Texas Democrats, including from DFW, take day trips to California, Illinois
Three North Texas Lawmakers are among those taking a day trip to California to meet with Gov. Gavin Newsom as Texas ramps up mid-decade redistricting hearings.
Gov. Greg Abbott placed congressional redistricting on a lengthy special session agenda for lawmakers. The special session began on July 21, and members have started holding hearing on the redistricting process. Specific maps haven’t been proposed.
Texas Democrats have been vocal in their opposition to the agenda item, as President Donald Trump reportedly pushes Texas to add five Republican congressional seats. A U.S. Department of Justice Letter has listed four congressional districts it says are racially gerrymandered and need to be reconfigured, including the Fort Worth area House District, represented by Democrat Marc Veasey.
Two groups of Democrats headed to California and Illinois on Friday to meet with state leaders, the Texas House Democratic Caucus announced Friday. Among those headed to the Golden State are Rep. Nicole Collier of Fort Worth, Rep. Chris Turner of Grand Prairie and Rep. Rep. Ramón Romero Jr. of Fort Worth, who chairs the Texas Mexican American Legislative Caucus.
“There are dozens of dead kids and people are still missing from the Central Texas floods. But Donald Trump is focused on manipulating elections to help himself,” said Rep. Rafael Anchía of Dallas in a statement.
Lawmakers headed to Illinois will meet with Gov. JB Pritzker.
“Texas is a vital part of America’s future. What is going on with this mid-decade redistricting is not just about Texas — it’s about the future of the entire country,” said Rep. Richard Raymond of Laredo. “We intend to let Gov. Pritzker know this is a national battle, and we have high hopes he’ll engage in it.”
Both groups of lawmakers intend to meet with the governor and state leaders “to see how they’re confronting the multibillion-dollar cuts to programs their citizens rely on under Donald Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act,’” according to a news release from the House Democratic Caucus.
“The move signals a new phase in the fight against the Governor’s agenda, as Democrats continue to refuse to legitimize a special session they say is full of ‘partisan distractions’ when it should be focused exclusively on flooding and disaster relief,” the release states.
Some Democratic states, including Newsom in California, are weighing redistricting to draw lines more favorable to Democrats in Congress, as Texas possibly alters its maps to advantage Republicans.
This story was originally published July 25, 2025 at 7:04 PM.
