Democratic Texas state Rep. John Bucy says Democrats in his state oppose gerrymandering. But history and current developments suggest a more complicated record.
“I've been following your show, following your socials. I've seen that you've been calling out the flaws of gerrymandering, and I'm really thankful for that,” Bucy said Saturday during an appearance on Newsmax TV's "Saturday Agenda."
"I hope you'll join me in calling on [Texas Governor] Greg Abbott to stop this. Still, let's end gerrymandering across this country. It's bad for everyone. I'm so thankful that you're highlighting that. And let's put the American people first.”
Bucy, who joined fellow Democrats in leaving Texas to block a quorum during the redistricting fight, said he remains in Illinois.
“We're still bringing the fight to the American people to make sure that Donald Trump can't steal away the voice of all Americans,” he said. “That's what he's trying to do. So what he's trying to do now is [steal] the midterm elections. And in Greg Abbott, he found someone that would do that for him.”
Pressed on why he left Texas during the standoff, Bucy reiterated his objection to Republican-drawn maps.
“The Republicans drew the maps in Texas. I voted against those maps. And now what they've done is they realize they didn't steal the political side of it enough. So now they're trying to go back and steal five more seats,” he said. “This is not a Texas Republican priority. This is Donald Trump's priority.”
When asked why he relocated to Illinois, a state with one of the nation’s most gerrymandered maps, Bucy responded, “Gerrymandering is bad, period. That's why I hope you will join me in calling for an end to gerrymandering. I'm proud that two Republican Congress members of California have filed legislation to end mid-decade redistricting. I'm waiting for Texas Republican congressmen to join them. I asked them and my Democratic colleagues to join that legislation.
“Texas Democrats are opposed to gerrymandering," he added.
But Democrats themselves gerrymandered when they held legislative control.
In 1971, when Democrats controlled the state legislature, they drew maps that diluted minority voting strength by relying on large multi-member districts in counties such as Dallas and Bexar. That strategy weakened Black and Latino representation while preserving the Democratic establishment, according to KWBU.
After the 1990 census, Democrats again held power.
State Sen. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Dallas oversaw a congressional map that created convoluted districts designed both to protect Democratic incumbents and to maximize their advantage, often by concentrating Republican voters into fewer districts. The Almanac of American Politics dubbed it “the shrewdest gerrymander of the 1990s.”
In 2001, Democrats, still holding a narrow edge in the Texas House, used stalling tactics to prevent Republicans from enacting their own redistricting plan. By running out the clock, they forced the court to take over the process, hoping a judicial map would be less favorable to Republicans and allow Democrats to retain some of the advantage they had in the 1990s.
Meanwhile, California Democrats have officially released their proposal for redistricting, which could add five Democratic U.S. House seats.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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