Meanwhile, the open 34th District would transform from one that Biden carried by 4 points to one where he would have performed with a margin nearly four times that. The new 15th District would go from one that Biden won by 2 points to one that Trump would have won by 3. While Biden won each of those districts by 4 points or less, the map proposal makes only the 15th District more competitive for the GOP, at least based on margins in the last presidential election. The other two were the 34th District and the 28th District, currently held by U.S. The current 15th District is one of three in South Texas that the National Republican Congressional Committee said in February it would target this cycle. Gonzalez’s 2020 Republican challenger, Monica De La Cruz-Hernandez, is running again with the support of the top Republican in the House, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California. Gonzalez has been under new national GOP scrutiny since he had an unexpectedly close race last year, winning reelection by just 3 percentage points while Biden carried the district by less than that. Davidson said that Dominguez is currently focused on redistricting as it relates to his state House seat, but that he has already hired a consulting team to help with whatever he may do next. Get Ross Ramsey's analysis of politics and policy delivered to your inboxĭominguez is “seriously considering” a run for higher office, including for the 34th District, according to a spokesperson, Logan Davidson. Besides Gonzalez, another potential Democratic candidate for the 34th District is state Rep. If Gonzalez switches races, he would encounter a Democratic primary in the 34th District that already includes at least one prominent contender in Rochelle Garza, a former staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas. But they have already set off a burst of speculation among political insiders. Gonzalez would have the support of Vela, Vela confirmed to the Tribune after first telling Politico.Īll the maps released this week are initial drafts and subject to change, either before they reach Abbott’s desk - or after, as they face an all-but-guaranteed barrage of legal challenges.
And in a statement Friday that was first reported by Politico, Gonzalez said he will “very seriously” consider running in the new 34th District if those are the final boundaries. Gonzalez told The Texas Tribune this week that all options were on the table with regard to his political future. Under the proposed congressional map, Gonzalez’s 15th District would become more competitive for Republicans, while the open 34th District would become safer for Democrats. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, is retiring. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, will stick with a reelection bid in the 15th District, which he currently represents, or switch to the neighboring 34th District, where U.S.
While the proposed maps hold some good news for Republicans targeting South Texas, they also introduced a number of uncertainties.Ĭhief among them is whether U.S. Greg Abbott predicted “a very red future for the border communities in the state of Texas.” The initial redistricting maps released this week are raising fresh questions about Texas Republicans’ hopes of flipping seats in South Texas.Īfter President Joe Biden underperformed there last year, national and state Republicans charged into the 2022 election cycle determined to show they can make inroads in the predominantly Hispanic region.
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