Obama, Texas GOP prepare for battle over 2021 redistricting

State Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa looks at maps on display prior to a Senate Redistricting committee hearing, Thursday, May 30, 2013, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) State Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa looks at maps on display prior to a Senate Redistricting committee hearing, Thursday, May 30, 2013, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) Photo: Eric Gay, STF Photo: Eric Gay, STF Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Obama, Texas GOP prepare for battle over 2021 redistricting 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

AUSTIN -- Former President Barack Obama and members of his administration are ready to take another shot at chipping away at Republican domination in Texas.

A new group headed by former Attorney General Eric Holder and with the public backing of Obama is targeting Texas among 11 states in which they are determined to change the redistricting process to assure more competitive state House and Senate races in the future.

"In 2011, Republicans created gerrymandered districts that locked themselves into power and shut out voters from the electoral process," Holder said in announcing the National Democratic Redistricting Committee's electoral targets earlier this week.

"By focusing on these state and local races, we can ensure Democrats who will fight for fairness have a seat at the table when new maps are drawn in 2021," he added.

And Harris County will be a big part of the plan. State Democrats have already highlighted more than 20 seats in the Texas House that Hillary Clinton either won over Donald Trump in 2016 or lost narrowly -- a list the new NDRC group is well versed in, said Kelly Ward, executive director of the group.

Ward said her group hasn't made specific targets yet, but said after the primaries in March they will begin to hone in on more specific targets.

That list will almost certainly include conversations about five key Houston area districts.

In state District 134, held by State Rep. Sarah Davis and State District 138 held by Rep. Dwayne Bohac, Clinton outpointed Trump in 2016. In three other districts -- state House 135 held by Rep. Gary Elkins, District 26 held by Rep. Rick Miller, and District 132 held by Rep. Mike Schofield -- Clinton was within 5 percentage points of winning.

Republicans hold a dominating edge in both the Texas House and Senate. In the House, Republicans have 95 seats compared to 55 for Democrats. In the Texas Senate Republicans hold 20 seats to just 11 for Democrats.

Ward said she knows the math and isn't pretending the NDRC is going to win it all back this year. She said what makes their organization different from past efforts in Texas is that they are here for the long hall. She said they expect to help Democrats make some gains this year and build off those in another four years.

"We're here for the long term," Ward said.

The work in Texas will include helping with litigation to fight what the group calls unconstitutional redistricting, mobilizing communities by create long-term infrastructure to get more of the public engaged in redistricting, and helping Democratic candidates win seats in the Legislature so they can play a bigger role in drawing redistricting maps.

She said Holder will be traveling the country in support of the effort and Obama has made redistricting one of his top post-presidential priorities and is expected to remain engaged in the topic.

Bring it on

The Republican Party of Texas' answer? Bring it on.

"This is just the latest in a series of attempts to mess with Texas by Obama and his administration over the years," Republican Party of Texas Chairman James Dickey said.

He pointed to the Obama network's attempt to help state Sen. Wendy Davis in the 2014 gubernatorial election as example of how futile their work has been.

But Ward says there is clearly a different environment building in America and Texas heading into 2018. Democrats in Texas have a serious contender for the U.S. Senate in Beto O'Rourke, three of the most competitive U.S. House races in America (including the 7th Congressional District in Houston), and Democrats have candidates running in every U.S. House race in Texas.

"All of these are signs of momentum growing," she said.

Manny Garcia, the Texas Democratic Party's Deputy Executive Director, said he's seen a record surge in the number of candidates willing to put themselves up to run for office in state Legislature races and for Congress.

"We need to compete everywhere," Garcia said.

Harris County is a prime example of that. In the nine congressional districts that include Harris County, a record 37 Democrats have qualified for the ballot on March 6.

Garcia said state Democrats welcome the attention from national groups. He said the recognition from group's like Holder's only offers further vindication of the progress Texas Democrats are making.

In 2011, the Texas House had 101 Republicans and 49 Democrats. Since then, Democrats have gained 6 seats and have hopes for more in 2018. In the Senate, though Republicans have a 9 seat edge, Garcia said picking up just two seats would have a big impact on how the Senate operates.

Currently Democrats have few procedural tools to slow down the Republican agenda in Austin. But with two additional seats, Democrats would have enough votes to force Republicans to have to listen to them.

The next redistricting round in Texas is not likely to start until 2021, but Ward said by starting early, her group is building a foundation and helping elect people who will be at the table when new maps are drawn.

"It starts now," Ward said.