re feeling right now. And as I’ve said, another overused but applicable phrase, ‘All is fair in love and war’— that’s why I’m exploring with our leaders every option to redraw our state congressional lines as soon as possible.”
What Happens Next
On Friday, Republicans in Texas were again denied a quorum to pass their redistricting effort. GOP leaders in the state have been considering expulsion of members who left the state, and the FBI could locate the lawmakers. How other states’ redistricting efforts play out remains to be seen.
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