The Blast - June 13, 2025

9 days until the governor’s veto deadline
10 days until the moratorium on political contributions ends

IN TODAY’S BLAST

• Hakeem Jeffries says Dems are intrigued by redistricting

• Some convincing left to do

• Some TLR-Burrows primary drama

• Gonzales and De La Cruz have deportation questions

• Texas delegation on Israel’s Iran strikes

HAKEEM JEFFRIES SAYS DEMS ARE INTRIGUED BY REDISTRICTING

While Texas Republicans assess the possibility of a mid-decade redistricting, U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries seems to think that redrawing congressional lines could actually cannibalize GOP seats to the benefit of Democrats.

Speaking at his weekly press conference yesterday, the New York Democrat said redrawing district lines could endanger four to six Republican incumbents. Given the narrow majority that Republicans have in Congress, and with a potential blowback year for President Donald Trump, Jeffries thinks making a handful of competitive seats in Texas could be enough to hand Congress to the Democrats in 2026.

“A lot of Democrats that we’ve talked to from Texas have actually come to the conclusion — based on the fact that the map is already gerrymandered at its height — that they could open up four to six swing seat opportunities that don’t exist right now for Democrats,” Jeffries said.

Several Democrats “may welcome changes,” based on his conversations.

“Be careful what you wish for,” he continued.

As the second-most populous state in the nation, Texas has 38 congressional seats. Yet, only two were active battlegrounds in 2024, and only one more was decided by less than 15 points. All three center on the Rio Grande Valley: TX-15 held by Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg; TX-28 held by Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo; and TX-34 held by Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen.

However, another five seats have a Cook Partisan Voting Index of 10 points or less.

Still, to move the three RGV seats safely red, Republicans would have to pull from neighboring GOP districts. The three adjacent districts were decided by at least 25 points in 2024: TX-21 held by Chip Roy of Austin, TX-23 held by Tony Gonzales of San Antonio and TX-27 held by Michael Cloud of Victoria.

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SOME CONVINCING LEFT TO DO

The Republican delegation met yesterday for their second redistricting meeting of the week, expecting to hear the pitch from White House officials, according to two congressional aides familiar with the meeting. But Trump officials apparently no-showed. Reps. Wesley Hunt of Houston and Beth Van Duyne of Irving told the Tribune’s Owen Dahlkamp that it was only Texas members in the meeting.

As it stands, the Republican delegation isn’t sold yet on the White House’s redistricting idea. Trump could have the political capital to force his will on Texas’ members to change some minds, but he would likely need a buy-in from Texas’ representatives before Gov. Greg Abbott would call a special session.

“Right now, I haven’t identified a need for a special session,” Abbott told a small pool of reporters on Wednesday. And when The Blast followed up at a press conference later to ask if he’d spoken with the president, Abbott listened to the question then adjourned the event without answering.

Another consideration is how would Democrats handle a potential redistricting special session. Republicans would need to persuade at least 12 House Democrats to show up for a special session. Otherwise, 51 Democrats would be enough to break quorum.

And Republicans may not get a hand from moderate Democrats for a redistricting special. Many of the moderates hail from the Valley or South Texas more broadly, precisely where the White House wants to make their pickups.

SOME TLR-BURROWS PRIMARY DRAMA

Texans for Lawsuit Reform is pushing back after a Houston Chronicle story this morning left open the possibility that the Austin lobbying giant could try to oust House Speaker Dustin Burrows amid other potential 2026 primaries.

TLR President Lee Parsley told the Chronicle that his group may look at backing some primary challengers to those who didn’t fully support Senate Bill 30, their top priority legislation that died in conference during the last week of session.

From the story: “When asked if TLR would support a primary candidate against the speaker, Parsley paused and said, “Not ready to comment on that.’”

That comes after Parsley partially blamed Burrows for the death of SB 30, saying he appointed members who opposed the bill to key positions.

But this afternoon, TLR firmly rejected that there are any plans to target Burrows.

“After an interview with Lee Parsley, a Houston Chronicle article published this morning gave the impression that TLR may oppose Speaker Burrows in his reelection campaign for the Texas House,” they wrote. “To be clear, TLR has absolutely no plans to oppose Speaker Burrows’ reelection.”

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GONZALES AND DE LA CRUZ HAVE DEPORTATION QUESTIONS

Republicans U.S. Reps. Tony Gonzales and Monica De La Cruz are asking U.S. immigration officials for statistics on how many arrested migrants are convicted criminals, an attempt to ensure that the White House is prioritizing violent criminals for deportation.

Gonzales, a moderate from San Antonio and chair of the Republican-comprised Congressional Hispanic Conference, led Edinburg’s De La Cruz and four other conference members in the letter. Reps. María Elvira Salazar of Florida, Gabe Evans of Colorado, Nicole Malliotakis of New York and David Valadao of California rounded out the signatories.

Writing to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons, the six members said they were fully invested in restoring law and order in the country.

