Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) is taking sharp aim at Republican lawmakers in her home state, accusing them of unfairly using mid-decade redistricting to expand their power in Congress.
Speaking Tuesday on CNN’s The Source, Crockett criticized the Texas GOP’s push to secure five additional House seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, calling the effort part of a broader pattern of manipulation.
“The Republicans, they are cheaters all day, every day. But we have never tried to match their energy until now. And I applaud it,” Crockett said, referencing Democratic-led redistricting proposals in California.
Redistricting Showdown
Republicans, backed by former President Donald Trump, are pressing to redraw congressional maps in Texas to solidify their narrow House majority. Crockett, however, warned that the move could spark retaliatory redistricting efforts in Democratic strongholds.
“You can stop this right now if you just say, hey, we will stop in Texas, because California doesn’t go into play unless Texas does,” Crockett argued.
Texas Democrats, who fled the state earlier this month in an attempt to block the proposal, have since returned for expected votes on the maps.
National Context
Crockett tied the Texas battle to similar disputes elsewhere, citing North Carolina’s congressional maps as an example of partisan gerrymandering.
“When they ended up with a Republican majority in that Supreme Court, what did they do? They decided to take their map from seven, which is pretty much what the state of North Carolina looks like, and instead they added an additional three seats for the Republicans. So now it’s 10-4. Well, when you look at the voting, nothing looks like 10-4,” she said.
Escalating Tensions in Texas
Crockett has also spoken out against new rules in the Texas House aimed at ensuring quorums during contentious votes. On social platform X, she blasted GOP leaders after Rep. Nicole Collier was allegedly prevented from leaving the chamber under those rules.
“As a former Texas State Rep, let me be clear: LOCKING Rep. Nicole Collier inside the chamber is beyond outrageous,” Crockett posted. “Forcing elected officials to sign ‘permission slips’ and take police escorts to leave? That’s not procedure. That’s some old Jim Crow playbook.”
Rising Democratic Firebrand
Crockett has quickly gained prominence in Washington as a progressive firebrand, making frequent appearances on cable news to denounce the Trump-aligned GOP.
Her latest remarks add to growing Democratic resistance to Republican-led redistricting efforts across the country, where both parties are increasingly using aggressive map-drawing strategies to tilt electoral outcomes.
