Tag Archives: redistricting

From the “Do unto them as they would do to us” department

Posted on January 16, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

From The Downballot: Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa died unexpectedly [last] Tuesday at the age of 65, a development that both narrows the House GOP’s already slim majority and will set off a special election to succeed him. LaMalfa, who Politico reports experienced an … Continue reading →

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California redistricting map upheld

Posted on January 15, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good news for Democrats. A federal court Wednesday ruled against a Republican challenge to California’s redistricting plan, rejecting the GOP claim that the state had engaged in illegal racial gerrymandering when drawing up its new congressional map. The three-judge panel denied the GOP’s motion to … Continue reading →

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The Republican non-turnout problem

Posted on January 11, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Simon Rosenberg flags something of interest, about how MAGA voters are unhappy with the way things are going. Of course this represents an extraordinary betrayal of what the flim-flam confidence man promised the American people when he ran last year. … Continue reading →

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Interview with Leticia Gutierrez

Posted on January 7, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

There are six candidates running in the new CD09 but a couple of them don’t have any online presence, so in the interest of making this easier and more valuable for all of us, I’ve limited myself to two of … Continue reading →

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Interview with Terry Virts

Posted on January 5, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

It’s January of an even-numbered year, and that means we are off and running for primaries. Believe it or not, we are six weeks (and one day, thanks to Presidents Day) out from the start of early voting for the … Continue reading →

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The Congressional situation in Texas

Posted on December 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I’m always happy to see stories like this. The main group working to elect Democrats to the U.S. House announced Wednesday it sees a path to victory in a district that Texas Republicans just redrew to be more GOP-friendly. The … Continue reading →

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California redistricting trial is underway

Posted on December 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Worth keeping an eye on. The fight over California’s new congressional map designed to help Democrats flip a string of U.S. House seats kicked off in court Monday, where a panel of federal judges is considering whether the rejiggered districts approved by … Continue reading →

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Cuellar and Trump

Posted on December 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sorry, but this is hilarious. President Donald Trump lashed out at U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar on Sunday, accusing the Laredo lawmaker of disloyalty for filing to run for reelection as a Democrat shortly after Trump pardoned him and his wife … Continue reading →

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Both Tarrant County redistricting lawsuits have been dismissed

Posted on December 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise. Both lawsuits accusing Tarrant County of racial gerrymandering are now over. A group of Tarrant County residents who sued over the new commissioners court precinct map withdrew their lawsuit Monday without a clear explanation. A second lawsuit, brought by … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS upholds the new Congressional map

Posted on December 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Shocked, shocked I am. The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday upheld Texas Republicans’ new GOP-heavy congressional map, handing the party a key victory as it heads into what is predicted to be a bruising midterm cycle. In a 6-3 ruling, … Continue reading →

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Redistricting plaintiffs ask SCOTUS to put the old map back in

Posted on November 26, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. The original civil rights groups who challenged Texas’ new gerrymandered maps back in August of this year have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate a lower court ruling that would temporarily block the use of the redistricted … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS puts temporary pause on redistricting ruling

Posted on November 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is just until they can make a ruling. Texas is back to using its 2025 congressional map, at least temporarily, after Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito granted the state’s request to pause a court ruling that would have required … Continue reading →

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Redistricting ruling roundup

Posted on November 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s that time again… We’ll start with the big one. A decision on Texas’ congressional map now before the U.S. Supreme Court could ultimately decide which party will hold control of the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2026 midterm … Continue reading →

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So who might be running for what now?

Posted on November 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a scramble going on, that’s for sure. In August, when the Texas Legislature passed a new congressional map intended to yield five additional seats for the GOP, a mass of Republicans stepped forward to run in the newly gerrymandered … Continue reading →

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Federal court blocks Texas mid-decade gerrymander

Posted on November 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Texas cannot use its new congressional map for the 2026 election and will instead need to stick with the lines passed in 2021, a three-judge panel ruled Tuesday. The decision is a major blow for Republicans, in Texas and … Continue reading →

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Trump Justice Department joins lawsuit against California redistricting

Posted on November 15, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose this was inevitable. The Justice Department on Thursday sued to block new congressional district boundaries approved by California voters last week, joining a court battle that could help determine which party wins control of the U.S. House in 2026. The complaint … Continue reading →

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Rep. Al Green to run in the new CD18

Posted on November 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. U.S. Rep. Al Green announced Friday that he plans to run in the redrawn 18th Congressional District, setting up a competitive primary between the longtime Houston Democrat and whichever candidate wins the upcoming special election runoff to decide … Continue reading →

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A bit more election miscellany

