There’s a growing rift between voting rights advocates, those negatively impacted by Texas’ new redistricting maps, and the lawmakers who chose to gerrymander in the first place. For one, a former Democratic state representative deemed the least liberal by Rice University political scientist Mark Jones has jumped parties. Rep. Ryan Guillen announced that he is now a Republican earlier this week alongside Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan. “Friends,” Guillen began in his announcement, “something is happening in South Texas, and many of us are waking up to the fact that the values of those in Washington, D.C., are not our values, not the values of most Texans. The ideology of defunding the police, of destroying the oil and gas industry, and the chaos at our border is disastrous for those of us who live here in South Texas.” Guillen, who lives in Rio Grande City and represents the 31st District, stands to benefit from a party change given how his district now looks thanks to the new redistricting maps. The latest version of the 31st District boosts the number of white voters by 10% and reduces the number of Hispanic voters by 10%. It also shows Donald Trump winning by nearly double the percentage points had the new district been in place during the 2020 presidential election. Read more