The Trump administration's efforts to make Texas a less competitive state in the midterm elections could be sunk by the state's Republican party, according to a report by Democracy Docket.
At issue is a request from Trump's Department of Justice for Texas state officials to redraw their congressional map. The request came in a letter sent by Attorney General Pam Bondi shortly after the deadly flood that killed more than 100 people in central Texas last week.
In the letter, dated July 7, Bondi says four congressional districts in Texas are unconstitutional because they were drawn using "race-based considerations." Three Democrats currently hold seats in the contested districts: Rep. Al Green, Rep. Sylvia Garcia, and Rep. Mark Veasey. The fourth district is currently vacant, but was formerly held by Rep. Sylvester Turner before he died in March.
However, court testimony obtained by Democracy Docket shows DOJ's underlying premise for redrawing the districts is false. Republican State Sen. Joan Huffman, who worked on the state's 2021 redistricting effort, told a court on July 10 that he drew the congressional maps "blind to race."
Voting rights lawyer Mark Elias said Sunday on Democracy Docket's YouTube channel that this admission could completely upend Texas's efforts to "screw over Democrats" in the upcoming 2026 primary election.
"Oh, what a tangled web they have weaved," Elias said.
Experts have long considered Texas one of the worst gerrymandered states for congressional elections. The Gerrymandering Project, a nonpartisan nonprofit that identifies loopholes in state voting maps, gave Texas an "F" for its congressional election map because it creates a "significant Republican advantage."
The efforts to make Texas less competitive also come at a time when Republicans are seeking to protect their slim majority in the House of Representatives. Over the last week, Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) and Rep. Mark Green (R-TN) both announced their retirement, which could complicate the Republicans' ability to pass any legislation ahead of the midterms.