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Legislators brace for redistricting 4 regions vying for 2 new congressional seats 03/13/2001 By Sam Attlesey / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN – Now, the battle lines can be drawn.
With the release Monday of census figures for the state, legislators are preparing for the once-a-decade task of redrawing state and congressional district boundaries.
"Everything else is back burner starting today to redistricting," said Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, chairman of the Senate map-drawing committee.
The political fallout is huge, chiefly because legislators will have to determine where to carve out the state's two new congressional districts.
Because of the rapid population growth, Texas will have 32 U.S. House seats beginning in 2002.
An area of fast-growing suburban counties north of Dallas and Fort Worth is almost a certain bet for one of the two new districts.
"There's been a tremendous explosion of growth up there," said Rep. Delwin Jones, R-Lubbock, chairman of the House Redistricting Committee.
Collin and Denton counties are among the top 10 fastest-growing counties in the state.
Three other regions vying for the new congressional district are suburban areas north of Houston; the "I-35 corridor" between Austin and San Antonio; and South Texas, where the Hispanic population grew rapidly during the last 10 years.
All of the growth areas except South Texas are considered Republican strongholds.
Mr. Jones predicted that the two new congressional districts probably would be favorable to GOP candidates.
Democrats now have 17 congressional seats, and Republicans hold 13.
GOP officials say unfair redistricting in the past has allowed Democrats to control the congressional delegation and the Texas House. Republicans have a 16-15 majority in the Texas Senate.
"We have the opportunity to see the fairest lines drawn this time that we've seen in a long time, and that will allow us an opportunity to pick up anywhere from five to 10 seats in the congressional delegation," said Susan Weddington, head of the Texas Republican Party.
But U.S. Rep. Martin Frost of Dallas, head of the National Democratic Party's redistricting project, said population growth in Hispanic areas and urban areas should keep Republicans from taking too many seats.
"Texas is gaining two seats and has seen strong growth in minority areas, so there's no honest justification for Republican redistricting plans that ignore voters' choices and sacrifice Texas' interests," Mr. Frost said.
The final census numbers also indicate that Dallas County will probably maintain its current 16 state House seats.
"I'm cautiously optimistic," said Rep. Domingo Garcia, D-Dallas.
"We had a 19.8 percent growth, so that would indicate we will keep all our seats."
But rural areas in West and East Texas that did not grow as fast as suburban areas probably will lose five state House seats, Mr. Jones said.
He said that means counties such as Collin, Denton, Williamson, Montgomery and Fort Bend probably will gain representatives in the state House.
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