“That said, we are also concerned that your limited resources may be stretched to pursue individuals that do not constitute an immediate threat to public safety,” they wrote.

“There are levels of priority that must be considered when it comes to immigration enforcement,” they continued. “Every minute that we spend pursuing an individual with a clean record is a minute less that we dedicate to apprehending terrorists or cartel operatives.”

The letter came amid anti-deportation protests across the country, particularly in Los Angeles. It also caught the attention of some border security groups, like Texans for Strong Borders.

During Gonzales’ 2024 GOP primary, Texans for Strong Borders threw its support behind pro-gun rights YouTuber Brandon Herrera in his runoff with Gonzales, which Gonzales won by only 354 votes. Gonzales could have another tough challenger next primary in Susan Storey Rubio, who launched her campaign last night with $350,000 of her own money.

TEXAS DELEGATION ON ISRAEL’S IRAN STRIKES

Several Republican members of the Texas congressional delegation have issued support for Israel after the country struck Iran:

• Sen. John Cornyn affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself.

• Sen. Ted Cruz went on a media blitz, promising that President Donald Trump would response with a show of force should Iran retaliate against U.S. interests.

• Rep. Michael McCaul of Austin, former chair of the House Foreign Affairs and Homeland Security committees, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been clear about the consequences should Iran not dismantle its nuclear program.

• Rep. Ronny Jackson of Amarillo said Trump did everything in his power to avoid conflict but that Israel had no choice.

Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, is also standing with Israel, even as other Democrats are criticizing the Trump administration for failing to keep the peace. “Diplomacy is always the preferred path forward, but the Iranian regime has refused to make the concessions necessary to reach an agreement that would verifiably prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon,” Gonzalez said.

— Owen Dahlkamp contributed to this item

We’re hosting a series of events across Texas that recap the major policy debates of the 2025 legislative session and what new legislation will mean for you. On June 24, we’ll be in San Angelo to talk about the budget, education, property taxes, water, social issues and more. 

First, we’ll talk with West Texas and rural legislators — including state Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo — about the legislative session: which bills passed, what didn’t make the cut and what the new laws mean for San Angelo residents and other rural Texans. Following that, we’ll hear from our regions team about wins for rural Texas in this year’s legislative session.

Doors open at Angelo State University’s LeGrand Alumni and Visitors Center at 11:30 a.m., and the first conversation begins at noon. The Tribune will provide lunch.

RSVP today

Gov. Greg Abbott this week signed five bills, including:

• HB 9, the business personal property tax bill

• SB 2268, extending the Texas Energy Fund in certain cases

The end of the 2025 moratorium on contributions for state elected officials ends on Monday, June 23, and a couple interesting fundraisers are already on the books:

• House Speaker Dustin Burrows will have his fundraiser on Tuesday, June 24, at The Driskill.

• State Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas, will hold his fundraiser on Wednesday, June 25, at the Texas Bankers Association Building. He is openly considering a statewide bid.

Attorney general: Aaron Reitz picked up a pseudo endorsement from his former boss, outgoing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

• The Senate version of the One Big Beautiful Bill includes $13.5 billion to reimburse states like Texas for border operations and $30 billion for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including for hiring, retention and recruitment. U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz are claiming victory on that.

• The Blast would like your input on this shocking revelation pushed by the Tribune newsroom (specifically your lead Blast writer): Were Editor-in-Chief Matthew Watkins and state Rep. Mitch Little, R-Lewisville, separated at birth? See for yourself in this bit from today’s live TribCast.

• Austin’s version of the nationwide “No Kings” protest will take place at the Capitol steps tomorrow evening. Scheduled speakers include U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, state Rep. John Bucy and state House candidate Pooja Sethi, all Austin Democrats.

• Gov. Greg Abbott will hold a property tax relief bill signing on Monday in Denton with Senate Local Government Committee Chair Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, House Ways and Means Committee Chair Morgan Meyer, R-University Park and others.

• U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont; former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso; and Casar, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, will make three Texas stops next weekend as part of their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour targeting red-leaning cities. They’ll be in McAllen on Friday and Amarillo and Fort Worth on Sunday.

“See how your representatives in the Texas Legislature voted on this year’s major bills” by Carla Astudillo of The Texas Tribune

“Internal documents show Texas National Guard scrambling to find trained soldiers for protests” by Bayliss Wagner of the Austin American-Statesman

“Tarrant County Democratic Party chair resigns months after all staff laid off” by Seth Morehead of The Texan

“Paxton aide sought security after Judd Stone opened probe” by Ryan Autullo of Bloomberg Law

Do you or someone in your office have a birthday you’d like mentioned? Email us.

(June 13) Former state Rep. Carl Sherman Sr., D-DeSoto
(June 14) President Donald Trump
(June 15) State Rep. Alan Schoolcraft, R-McQueeney

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Disclosure: Texans for Lawsuit Reform, the Texas Bankers Association and The Driskill have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.