Rep. Gonzalez mulls switching districts as possible uphill battle looms
U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez announced Friday he is considering switching districts to represent a different area of the Rio Grande Valley as a result of the congressional boundaries state lawmakers are proposing.
Gonzalez, D-McAllen, currently represents District 15, but after state Republicans unveiled proposed changes to the districts earlier this week, the congressman said he would consider vacating his seat to run for neighboring District 34. That seat is currently occupied by U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, who announced in March he was not running for re-election.
“It’s been a clear intent on behalf of the state Republican Party to take the voice of Democrats away in South Texas or to quiet Democrats in South Texas,” Gonzalez said of the proposed changes to District 15. “They’re making a district that Trump won, that’s what the Republicans in Austin have done.”
Gonzalez explained that under the proposed maps, nearly everything east of Interstate 69 would be in District 34.
Read more: https://myrgv.com/the-monitor/2021/10/01/rep-gonzalez-mulls-switching-districts-as-possible-uphill-battle-looms/
For reference here is the proposed congressional map:
https://dvr.capitol.texas.gov/Congress/14/PLANC2101
Districts 15 and 34 are in South Texas.
