From An Undisclosed Location: Texas Democrat Speaks Out On Redistricting Showdown
The new GOP-backed redistricting plan would give white Texans disproportionate power at the ballot box, Texas State Rep. Vince Perez tells Mo News. Perez asserts that the principle of “one person, one vote” should be upheld across states, but warns that Democrats are prepared to retaliate if Republicans don’t back down.
Perez, who represents Texas House District 77 in El Paso, is currently in hiding outside his state — as are more than 50 Texas Democrats.
Their aim is to prevent a quorum to vote on the redistricting plan, which Republicans have the numbers to pass and would likely give the GOP five additional congressional seats in the 2026 midterms.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Perez argues that the new maps dilute the voting strength of Black and Latino residents, through slicing up Democratic-leaning areas like Austin, Dallas, Houston, and parts of South Texas. Meanwhile, he says white voters will gain more political power, despite making up slightly less of the Texas population than Latinos.
Republicans argue that in at least three of the five districts Republicans are hoping to capture, the GOP map-drawers added more Hispanic voters — betting that the Latino population will continue to trend rightward as it did in the 2024 election.
Texas’s maps already tilt toward Republicans, who hold 25 of Texas’s 38 seats in the U.S. Congress. The proposed map could mean Republicans — who make up about 55% of the vote under current maps — could end up controlling upwards of 80% of congressional seats.
DEMS THREATEN RETALIATION
As Democratic governors from California to New York threaten to redraw their congressional maps in response to GOP redistricting efforts in Texas, Perez says every state should uphold the principle of “one person, one vote” — where everybody’s vote counts equally.
California officials have signaled interest in revisiting their maps, which already disproportionately favor Democrats (occupying 83% of the state’s U.S. House seats, with 58% of 2024 presidential votes). Perez pushed back on claims that Texas Republicans are merely responding to California’s maps, arguing that many California districts are still competitive.
According to the University of Virginia's Sabato’s Crystal Ball, ahead of the 2024 election, five of California’s 40 Democratic-held seats were considered somewhat vulnerable to a Republican takeover.
In contrast, Texas Democrats could realistically only target one of the 25 GOP-held seats under the current map.
WHAT’S THE ENDGAME?
Perez warns that both parties engaging in retaliatory redistricting could undermine democracy across the country. With Republicans in control of the Texas House, it’s not a matter of if the maps will pass — but when. Texas Democrats have protested a redistricting bill before, and in the end, Republicans prevailed.
Perez tells us he has no timeline for how long Democrats will hold out, despite many of them leaving behind jobs and families back home, and amid threats from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) Thursday saying that the FBI will track them down. Perez said he’s determined to protect the next generation’s voting rights.