Texas Democrat has doubts GOP will pick up 5 seats with redistricting

Source: The Hill

09/05/25 2:36 PM ET


Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) said he thinks Republicans will gain three House seats after Texas’s controversial redistricting, not the five President Trump is hoping for. Trump asked Texas Republicans to draw new districts to net five more Republican seats ahead of next year’s midterm elections. The GOP targeted two seats in South Texas — Cuellar’s and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez’s (D-Texas).

The president carried both districts last November, winning Cuellar’s district by 7 points and Gonzalez’s by 4 points. Texas’ new map, signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) late last month, makes them both 10-point districts.

But Cuellar told Nexstar, The Hill’s parent company, that the new map gives Gonzalez the same district that was held by a Democrat in the past. “Vicente has a very good shot. In my opinion, he will win,” the lawmaker said.

He added that Republicans relied on the Hispanic vote for Trump in the 2024 election, which didn’t translate down ballot in South Texas. “For them to think that Hispanics are monolithic, and they said, ‘Oh, they voted for Trump and they’re going to vote for everybody,’ that premise is false,” Cuellar said.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5488718-henry-cuellar-texas-redistricting/