Texas State Rep. Vince Perez (D-El Paso) said he isn’t backing down from fighting what he calls an “overtly racist” redistricting map that would disenfranchise millions of non-white voters.
Perez, the House Democrats’ deputy whip, and dozens of other Democratic state lawmakers are facing threats of arrest and violence after leaving the state to deny House Republicans a quorum to gerrymander district lines.
If Republicans get their way, President Donald Trump will pick up five more GOP-leaning congressional seats in Texas ahead of the 2026 midterms. The new map will also take voting power away from Latino and Black voters.
Perez, speaking to HuffPost from an undisclosed location in Illinois, explained the dire implications of the new map. There are more than 11 million white residents in Texas, and the Latino population is roughly the same. Currently, Republicans hold 25 of the state’s 38 congressional districts. But under the proposed new lines, Republicans could take 30.
The new redistricting would only give Latinos one-third of the political power of a white resident, Perez said.
