Redistricting will protect Texas’ conservative wins. Let’s get it done | Opinion

North Texas has thrived under Republican leadership at every level. From President Donald Trump’s America First agenda in Washington to conservative leadership at the local, county and state levels, our region is safer, stronger and more prosperous because of Republican policies.

To implement Trump’s agenda without the constant distractions of meritless impeachment investigations and full-tilt obstructionism, we must maintain a Republican majority in Congress. That’s why I strongly support the effort to unapologetically move forward with mid-decade redistricting.

Likewise, I support using any and all tools at the state’s disposal to compel runaway Democrats to return to the Capitol and do their jobs.

As mayor, I work with people I don’t always agree with. But disagreement is never an excuse for walking off the job. In Keller, we debate, we vote and we move forward. That’s how responsible government works: We’ve delivered one of the highest standards of living in the nation because we show up, hash it out, take action and then stand before the voters with a record.

The decisive majority of voters elected conservative leadership here in Keller, down in Austin and in Washington. Our voters are tired of Republicans playing nice while Democrats play for keeps. We must respond to their demands or face the consequences at the ballot box.

If Republicans give in, we risk letting Democrats unfairly seize control of Congress, and not because they’ve earned it. Despite the handwringing by Democrats and the media, the truth is abundantly clear to any sober observer of our politics.

Last year, for example, New York Democrats pushed through a mid-decade redistricting plan to claw back seats they lost to Republicans. In Illinois, Democrats have drawn maps so aggressively that even though Trump won 44% of the vote in 2024, Republicans hold just three of the state’s 17 U.S. House seats. Massachusetts has no Republican members of Congress at all because Democrats have drawn them out of existence.

This reality has been playing out for decades and Republicans are done fighting with one arm behind our backs, as Democrats utilize every lever of state power to maximize their political outcomes.

We cannot let the voice of North Texas, one of this country’s great economic engines, be drowned out because we abide by rules the other side simply ignores.

Texas has every legal right and every moral reason to fight back. And under the leadership of Trump, Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dustin Burrows, we are.

This is about protecting the conservative majorities that made Texas, and North Texas in particular, a national model for prosperity and public safety. It’s about ensuring communities that support lower taxes, secure borders, and law and order are represented fairly in Congress. The Legislature’s redistricting effort is legal, justified and good for North Texas.

Texas has added more residents than any other state in recent years. This didn’t happen by mistake. People relocate to Texas because of our low taxes, an advantageous business climate, safe neighborhoods, great schools and the conservative ideals we hold dearly. It would be political malfeasance for the Legislature to not take up redistricting.

Let’s get it done and continue to make America and Texas great under Trump and Abbott.

Armin Mizani is mayor of Keller and a Republican candidate for Texas House District 98.

This story was originally published August 14, 2025 at 4:50 AM.