Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday tore into Rep. Jasmine Crockett and accused her of being “racist” after she argued that his redistricting plan would diminish the voting power of minority groups.
Abbott appeared on Fox News Sunday and dismissed his fellow Texan lawmaker’s concerns about the proposal, claiming her view was itself racially charged.
“It wouldn’t be a day ending in ‘Y’ if Jasmine Crockett didn’t say something racist,” Abbott quipped.
Host Shannon Bream played the governor a clip of Crockett on MSNBC Saturday pointing out the impact the redistricting plan would have on minorities.
“Right now, African-Americans are only going to have one-fifth of the voting power that they should have in the state of Texas under this map,” she said.
“And we know that our Latino brothers and sisters will only have one-third of the voting power. And frankly, Asians, which tend to be one of the fastest growing demographics in the state of Texas, have literally no power.”
Abbott said Crockett was simply “wrong,” and that the gerrymandering—which is intended to gain the GOP five seats and retain control of the House—will be a breath of fresh air for minority MAGA voters.
“The fact is that in the state of Texas, under the maps that we are redrawing four of the new seats will be predominantly Hispanic seats,” he said.
“The problem that Democrats have in the state of Texas is Hispanics, Black voters, and other voters, they have learned now that the ideas that Democrats stand for are contrary to the ideas that the Hispanic community and Black community stand for.”
Abbott argued that it was the Democrats who were prioritizing race over fair voting.
“The Democrats would say that they should have been entitled to elect a certain member of a particular race, but instead let the voters of that district decide, regardless of their race,” he said.
Things have been getting ugly since President Donald Trump announced his plans for “just a simple redrawing” of the Texas political map last month.
Redistricting, typically done after a census, is being pushed mid-decade by Abbott’s administration, which has sparked backlash from Texas Democrats. Several Democrats in the state have put off the vote by leaving the state and preventing Republicans from reaching the quorum needed.
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