Rep. Greg Casar Critiques Fellow Democrats on Gerrymandering

On Tuesday, Rep. Greg Casar, a Democrat from Texas, expressed frustration with his party for what he sees as a lack of effort in the fight against Republican initiatives to redraw Congressional districts.

In an interview with Ana Cabrera on MSNBC, Casar was asked if Democrats could completely eliminate gerrymandering and confront it “fire with fire.” He responded affirmatively, stating that all Democrats in Congress are on record supporting national legislation aimed at ending gerrymandering nationwide. He challenged his colleagues—Republicans included—to vote for this change.

“We need to establish fair rules nationwide; we can’t go into a shootout armed with butter knives,” he emphasized.

Casar’s remarks reflect a growing sentiment among more progressive Democrats who believe their party is limiting itself in the redistricting process.

Recently, Texas House Republicans put forth a proposal that would allow for redistricting that could benefit them by creating five new Republican districts. The proposal, currently in draft form, could be revised before receiving legislative approval in Texas. It aims to alter district lines to incorporate more conservative suburbs surrounding larger Democratic cities like Dallas and Houston.

“To be clear, it’s Republicans who are the ones blocking independent redistricting efforts across the nation,” Casar pointed out. “The critical question is whether California should cling to existing rules while protecting voting rights—I think that’s misguided.”

He suggested that Texas should allow for independent committees and implied that other states, like New York, should follow suit if Florida were to change its districts.

In response to the Texas proposals, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker indicated they might consider redistricting in their states to favor Democrats if Texas moves forward with its plans.

In the earlier part of the interview, Casar reiterated that Republicans have committed gerrymandering. “Currently, Republicans control a total of 16 seats through gerrymandering,” he stated, advocating for federal legislation like the John Lewis Voting Rights Progress Act to combat this issue and reduce financial influence in politics.