STAFF REPORT
A federal court’s decision to throw out Texas’ congressional district map has shaken up a couple of major races with local implications.
Last week a three-judge panel in San Antonio unveiled a temporary map that splits Hays County in two pieces, with a dividing line that more or less parallels Interstate 35. Under the previous plan, drawn by the Republican-dominated state Legislature, Hays County had been divvied among three different districts.
Two of the biggest winners under the new map are U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, and state Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio. Doggett and Castro learned they will not have to face each other in what had been shaping up to be a fierce Democratic primary for District 35.
Instead, Castro has decided to run in San Antonio’s District 20 to succeed U.S. Rep. Charlie Gonzalez, who announced last week that he would retire.
That leaves Doggett as the Democrat running in District 20, which encompasses southeast Travis County and most of Hays County west of Interstate 35. As of Tuesday Doggett had not yet formally filed to run in next March’s primary, according to the Texas Democratic Party.
No Republican had yet filed with the Republican Party of Texas for the District 20 primary, but former Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams has indicated he will run to represent the G.O.P.
The rest of Hays County — most of San Marcos, a chunk of Kyle and more or less everything east of Interstate 35 — falls into District 35. That district runs from Lockhart and Caldwell County through eastern San Antonio and points south.
Former San Marcos Mayor Susan Narvaiz has filed to run in the Republican primary for District 35. Former U.S. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez of San Antonio has filed for the Democratic primary in the same district.
The filing period will run through Dec. 15, though that could change if Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott succeeds in his effort to block the new map drawn by the federal panel in San Antonio. Abbott has asked the Supreme Court to throw out the map, saying the judges didn’t have authority to overrule the Legislature-drawn map.
