Republicans, who currently hold 23 of the 36 U.S. House seats in Texas, will have full control over the redistricting process, allowing them to decide where to draw the two new seats the state is gaining. But that could be complicated because Democrats generally have fared better in Texas suburbs in recent elections.
Suburban growth has been driven by the migration of young, Latino, Black and college-educated residents — all core Democratic constituencies, said Kelly Ward Burton, president of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee.
“If you look at how the population has shifted over the decade and you draw a map that is consistent with that, Democrats gain seats,” Burton said.
But Republicans in charge of redistricting could draw maps that split up those Democratic-leaning voters, adding some to predominantly Republican districts to give the GOP a shot at winning even more seats in Texas.
Census data also showed some of the nation’s fastest growth rates in the Arizona suburbs of Phoenix, and in suburban Seattle, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and Boise, Idaho.
In Florida, which also is gaining a U.S. House seat, Republicans could use redistricting as an opportunity to redraw lines in growing central Florida to try to ensure Democratic-held seats have more GOP voters. Democratic Reps. Charlie Crist in St. Petersburg and Val Demings in Orlando are pursuing gubernatorial and U.S. Senate bids, respectively, leaving those districts without incumbents and making them obvious targets for reshaping.
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Originally Appeared Here