Category Archives: Killer D’s

Well, now that a map has finally passed out of the Jurisprudence Committee, we enter the next stage of the game. With a second session that will feature no blocker bill looming, what will the Democrats’ strategy be? The Republicans, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Rob Booth is off the redistricting reservation: I’ve got to say this is getting a little nuts. The last two maps from Sen. Staples (1324 and 1325) have really messed up west Houston. Putting CD 7 into any county other … Continue reading → Continue reading →

There’s not much redistricting news to report on right now. Sen. Todd Staples has submitted two new maps that will get voted on in committee tomorrow, then die without debate on the floor thanks to the “unalterable opposition” of 11 … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I’m about to take off to a wedding, so I don’t really have time to say much about this, but it looks like the current redistricting strategy in the Senate is to do more or less what the House did, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Two new maps wee presented in the Senate today, one by Sen. Florence Shapiro and one by Sen. Jeff Wentworth. Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, on Wednesday said the map being considered would create 18 Republican-dominated districts; 11 Democratic and three … Continue reading → Continue reading →

It’s probably taken a lot longer than it should have, but I’m finding it hard to describe what’s happening in the redistricting wars with a straight face. Let’s recap the highlights from this week: – Eleven Senators – ten Democrats … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Byron has all of your redistricting news today. This thing currently has more pathos and bad acting than a telenovela, without the skimpily dressed women to compensate. They’re doing this just to torture me, I’m sure of it. Byron also … Continue reading → Continue reading →

You’ve got to be kidding me: AUSTIN — Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said Tuesday that he expects Gov. Rick Perry will call another special legislative session to address congressional redistricting if a plan is not approved this session. Perry, speaking … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Here is the letter that the Inspector General for the Department of Transportation sent to Sen. Joe Lieberman in response to his request for an investigation into the FAA’s involvement in the Killer D search. I’d been unable to find … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The reaction to Sen. Bill Ratliff’s announcement that he will join 10 Democratic Senators in opposing any redistricting bill has been pretty much what you’d expect: joy from Democrats and insistence from Republicans that they ain’t dead yet. Democrats hailed … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Going through the Chron‘s archives in the wake of the sudden announcement that 11 Senators – enough to block a vote to suspend the rules – are “unalterably opposed” to redistricting, one can’t help but be struck by the fact … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Holy crap, David Dewhurst is holding a press conference right now amid rumors that there are enough votes in the Senate to kill redistricting. Rumors swept the Senate floor Monday afternoon that 10 Democrats and Sen. Bill Ratliff, R-Mount Pleasant, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Here’s a scenario I hadn’t considered from the state Senate: Pass a redistricting bill that they like, and then adjourn, leaving the House to take it or lump it: One way out was outlined on Harvey Kronberg’s Quorum Report newsletter. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

With the Senate adjourning for the weekend so various members can draw their own Congressional maps, the time is ripe for Sunday newspaper edition articles on the heartaches of being an undecided member of that chamber. Here’s the Chron story, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Missed this yesterday: AUSTIN — Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick overstepped his authority by dispatching state troopers to search for Democratic state representatives who bolted in May to kill a redistricting bill, a state district judge ruled Thursday. State District … Continue reading → Continue reading →

That’s the picture I was looking for on Monday. The caption reads Democratic supporters in the state House gallery donned white socks as hand puppets to mock Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford, as he debated his redistricting plan Monday. Every time … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Senate Jurisprudence Committee, which is handling bills on redistricting, has adjourned until Monday and will not vote until Tuesday at the earliest amid concerns about lawyer Andy Taylor, rural representation, and the role of the House in crafting any … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Nothing much new to report today – the Senate is still busy preparing at least three maps, and according to Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, they probably won’t have anything until next week. It’s beginning to become possible that the clock … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Time for a little tour of the editorial pages. The Chron says “Enough already” and slams most of the main participants, especially Governor Goodhair: Gov. Rick Perry bears ultimate responsibility for pointlessly prolonging the agony of the redistricting battle in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

To no one’s great surprise, the Texas Senate declared the House redistricting map dead on arrival, though I confess I’m a bit surprised at how many Republican Senators have taken potshots at not only the map, but also at how … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Not much new to report that Byron hasn’t already covered. The House map passed as expected, and now the battle is joined in the Senate. A commenter on Byron’s latest Polstate posting notes that in addition to Bill Ratliff and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Here are a couple of decent profiles of two of the Senators who are not committed one way or the other on redistricting: Frank Madla (D, San Antonio) and Bill Ratliff (R, Mount Pleasant). I did a Google search on … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Angry Bear has a nice summary of the redistricting battle of 2001 and how it wound up in the federal court. His conclusion: The net result of this was that the panel adopted the original plan proposed by the Texas … Continue reading → Continue reading →

OK, as the joke goes, “Break’s over, back on your head”. The House Calendars Committee has voted to send the latest redistricting map (which you can see here, though you’ll need IE to do it – it didn’t render in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

In a move that surprised his colleagues, Rep. Phil King (R, Weatherford) withdrew his latest redistricting map, citing Voting Rights Act concerns. “I’m not saying this puppy is dead. It’s just sick,” said Rep. Phil King, R-Houston. He said he … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Here is the new map (via Burnt Orange – for whatever reason, the Chron story, which I’ll get to in a minute, doesn’t have a link to this). It leaves the 18th CD more or less as it was (and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Here’s the full Chron report on the start of the special session. It’s got a couple of choice quotes in it: “[Redistricting is] only divisive to those who don’t like to see the state of Texas have its rightful representation,” … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Byron has his writeup of the Dallas hearing, plus a letter from a woman who attended the ill-fated Brownsville hearing. Both are full of useful information. Thanks, Byron! Continue reading →

As the Austin American Statesman reminds us, there’s more than just redistricting going on in Austin right about now: An Austin lobbyist took a look at his calendar for the next 30 days and sent a friend a tongue-in-cheek summary: … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Hang on to your life, liberty, and property again: the Lege has reconvened to take another shot at shoving a redistricting bill through. Before anyone asks, the reason that the Dems (almost surely) won’t walk out again is simple. In … Continue reading → Continue reading →

A few more articles on the redistricting hearings: from the Dallas Morning News (here and here), from the Laredo Morning Times, and from the Lufkin Daily News. Via The View v.2. Continue reading →

Another unsigned editorial in the Chron denouncing the special session on redistricting, which begins tomorrow. They’ve been pretty consistent on this, and for a change they note that they editorialized against Democratic gerrymandering back in 1991. (No, I’m not going … Continue reading → Continue reading →

This morning my friend Andrea and I spent two hours at the House redistricting committee’s public meeting. We knew it was going to be wild before we got there, and we were not disappointed. When we arrived at 8:45, the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Byron’s on the job covering the redistricting hearings going on around the state. Be sure to read the various accounts of the brouhaha in Brownsville. I will be at the Houston hearing tomorrow morning and will report what goes on … Continue reading → Continue reading →