Astin (NexStar) – At a meeting on Saturday morning, the Re -Divide Division of the Circuit approved the division of departments to change voting provinces to re -draw the congressional seats in the state. The committee’s vote is determined by the stage by the bill by members of the House of Representatives in Texas next week.
Home Law Bill 4 37 out of 38 provinces in Congress calls for the state, with changes primarily on five areas drawn for the partisan republic. President Donald Trump previously called on Texas leaders to redraw the maps to obtain Republican seats in the 2026 elections.
“Just a very simple re -drawing, we pick up five seats,” the president told reporters last month.
The committee’s vote came shortly before 9:30 am on Saturday, hours after a lengthy public hearing on the legislation that started on Friday morning. The session extended in the middle of the night, and it ends before 1:30 am on Saturday.
Representative Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi presented, Home Law Bill 4 At the beginning of Friday session. Hunter admitted that the map was drawn using “political performance” as standards, noting the precedent of the United States Supreme Court, which allows party considerations in re -dividing the circles.
“These areas have been drawn primarily using political performance,” Hunter said. “These standards are from the US Supreme Court.”
Hunter, who was listed as an author of HB 4, has faced many questions about whether he had instructed maps makers with five new Republican seats, and Trump requested. Hunter said he did not give any direction regarding the outcome of the re -drawing of the map. Hunter has also repeatedly claimed that he did not know the maps used in the legislation.
“We have to re -divide the circles in Congress. A law firm was appointed. There is no doubt that they were doing work.
The proposed changes target areas 9, 28, 32, 34 and 35, which creates what Hunter described as seats with republican tendencies with the creation of new areas of the majority. Under the plan, you will get four of the five regions that have been reconstituted on the population of the population to vote of citizens of Spanish origin.
“Each of these newly drawn provinces is now heading to Republicans in political performance,” Hunter said. “Do not guarantee electoral success. It does not guarantee – it is up to the candidates.”
A partisan feature confessed
During the hearing on Friday, Hunter and MP David Spiller, R -Jacoboro discussed the party intention behind the re -division of circles. Spilller noticed that Texas is currently 65 % Republican advantage in its delegation in Congress, although it is 58 % at the state level, compared to the largest benefits in the democratic -controlled states.
“There is nothing wrong with doing this,” said Hunter with regard to the re -division of party circles. “I tell you that we have five new regions, and that these five new areas are based on political performance.”
The proposed changes will affect the main urban areas, including Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Rio Grande Valley.
The state deputy, Christian Manuel, de Port Arthur, asked whether the changes represent “political revenge” against the black Congress members who opposed the current administration.
“Is this political revenge against members of Congress, especially those who were honest and who, whether intended or not, are American black black?” Manuel asked.
Hunter replied, “The answer that I can only talk about Todd Hunter, no.”
The committee was voting on Saturday morning to apply for the draft law 12-6 along the lines of the party. Committee Chairman Cody Vasot, R – Angleton said he expected to discuss the proposed map in the house hall early next Tuesday.