WP political blog: Texas Redistricting: Winners and Losers

WP political blog, "The Fix," by Chris Cillizza
Texas Redistricting: Winners and Losers

WINNERS

....Former Rep. Tom DeLay (R): DeLay was the mastermind and driving force behind this re-redistricting plan, and the Supreme Court ruling today did little to affect the gains the map delivered for Republicans in 2004....

Former Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D): Rodriguez's political career, which seemed all but over following his primary loss earlier this year to Rep. Henry Cuellar (D), has new life. Assuming the courts remove Webb County out of Cuellar's 28th district and consolidate the seat around San Antonio (as it was prior to the re-redistricting) Rodriguez would be the odds-one nominee in the new seat.

LOSERS

Rep. Henry Bonilla (R): No matter how you slice it, Bonilla's 23rd district will get more Democratic as a result of this ruling. Bonilla has faced serious races before -- in 2002 he beat now Rep. Henry Cuellar by just 6,000 votes -- but the remapping removed the most Democratic sections of Webb County (Laredo) out of the district and he won with 69 percent in 2004. This cycle has been especially cruel to Bonilla as he was seen as the frontrunner should Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R) have decided to challenge Gov. Rick Perry (D). Hutchison backed out, leaving Bonilla high and dry. Now, he may have a serious fight to keep his congressional seat.

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D): The most likely solution to the Court's problem with Bonilla's district is to move Webb County back into the 23rd. Cuellar, who lives in Laredo, would then be forced to decide whether to run against Bonilla for a second time or run in a district centered around San Antonio that has none of his natural Laredo base. Some Democrats will be gleeful should this come to pass as they never forgave Cuellar for challenging Rep. Ciro Rodriguez in the 2004 Democratic primary.

Former Rep. Martin Frost (D): Frost was the mastermind behind the 1991 Texas plan that preserved a Democratic majority in the Lonestar congressional delegation for the decade. As a result, he was enemy #1 of Republicans when they redrew the lines in 2003. Frost put up a real fight against Rep. Pete Sessions in the 32nd district -- he spent almost $5 million -- but lost 54 percent to 44 percent.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/

Democracy...
The american people...

This will open the door to constant politically motivated redistricting.