Court redraws 5 Texas congressional districts

HOUSTON (Reuters) – A U.S. Court redrew the boundaries of
five south and west Texas congressional districts on Friday to
restore political power to Hispanic voters.

The three-judge panel, appointed by the U.S. Fifth Circuit
Court of Appeals, vacated primary elections of candidates in
the districts and said primary elections would be held
simultaneously with the general election on November 7,
according to the decision.

If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote in a
district, a runoff election will take place on a date to be set
by the Texas secretary of state.

The court’s new electoral map fulfills instructions from
the U.S. Supreme Court when it ruled in June that a
controversial 2003 congressional redistricting by the Texas
Legislature was constitutional except for the dilution of
Hispanic voting power in the 23rd Congressional District.

Most affected by the change, according to political
analysts is Republican Rep. Henry Bonilla’s 23rd District,
which saw the number of Democratic voters increase by 8 percent
under the congressional district map issued on Friday.

“Under today’s court-ordered plan, Bonilla would be favored
for reelection, but would not be considered safe,” the liberal
advocacy group Lone Star Project said in a statement.

“In light of Bonilla’s consistent failure to win the
support of Hispanic voters, it is certainly possible for
Democrats to claim the seat sometime this decade,” Lone Star
Project said.

Bonilla expressed delight with the changes.

“This is a great day,” he said in a statement. “The court
has given me the opportunity to represent my old neighborhood
… and so many old friends. Perhaps most importantly it has
given me the opportunity to be my mother’s congressman and
trust me, she will make me work to earn her vote!”

Democratic Reps. Ruben Hinojosa, 15th District; Lloyd
Doggett, 25th District; Henry Cuellar, 28th District; and
Republican Rep. Lamar Smith, 21st District, are thought to be
safe in their reelection bids, analysts said.