Posted on 11/12/2002 8:55:03 AM PST by pbranham
AUSTIN — A Democratic lawmaker from the Rio Grande Valley says he will help Republicans redraw Congressional districts — but only if the map includes a new seat for South Texas.
State Sen. Eddie Lucio’s willingness to assist the GOP could be crucial in the Senate because Republicans are two votes shy of the two-thirds majority they need to revisit the potentially divisive and partisan redistricting process.
A GOP-drawn plan would likely overturn the current 17-15 majority Democrats enjoy in the Texas Congressional delegation, as well as gut the Dallas seat currently held by ranking Democrat Martin Frost.
Frost represents a heavily Hispanic inner city district that both Republicans and Latino activist groups have targeted. Frost bowed out of the race to replace U.S. Rep. Dick Gephart as House minority party leader last week.
Lucio, who could conceivably run for Congress in two years, said there are more pressing issues than redistricting for state lawmakers to consider when the Legislature meets in January — such as a possible $5 million budget shortfall, insurance reform, school finance and a doctor shortage in the Valley.
He said he would look at boundary changes, however, if an extra Congressional district was created in South Texas.
“Redistricting is a very divisive topic, and I would hope that if the Senate were to address Congressional redistricting, it would be only after all the other issues I mentioned had been dealt with,” Lucio said.
“If a senator were to raise the issue, I would certainly be open to reviewing it, especially if it would add another Congressional district to South Texas.”
Lucio said previously that he could beat U.S. Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Corpus, in District 27. Due to population growth in Cameron County, the district is now anchored in the Valley, although voter turnout has been higher in Ortiz’s home base of Nueces County.
If Lucio draws a four-year term when the Legislature reconvenes, rather than a two-year term, he could run against Ortiz in 2004 without having to relinquish his state senate seat.
A three-judge federal panel decided the current Texas Congressional boundaries last year after legislators failed to draw statewide plan.
Lucio testified before the panel in support of a plan drawn by Texas GOP Chairwoman Susan Weddington and the Republican Congressional delegation. That plan did not include an extra South Texas district.
Last week’s general election, in which the GOP gained control of the Texas House for the first time since Reconstruction, gave Republican strategists an opportunity to work on a Congressional plan that would better reflect their increased majority in Texas.
When state Rep. Tom Craddick, R-Midland, held a news conference Wednesday to announce he had enough pledges to oust Democrat Pete Laney as House Speaker, he said Congressional redistricting could come up next session but noted the need for a two-thirds majority in the Senate.
Republicans hold a 19-12 majority in the Senate and therefore need two Democrats to back any plan. A sign that Lucio could assist the GOP came last week when he was asked about his working relationship with Republican Gov. Rick Perry and the new presiding officer in the Senate, Republican Lt. Gov.-elect David Dewhurst.
“The elections are over and the people of Texas have sent a clear message that they want us to work together,” Lucio said. “Gov. Perry, Lt. Gov. Dewhurst and I share the same constituency and we will do what’s best for them.”
Nina Perales, regional counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said she would support another look at Congressional redistricting — but only if two new Hispanic-majority districts were created.
When the federal panel last year drew a Congressional plan that favored incumbents, MALDEF argued for new Latino-majority districts in Frost’s Dallas district and South Texas. The judges ignored MALDEF’s arguments and every incumbent was returned to office in last week’s elections.
“If Republicans take a new look at Congressional redistricting, their first priority should be to fully reflect Latino voting strength in Texas,” Perales said. “Because Latinos now comprise one-third of the Texas population they should be at least one new Latino-majority district.”
In the map MALDEF produced last year, one South Texas district was centered in Cameron County and Nueces County, another was centered in eastern Hidalgo County, and a third was anchored in western Hidalgo County and Starr County.
Perales said she would like to introduce such a plan again and said that she hoped Lucio would lend his support to it.
Republican Party of Texas spokesman Ted Royer declined to comment on Congressional redistricting Monday. Frost could not be reached for comment.
(Excerpt) Read more at themonitor.com ...
I wasn't aware of the 2/3 requirement, though. I thought we could simply ram it through.
If it means cutting a deal with a Democrat to make it happen, I'd still be in favor of it. NO WAY should Texas be sending more Democrats to Congress than Republicans. It's time to gerrymander those districts in our favor for a change.
I'll drink to that.
I think we need 2 dims in the Senate and 12 in the House to go along with us.
There has LONG been a SENATE RULE requiring 21 of 31 votes for a bill to be taken up OUT OF ORDER. Presumedly this rule COULD be changed by THIS, or any other, senate. I am unaware of ANY such house rule and would appreciate a cite if anyone has the time.
The 21 of 31 is not a Senate Rule it is a Lt Governor ploy. The power of the Lt Governor comes not so much from the Constitution as it does the Rose Bush Debate that opened every session for the last 40 years, and accounts for the 2/3 vote needed to bring something up.
In talking to the two Reps last week they were convinced that to revisit re-districting they would need a two thirds vote in each house. I have no further information.
:O)
I think 130 years of "conditioning" is in play with regard to what I'm hearing on this so far.
The fact that we will now have control of ALL the leavers of government hasn't yet sunk in methinks!
Perhaps hispanic republicans could counter these crypto-anarchists with their own organizations. Most of these Hispanic/Latino/Mexican special interest groups are miles away from their target group in root political beliefs and survive solely on identity politics.
Just so long as, when the dust clears, the final count is more like 21 Pubbies, 11 Dems, which is much, much closer to the political reality in this state, where Dems hold no statewide offices, are a minority in both houses of the Legislature, no U.S. Senate seats, but have a majority of the U.S. House seats.
That's just WRONG.
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