Well, 35 certainly looks gerrymandered to keep a democrat, but 27? Not so much, IMHO
Look at C-34 just south of CD-27. Much of CD-34 used to be in CD-27, but after the 2010 census, population gains in the Rio Grande Valley meant the legislature had to add an additional predominantly Hispanic district somewhere. The legislature just took areas that hand been added to CD-27 after the 2000 census to bolster Solomon Ortiz' declining voter base in his home county of Nueces.
Ortiz thought he could never lose in the district drawn up after the 2000 reapportionment, because it had so many Hispanics. He was wrong. He hardly ever was seen anywhere in the district for the last several terms he served. He was spending more and more time in China where his political cronies had set up a consulting business to facilitate kickbacks to his family.
Look at C-34 just south of CD-27. Much of CD-34 used to be in CD-27, but after the 2010 census, population gains in the Rio Grande Valley meant the legislature had to add an additional predominantly Hispanic district somewhere. The legislature just took areas that hand been added to CD-27 after the 2000 census to bolster Solomon Ortiz' declining voter base in his home county of Nueces.
Ortiz thought he could never lose in the district drawn up after the 2000 reapportionment, because it had so many Hispanics. He was wrong. He hardly ever was seen anywhere in the district for the last several terms he served. He was spending more and more time in China where his political cronies had set up a consulting business to facilitate kickbacks to his family.