Posted on November 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Pondering the County Attorney situation. Despite technically resigning, [Harris County Attorney Christian] Menefee has remained the acting county attorney throughout the campaign period. It’s not clear if he will remain in the position as he prepares to campaign for a … Continue reading →

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Terry Virts to run in CD09

Posted on November 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

All right. Terry Virts, the former Air Force pilot and retired astronaut, ended his bid Thursday for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate and announced that he would enter the race for a newly drawn congressional district in the Houston … Continue reading →

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November 2025 election: National results

Posted on November 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Watching the national results last night turned out to be pretty easy, as Abigail Spanberger, Mikie Sherrill, and then Zohran Mamdani were all declared winners within minutes of their polls closing. You’ve got to love that kind of decisiveness, especially … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit upholds Tarrant County redistricting map

Posted on October 31, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise. A group of Tarrant County residents who sued over the county’s redistricting process did not prove the new map is racially discriminatory, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. Tarrant County’s Republican commissioners pushed through an unusual mid-decade redistricting … Continue reading →

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A brief wrapup of the redistricting trial

Posted on October 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Meant to do this awhile ago but never quite got my act together. The future of Texas congressional elections and minority voting rights are in the hands of three federal judges after hearing nearly two weeks of testimony in a … Continue reading →

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McLennan County joins the mid-decade redistricting trend

Posted on October 29, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Three does make a trend. An unusual mid-decade redistricting that McLennan County commissioners quietly approved this past week appears to transfer thousands of Republican voters to the historically Democrat-friendly Precinct 2 of the Commissioners Court. Precinct 2 was drawn in … Continue reading →

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Sen. Eckhardt will run for CD10

Posted on October 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Game on. State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt launched her campaign for Texas’ 10th Congressional District on Monday, saying voters in the district, long held by Republicans, deserve choices. The Austin Democrat’s announcement comes a month and a half after Rep. Michael … Continue reading →

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October 2025 campaign finance reports – Senate and Congress (Not CD18)

Posted on October 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I’m doing this one a little differently, for two reasons. One is that I want to include non-Democratic candidates in the CD18 special election, just so we’re all on the same page. And two, as of this past weekend when … Continue reading →

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Fort Bend redistricts its Commissioners Court

Posted on October 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Was wondering when they were going to get around to this. The Fort Bend County Commissioners Court voted 3–2 Monday to adopt a new precinct map, replacing boundaries drawn in 2021 and reigniting debate over political representation in the county. … Continue reading →

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Tarrant County redistricting map gets cleared

Posted on October 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t say I’m surprised. An effort to stop Tarrant County’s new commissioner precincts was shot down Thursday. Multiple groups suing the county over the maps asked Judge Megan Fahey to enact an injunction against the county’s new maps, claiming that the … Continue reading →

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A brief news roundup from the current redistricting trial

Posted on October 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

What the label says, three news stories I could find that had coverage of the redistricting trial. From the Trib. When Texas first proposed redrawing its congressional map earlier this summer, critics decried it as a political power-grab to appease … Continue reading →

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Redistricting trial 2.0 begins

Posted on September 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

And they’re off. This week, a trio of federal judges will consider whether Texas can use its new congressional map in the 2026 election, marking the first legal test for the districts produced by a summer of intense partisan clashing. … Continue reading →

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State lawsuit on Tarrant redistricting has its hearing

Posted on September 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see what happens. A district court judge is expected to decide whether to grant a temporary injunction against Tarrant County’s new commissioner precincts next week. It’s part of a lawsuit filed by the League of Women Voters of Tarrant … Continue reading →

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State files its response to the redistricting lawsuit

Posted on September 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

They’re playing the oldies, not the new tune that the Trump Justice Department tried to woo them with. Texas officials acknowledged in a new court filing that the Justice Department’s rationale this summer for pushing them to redraw the state’s … Continue reading →

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Sen. Sarah Eckhardt may run for CD10

Posted on September 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. Democratic state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt of Austin said Wednesday she is seriously considering a run for Congress in the GOP-leaning district being vacated next year by 20-year Republican Michael McCaul, saying its time for candidates in her party to … Continue reading →

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Bobby Pulido officially in for CD15

Posted on September 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Our main target to flip next fall. Tejano musician Bobby Pulido is running for Texas’ 15th Congressional District, he announced Wednesday, giving Democrats their best — and potentially only — opportunity to flip a Republican-held seat in 2026. Pulido, a … Continue reading →

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Powered by People gets another win in court

Posted on September 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is all still temporary and preliminary, but it’s also still good. Every time it looks like Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is getting the best of Beto O’Rourke in court, the former El Paso congressman pulls off another victory. … Continue reading →

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