As the final weeks of the Texas Legislature's special session on redistricting wind down, the battle of the maps will heat up on the House floor. The plan is on the agenda Tuesday.
Throughout this round of redistricting, Republicans have made a clear effort to preserve the status quo in the balance of power.
In Collin County, for instance, the way the map is written, Republican Reps. Matt Shaheen (R-Plano) and Jeff Leach (R-Plano), whose districts have become more competitive, will see their districts shift more to areas where former President Donald Trump won by 8% in 2020, according to NBC 5's media partner The Dallas Morning News.
“I think the important thing right now is that a lot of Republican seats are being protected, and that helps the Collin County Republican Party," executive director for the county party Neal Katz said. "And in that one District 70, which is going to be a Democrat district by the demographics, by the voting records, we have our work cut out for us."
Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC DFW newsletters.
District 70 is held by Rep. Scott Sanford (R-McKinney), who is retiring.
According to the Dallas Morning News, the district will now include parts of Plano, Richardson and Dallas -- areas President Joe Biden handily won in 2020.
“We are happy to have one district instead of none, but we'd really rather have three or four districts that are competitive within a few years, rather than one now and five that we can’t win for 10 years,” Collin County Democratic Party Chairman Mike Rawlins said.
Lone Star Politics
Covering politics throughout the state of Texas.
There could be changes since there are at least 70 pre-filed amendments to the bill.
Click here to listen to the latest episode of the Lone Star Politics Podcast.
