There are three certainties in life: death, taxes and litigation over Texas redistricting. Nonetheless, on Monday Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law a new GOP-passed map that aims to expand Republicans' 23-13 edge in House seats to 25-13. Perhaps even more consequentially, the map would drastically shore up all 23 GOP seats for another decade, rendering all but one of Texas's 38 seats uncompetitive in 2022. It's an impressive feat that Texas Republicans were able to get all 23 of their incumbents to agree on one map this soon in the cycle, considering partisan map-drawers in smaller states are already hampered by infighting or demands from their own incumbents. Publicly, Democrats express outrage but privately, many acknowledge it's a clever, effective gerrymander. The new 37th CD is a hyper-blue Austin "vote sink" that drastically shores up four surrounding GOP incumbents. The new 38th CD is a GOP-heavy seat in the west Houston suburbs. To offset the 37th CD, it shifts the Rio Grande Valley 15th CD from Biden +2 to Trump +3, for an intended net gain of two GOP
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