Stephanie Sy:
An escalation in a redistricting arms race. It started with Texas Republicans’ plan to axe five Democratic-held U.S. House seats. Currently, Republicans hold 25 of the state’s 38 seats in the chamber. The proposed map would bring the number of likely Republican-held seats to 30, bolstering the chances of the GOP maintaining control of the House in next year’s midterm elections and beyond.
Besides what Democrats see as a brazen power grab, the new map could disproportionately disenfranchise Black and Latino voters. Republicans, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, have been quick to fulfill the president’s wishes.
