A fourth big-name Democrat is eyeing one of the newly drawn Congressional districts in North Texas. Former LULAC National President Domingo Garcia, who’s also a former Dallas City Council Member and State Representative, told CBS News Texas he’s considering a run for the newly drawn 33rd Congressional seat in Dallas.
Garcia joins the current Congressman for this district, Marc Veasey, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett of Dallas and Congresswoman Julie Johnson of Farmers Branch who are also considering this seat.
It’s one of the newly drawn districts under the maps just approved by Texas Republicans that would give their party five new seats across the state. Under the new map, the 33rd Congressional district will now only be in Dallas County and have a majority of Latinos.
Currently, the district is in both Dallas County and Tarrant County, which is where Congressman Veasey lives. His home though will now be outside his new district. Veasey recently told CBS News Texas that he’s still considering his options in next year’s mid-term elections. Democrats and other groups, including LULAC, have sued the state, saying the new districts violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and don’t provide adequate representation to black and brown communities. A three-judge panel at federal court in El Paso will hold a hearing on the new maps starting October 1.
Garcia said if the new maps are not reversed by the courts and are upheld, he’ll strongly consider jumping into the primary for this seat. “I’m setting up an exploratory committee,” said Garcia in an interview with CBS News Texas. “We’ve never had a Hispanic represent Dallas County in Congress or North Texas for that matter. If the maps stay as is, then the 33rd basically becomes an open Congressional seat. Julie Johnson doesn’t live in the district, Marc Veasey doesn’t live in the district, I live in the district.”
Congresswoman Johnson said she’s also eyeing the 33rd Congressional District because her current district is one of those likely to turn Republican. That district will extend to East Texas under the new map. “Of that district, I represent the largest stake of the new seat. I’ve spoken with Marc,” said Johnson. “He’s trying to figure out what he’s going to do. If he chooses not to run for 33, because his main base of support is in Fort Worth and that’s no longer part of this, then I’m definitely going to run for 33.” Johnson said she would not challenge Veasey in a primary.
Congresswoman Crockett told CBS News Texas last month that she is also considering a run in the 33rd Congressional District. That’s because her home is now in this district and not in the district she represents now, the neighboring 30th Congressional District, which includes a larger part of Tarrant County and will include a majority of African Americans. The U.S. Constitution says members of Congress must be residents in the state they represent, not in the specific districts they serve.
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