Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks to the media at a press conference in the aftermath of deadly flooding in Hunt, Texas, U.S., July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Sergio Flores
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) blasted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Wednesday for including redistricting efforts in the state's upcoming special session following the devastating flood that killed more than 100 people.
Abbott told reporters on Tuesday that Texas state lawmakers were going to discuss flood preparedness and emergency response systems during the upcoming special session. The redistricting plans were not mentioned until the governor signed an official proclamation declaring the special session.
Jeffries slammed Abbott over the announcement.
"While Texans battle tragic and deadly flooding, Governor Abbott and House Republicans are plotting a mid-decade gerrymander," Jeffries wrote in a post on X. "They should be modernizing emergency response — not rigging maps. Pass it on."
At least some of the pressure to include redistricting efforts in Texas's upcoming special session came from the White House, according to a report by The New York Times, citing a source "close to the president." The source told the Times that President Donald Trump would welcome "any chance to pick up seats in the midterms," even if that means exploiting a deadly natural disaster for political gain.
One seat that Democrats are targeting in the 2026 primary elections is the one held by Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX), according to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Committee Chair Suzan DelBene said in April that De La Cruz has embraced her party's "dangerously far-right agenda" that is "eroding Texans' freedoms."
"De La Cruz is running scared, and she should be," DelBene said in a news release at the time. "From tanking the economy, gutting Medicaid, abandoning our veterans, to making everything more expensive, she’s broken her promises to Texans, and it’s going to cost her her seat."