John,

At the direction of Donald Trump, Texas Republicans are rushing to redraw the state’s congressional maps right before the midterm elections. Trump did this because he knows his policies are unpopular and he is afraid of losing control of Congress in the midterms.

Let me be clear: this is not how redistricting is supposed to happen. States typically redraw their maps once every 10 years after the census. The next time this process should begin is after the 2030 census.

Right now, Republicans hold 25 of Texas’s 38 House seats. With their new proposed maps, they’re gerrymandering five more seats to favor themselves, locking in control of 30 out of 38 seats.

Gerrymandering is just another form of voter suppression, plain and simple.

These new maps would target Black and Brown communities, pushing them into single districts where their votes matter less.

So what can we do? We fight back.

And that’s exactly what Texas Democrats are doing. This weekend, more than 50 Texas House Democrats fled the state to break quorum and block the vote on these unconstitutional maps. It’s a bold move to protect democracy, and it’s the kind of leadership this moment demands.

Emerge alum State Senator Molly Cook is one of the women leading the fight. She and her colleagues are pushing back against this blatant power grab, and they’re not backing down.

This is what we were built for. When our democracy is under attack, Emerge women rise to defend it.

In solidarity,
A’shanti F. Gholar
President & CEO, Emerge