State Rep. Erin Gámez appears on CNN

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – State Rep. Erin Elizabeth Gámez has appeared on CNN to discuss congressional redistricting.

The Brownsville Democrat is one of 51 state lawmakers who has fled the state in order to break quorum. This has meant the Republican leadership cannot take up a new congressional redistricting map designed to flip five Democratic seats to the Republicans.

Two of the five seats are based in South Texas. If Republicans have done their math correctly U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez will not win re-election. And so, for the first time ever, South Texas will not be represented by a single Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In her interview on CNN, Gámez said the redistricting should only happen after a new census count. She said the only reason the Republican leadership in Texas has taken up mid-decade redistricting is to satisfy the wishes of President Trump.

Gámez said:

“I hear from our community every day about their fears regarding the future of our democracy. Political courage against injustice is critical at this moment in time.

“Texans were told this special session was about flood relief. That was a lie.

“Not a single bill helping flood victims was even set to be heard before we broke quorum. Instead, we were handed redistricting maps—crafted by Trump’s team, not Texans—designed to dilute the power of minority communities. They’re redrawing the maps mid-decade because they’re afraid of losing power.

“They’re afraid that the people—especially in South Texas—are waking up to the truth.

“Denying quorum is a constitutionally protected strategy. And threatening to arrest or prosecute elected representatives for legally standing up to this is alarming.

“The people of South Texas deserve better and I won’t stop fighting for my people. Thank you, CNN having me on.”

Editor’s Note: Click here to watch Rep. Gámez ‘s appearance on CNN.

Senate hearing

State Sen. Juan Hinojosa of McAllen has announced that the Senate Special Committee on Congressional Redistricting will hold a meeting at the Capitol on Thursday, Aug. 7. He said the Committee will consider SB 4, which proposes to redraw the congressional districts for electing members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas. Unlike the hearings from last week, Hinojosa said, testimony for this hearing will focus on the proposed congressional map by Sen. Phil King.

State Sen. Juan Hinojosa

“This is a public hearing and will only consider in-person testimony. If you are unable to attend, I strongly encourage you to submit your written comments,” Hinojosa said. He said this could be done via the public input portal: https://senate.texas.gov/redistrictingcomment/.

“I want to make my position clear: I will be voting no on SB 4. I am opposed to the proposed congressional map being redrawn at the request of President Trump. This plan strikes at the heart of our democracy and the principle of equal protection for all citizens. It is clear that the intent of the Trump administration is to silence the voices of Texans,” Hinojosa said.

“It is important that the Committee hears how critical it is to ensure that our democratic process remains fair and inclusive. Race targeting and race discrimination are unacceptable. Voters should elect their representatives, not representatives cherry-picking their voters.”

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