Texas state Rep. James Talarico (D) accused President Trump and the Republican Party of trying to “rig” elections in the state with their plan to conduct a middecade redistricting to increase the number of GOP-held seats.
Talarico told NewsNation’s Blake Burman on “The Hill” on Tuesday that his focus has been on the special legislative session that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) called to vote on potentially redistricting before the 2026 midterms take place.
“This is really dangerous for everybody, not just Democrats, because what’s happening is President Trump and Gov. Abbott are trying to rig the next election,” he said. “I know that sounds dramatic, but … now by redrawing the political maps, they’re trying to insulate themselves from the will of the voters.”
Abbott initially called for a special legislative session this month to address various issues but later indicated the state Legislature would address redistricting as the Texas GOP moves to eliminate or weaken Democratic-held districts. Trump specifically called on the state to add five more Republican districts through this process.
The moves in Texas appear poised to set off a race between Republican and Democratic-led states, as several are now considering redrawing their lines early to increase the number of seats a party is likely to win next year. Ohio was already set to redistrict because its last map didn’t have bipartisan support, a possible opportunity for Republicans to add more seats, while California and New York Democratic officials have indicated they would take similar action if Republicans do so first.
Talarico, who is considering a run for Senate in Texas, said he would decide whether to run “soon” after the legislative session wraps up at the end of August.
