John,

I want to tell you what’s really going on in Texas because it’s honestly unlike anything I’ve seen in my life.

Instead of dealing with real emergencies—like our state's deeply flawed flood response—Governor Greg Abbott has decided the real crisis is that Trump’s party might lose seats in Congress.

So now, he's dropping everything to rig our congressional maps, right in the middle of the decade, just to lock in power for Trump and his allies.

Here’s the deal: Every ten years, states are supposed to redraw congressional maps. That’s the rule. But Abbott—under pressure from Trump’s desperate team—is forcing our state through another contentious redistricting process, years ahead of schedule.

Why now? Because Trump just signed a hugely unpopular bill that puts over 1.6 million Texans at risk of losing healthcare coverage and threatens food aid for more than 3 million Texans – and they’re worried that voters won’t take kindly to the 25 Texas Republican representatives and both GOP senators that voted for it in next year’s midterms.

And keep in mind, John, this disgusting political power grab is happening as Central Texas is still reeling from the recent floods.

The districts the Governor identified as “problematic” make his intentions clear. Texas Republicans want to disenfranchise Black and brown communities across the state in a vile attempt to pick up a few extra seats in the next election.

It gets even crazier: We sued after they pulled a similar scheme in 2020, and our allies are still in court fighting that map in a similar case. But before the judges even rule, Trump, Abbott, and his allies want to start over—just because they’re afraid of losing. That’s not how democracy is supposed to work.

If the last map—which they've spent huge sums of taxpayer money defending in court—isn't unfair enough for them, imagine how much worse, how much more controversial, and how much more expensive this next round of rigged maps will be.

Here’s why I’m emailing you about this, John – if they get away with this, it won’t stay put in Texas. Self serving politicians in other states, maybe even yours, will try the same. Already, Governor Gavin Newsom of California has threatened to throw out California’s nonpartisan maps to advantage his party.

And with control of Congress in 2027 likely coming down to just a few seats, our nation’s future should be in the hands of voters… not whichever party’s politicians do a better job of rigging the system.

I’ve spent my whole life in Texas. I’ve seen people in power try to get away with whatever they want. But I’ve also seen communities come together and fight back—loudly, bravely, and together.

That’s what Common Cause does best. We organize. We show up in court. We fight, and we don’t give up. But this is an all-hands-on-deck moment.

John, I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t urgent. If you agree politicians shouldn’t get to pick their voters, can you chip in $5 now? Every bit helps us show up in Texas, Pennsylvania, and across the country.

If you've saved your info with ActBlue, we'll process your contribution instantly:

Thanks for being in this with us,

Anthony Gutierrez, TX Executive Director
and the team at Common Cause