Vikki Goodwin expresses confidence amidst bribery allegations, fines, and arrest warrants facing her and other Texas Democrats who have left the state. Goodwin, along with numerous House Democrats, relocated to liberal states to block Texas Republicans from achieving the quorum necessary to vote on a redistricting plan endorsed by former President Donald Trump, aimed at strengthening Republican dominance in the legislature.
Despite Governor Greg Abbott’s efforts to compel their return, Goodwin asserts that she and her colleagues are garnering increasing public support each day for their voluntary absence.
“As awareness grows regarding our purpose, people are incensed by the subservience of our governor to the U.S. president,” said Goodwin, currently in Illinois, during an interview with guest host Rebecca Zandbergen on As It Happens.
She added, “The concept of manipulating boundaries to favor more Republican representation contradicts the essence of a genuine democratic system.”
Trump’s Request for Additional Seats
Abbott has called for a special session to vote on a redistricting bill that is anticipated to grant Republicans an additional five seats, securing their slim majority in the upcoming congressional midterm elections next year.
However, without two-thirds of members present in the 150-member House, passing the bill is impossible. Democrats, holding 62 seats in the predominantly Republican chamber, with at least 51 members leaving the state, have impeded the process, seeking refuge in Democrat-led states like Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts.
The obligation to redistrict every decade based on U.S. Census Bureau data currently conflicts with the recent redistricting in Texas, initiated just four years ago. Goodwin criticized the rushed and undemocratic nature of pushing a new map mid-cycle, attributing it to Trump’s influence and Abbott’s compliance.
“This initiative is solely at Trump’s behest, and Abbott is prepared to comply with any of Trump’s requests,” she emphasized.
Trump has openly expressed his aspiration to fortify Republican hegemony in Texas, insisting on the entitlement to five additional seats, as disclosed in a recent CNBC interview.
During the same interview, Trump highlighted the issue of gerrymandering across party lines, accusing Democrat-led legislatures of manipulating electoral maps to their advantage.
A White House official disclosed Trump’s expectation for Abbott to take any necessary actions to ensure the passage of the new map.
Gene Wu, chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, denounced the plan as not just a power grab but as “turbocharged racism” that will further diminish the voting influence of minority groups in the state.
The proposed redistricting is expected to make it more challenging for four Hispanic incumbents and two Black incumbents to maintain their seats in 2026, according to The Associated Press.
Contrary to Wu’s assertions, Texas Republicans argue that the new map will