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Posted on 10/04/2003 6:15:47 AM PDT by Arrowhead1952
Republican infighting over West Texas keeps map from being final
Austin's fate in Congress is suddenly tied to Midland, President Bush's childhood home in the oil-rich Permian Basin.
Negotiators from the House and Senate both offered maps Friday that would split Travis County into three districts and put U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, in a Republican-leaning district stretching toward Houston.
Only bitter Republican infighting over a Midland congressional district stopped negotiators from closing a deal Friday.
The new political map for Travis County represents a change in direction from the maps approved last month by the Texas Senate and House of Representatives. Those maps would have left Travis County largely as it is, split between Doggett and U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio.
Under the new proposals, a South Texas district would run from the Mexico border to Southeast Austin; Smith would keep southwestern Travis County; and northern Travis County would be in a district that includes Houston suburbs.
Doggett questioned the motives of state Republican leaders who are directing the negotiations.
"They would leave the capital city of Texas not represented by one of our own, but by members from San Antonio, Houston and the Rio Grande Valley," he said. "That's their objective."
With the power of incumbency, Doggett might still win re-election, but Republicans said the new District 10 voted 54 percent Republican in key statewide races in 1998. He could also consider moving to southeastern Travis County to run for the Rio Grande Valley seat.
Under the same proposals, U.S. Rep. John Carter, R-Round Rock, would keep his home base of Williamson County intact, but the district would be joined with Bell and Coryell counties in Central Texas instead of sprawling toward Houston.
Democrats control the state's congressional delegation 17-15 under a map that a panel of federal judges drew in 2001. But Republicans believe they can increase their clout in Congress by winning four to six additional seats if the Legislature redraws the districts.
Most of the 32 congressional districts are falling into place, according to several sources involved in the negotiations, except for West Texas, where Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland, wants a congressional district for his hometown.
"West Texas continues to be an issue," said Sen. Todd Staples, R-Palestine, the Senate's chief negotiator. "And there's no reason redistricting should fail because of one particular county."
On Friday, the standoff over the Midland district seemed to threaten the redistricting process altogether.
Craddick defied behind-the-scenes pressure from U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, and Gov. Rick Perry to accept a Senate proposal for West Texas. Instead, the House's chief negotiator, Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford, offered what he called a "cut-and-paste job" of two Senate proposals.
Senators, however, said the House negotiators had changed at least 10 counties from the Senate plan.
"They packed the Midland district at the expense of Lubbock," said Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay.
Negotiations were expected to resume over the weekend, but the setback caused the House to postpone its Sunday afternoon session to Monday. The Senate also was considering delaying its Sunday meeting.
Sen. Jeff Wentworth, a San Antonio Republican whose district includes southern Travis County, said Friday he could support Staples' proposal even though it splits Travis County into three congressional districts.
"That's not a deal killer for me," he said.
In the past, Wentworth said he would oppose a map that would "fracture" Travis County. He had favored leaving the county split between Doggett and Smith. But Friday, with negotiators trying to resolve their final differences, Wentworth said he would support whatever the House-Senate negotiators proposed.
"We need more Republicans in Congress from the state of Texas that support President Bush," Wentworth said.
Travis County's other senator, Gonzalo Barrientos, D-Austin, has opposed any change to the current map.
For Williamson County's representatives, Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, and Rep. Mike Krusee, R-Round Rock, the issue has been keeping the county in one congressional district.
Carter said he preferred to keep the district he was elected from in 2002, but he said the Williamson-Bell County alignment would be a good district for him.
After being briefed Friday, Ogden said he could support the Senate proposal that puts Williamson County with Bell and Coryell counties in a Central Texas district.
"It's time to make a decision and get out of here," he said.
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