29th
The Trib has a piece today on the new 29th Congressional District and the upcoming Democratic Party primary. See this from the Trib:
When Texas Republicans redrew the state’s congressional map this summer, Latino Democrats in Houston saw warning signs for their political future.
Since its creation in the early 1990s, the 29th Congressional District, based in east Houston, has been majority-Latino. For decades, it was represented by white Democratic Rep. Gene Green. In 2018, with Green retiring, the city’s Latino political class achieved a long-sought dream with the election of Sylvia Garcia, Green’s preferred successor, who became the first Hispanic person to represent a significant swath of Houston in Congress.
Garcia has represented the district ever since, coasting to reelection in each successive cycle. But under the new map, she will be courting a new electorate with a much different demographic makeup, potentially confronting tensions among Democrats’ multiracial base.
For the last two election cycles, Hispanics have made up 63% of the eligible voting population in Garcia’s 29th District; under the new lines, they are just 43%. Meanwhile, the Black eligible voting population — citizens who are old enough to vote — grew from 18% under the previous map to 33% of the district.
Latino Democrats in Houston are now grappling with the consequences of a Republican map that leaves the party with precious few opportunities. Strategists say the map has threatened Latino political power and potentially pits different parts of Democrats’ multiracial coalition against each other for a diminishing number of congressional seats — leaving Democrats of color in an awkward spot, even as Garcia and her primary opponents vow to build campaigns that resonate with voters across racial lines.
Garcia, who is Mexican American, has already drawn two Black primary challengers, including former state Rep. Jarvis Johnson. And it comes at a time as the party nationally — and especially in Texas — is trying to win back the growing number of Latino voters who have pulled the lever for Republicans and President Donald Trump.
“When you look at the new numbers, you have to realize that the largest voting bloc in the new 29, for the Democratic Party, is going to be the Black vote,” said Johnson. “And I think it’s important that my community has a voice.”
Garcia has won citywide before, and strategists say she has high name identification and should expect to receive significant resources from Latino groups in Washington. For her part, she said she plans to campaign vigorously in her new territory to build a winning multiracial coalition, and rejects the notion that Black and brown voters will be factionalized.
But some Democrats worry about the potential for divisiveness, or about what happens after Garcia, 75, eventually retires. The only majority-Latino district left in Houston is the 9th Congressional District, where GOP map-drawers paired typically lower-turnout Latino precincts with higher-turnout white areas in Harris and Liberty counties to craft a Republican-leaning seat. No prominent Democrats have stepped forward to run yet; the top candidates in the Republican primary are state Rep. Briscoe Cain and former Harris County Judge candidate Alexandra del Moral Mealer, who is Latina.
“There really is that fear that there will be no Latino representation from a Latino-[plurality] county that’s the third-largest county in America,” said Jaime Mercado, a Houston Democratic strategist.
Inside the new district
The new 29th District looks a lot like Houston, with an eligible voting population that is 43% Hispanic, 33% Black, 18% white and 4% Asian. Only one-third of voters in Garcia’s current district will still see her on the ballot come the March primary.
“That’s truly a coalition district,” said Garcia, who has represented Houstonians as city controller, Harris County commissioner and state senator before her congressional career. “That’s what I put together to win a citywide campaign in the city of Houston, before we were even 20% of the Houston population. I’ve put coalitions together a number of times for different causes and campaigns, so this will just be another one.”
In upending the district’s demographics, Republicans moved the eastern part of Houston and Harris County — including heavily Latino cities like Galena Park and Jacinto City — out of the 29th District. To offset the population loss, the district took in over 200,000 voters from what is currently Congressional District 18, a bastion of Black political power. Historically Black neighborhoods like Acres Homes and Independence Heights have been added to District 29. (Voters in those neighborhoods can still vote in this year’s special election to fill out the remainder of former Rep. Sylvester Turner’s term representing Texas’ 18th District.)
The new 29th District retains Hispanic precincts in neighborhoods like Lindale Park, Melrose Park and Greenspoint. And it adds more affluent neighborhoods with lots of younger, more progressive voters, like Garden Oaks, Oak Forest and Shepherd Park Plaza.
Here is the entire read: Redistricting forces Houston Democrats of color to compete.
Unfortunately, we are going to be talking about this through March 3, 2026. I can’t blame former Rep. Jarvis Johnson for getting into the race. Cong. Garcia is a great campaigner. See the featured photo. She should be able to rack up most of the endorsements of Democratic Party activists, groups, and organizations. She will have a significant advantage in fundraising. She is also a high-profile Democrat in Congress. I think she is on solid footing heading into a primary election.
In reading the Trib piece, I don’t think former Rep. Johnson is interested in representing Latinos, just saying. Stay tuned!
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The Trib story yesterday on my Dad’ single member city council district lawsuit against the City of Baytown is on the front page of today’s Laredo Morning Times hard copy, including my photo. Nice.
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The Lone Star Conservative Fund, LLC, started running ads this morning slapping Sen. John Cornyn around. The ads are running on KPRC Channel 2. Good.
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The Chron Sports Section wraps up their analysis of the Astros with a look at the bullpen today.