Old Democrat decides to step down after Texas maps signed by Abbott

The big, bad wolf, also known as Texas, has officially redrawn its maps.

While I expect the maps to be challenged in court and blocked, at least one old timer in Congress from Texas has decided to call it quits. Rather than face the challenge, Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett just announced that he will retire after this term at the young age of 78.

New maps

Governor Greg Abbott wasted no time in approving the new maps.

After Democrats held up the state legislature for about two weeks, they were passed, then passed in the Senate, and sent to Abbott’s desk for his signature.

Abbott then stated, “One Big Beautiful Map has passed the Senate and is on its way to my desk, where it will be swiftly signed into law.”

However, as I stated above, this fight is not quite over just yet.

Blocked

The NAACP and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law immediately filed suit that the maps were oppressing the voting rights of people of color.

Mind you, when California said it was going to remove five seats, nobody whined about white conservative votes being oppressed, as this is clearly a one-way street in the eyes of the media.

In filing a suit, the NAACP stated, "The state of Texas is only 40% white, but white voters control over 73% of the state's congressional seats. It's quite obvious that Texas's effort to redistrict mid-decade, before next year's midterm elections, is racially motivated. The state's intent here is to reduce the members of Congress who represent Black communities, and that, in and of itself, is unconstitutional."

But here is the shortcoming of this argument… race means nothing when it comes to party. They are making a huge assumption that only white voters are voting for GOP candidates, and we know that is not the case. The hubris to “assume” that all black and Hispanic voters will fall in line with this is astonishing.

Time to go

Doggett has since decided to call it quits and turn over his seat to the next generation, which will likely be someone from Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s (D-TX) camp.

He stated, “For me personally, yes, it’s been a tough decision because I represent more than two-thirds of the district that I would defer to Congressman Casar on, and I’d really hope that he would not surrender his district in San Antonio, the end of his district in San Antonio to [President Donald] Trump.

“I think it’s a district that we must win to keep Trump from going out of Texas with five new seats.”

I have already stated that I don’t agree with gerrymandering, but the reality is that just about every state in the country is gerrymandered, some worse than others. Doggett stepping down is a good thing, however, as he is one of many fossils we need removed from government. But this fight is far from over, as these maps will be litigated, and we are likely to lose.