Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) said he thinks Republicans will gain three House seats after Texas’s controversial redistricting, not the five President Trump is hoping for.
Trump asked Texas Republicans to draw new districts to net five more Republican seats ahead of next year’s midterm elections. The GOP targeted two seats in South Texas — Cuellar’s and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez’s (D-Texas).
The president carried both districts last November, winning Cuellar’s district by 7 points and Gonzalez’s by 4 points.
Texas’ new map, signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) late last month, makes them both 10-point districts.
But Cuellar told Nexstar, The Hill’s parent company, that the new map gives Gonzalez the same district that was held by a Democrat in the past.
“Vicente has a very good shot. In my opinion, he will win,” the lawmaker said.
He added that Republicans relied on the Hispanic vote for Trump in the 2024 election, which didn’t translate down ballot in South Texas.
“For them to think that Hispanics are monolithic, and they said, ‘Oh, they voted for Trump and they’re going to vote for everybody,’ that premise is false,” Cuellar said.
The Texas Democrat also predicted that his fellow Dems may lose three seats in the areas surrounding Austin, Dallas and Houston.
In the Austin area, Republicans combined the districts of Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) and Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas). Doggett signaled last month that if the maps passed, he will not run for reelection.
Congressman Al Green (D-Texas), whose district was redrawn to make it favor Republicans, said he may change districts. Cuellar said he expects Green to run instead in the district of late Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee (D) and Sylvester Turner (D) — both died while in office.
The new map would also create a primary fight between Democratic Reps. Marc Veasey and Julie Johnson.
“So the question is, what are they going to do? One seat. Two Democrats,” Cuellar said.
The Texas primary is scheduled for March.
