AUSTIN (Nexstar) – Over the weekend, candidates for races at the local, state and federal levels began officially filing to put their names on the ballot for the upcoming March primary. But a lawsuit over the legality of newly drawn congressional districts has prompted some candidates to delay their formal entry into the races.
Republicans in the state successfully redrawn congressional maps over the summer to give their party an advantage for five additional congressional seats during next year’s midterm elections. The new map is being challenged in court, and a three-judge panel in El Paso is preparing to decide whether to temporarily block its implementation.
The timing of the decision is unknown at this stage. Candidates who intend to run for office in March must formally submit their applications to state and county party chairs by December 8. Brian Smith, a professor of politics at St. Edward’s University, said a few things could happen if the court decided to put a temporary injunction on the congressional map.
One scenario is that the state might have to redraw the maps. Smith speculated that the Legislature may already have emergency maps ready in case a ruling goes against its interest. He added that the court could also redraw the map itself, or order the map to be returned to the current district boundaries that were defined in 2021.
The only thing that is certain, Smith said, is that an appeal is likely inevitable no matter what decision the panel of judges makes. An injunction at this point could extend the candidate filing deadline or even postpone the March 3 primary.
The Texas Secretary of State has instructed election officials to adapt to the newly approved congressional map, said Chris McGinn, executive director of the Texas Association of County Election Officials (TACEO). If the map is blacked out, McGinn said there is a possibility the state could hold special primaries for congressional races only later in May or June, while Texans would still be allowed to vote for other offices on March 3. Other states, such as North Carolina, have done this in the past.
One candidate watching the court’s decision is John Lira, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who is campaigning in the Democratic primary in Texas’ 35th Congressional District. CD 35 was one of five districts in the state targeted by Republicans to switch from blue to red control.
The new county lines include all of Guadalupe, Wilson, and Karnes counties, and occupy much of southern and eastern Bexar County. The district heavily favors President Donald Trump in 2024 after he beat former Vice President Kamala Harris by 10 points. Lira, who grew up in southeast San Antonio, said he believes he can still win the seat for Democrats.
“This is not a Trump year where he appears on the ballot,” Lira said. “If you look back at anything like what happened in New Jersey or Virginia, if that resonates here in Texas a little bit, we can fill that seat.”
Lira, who worked for the Small Business Administration, said he wants to revive businesses in the area and focus on policies that attack affordability issues. The seat he is campaigning for is currently held by Democratic Congressman Greg Cassar. After the state legislature passed the new map, Cassar was pulled from CD-35 and placed in CD-37, held by fellow Democratic Congressman Lloyd Doggett. Casar now serves to replace Doggett in that district.
CD-35 is used to include parts of Austin and San Antonio, and runs along the I-35 corridor between the two cities. If the map were returned to its original borders, Lyra would no longer live in that area, and he would have to consider all his options.
You can see the differences in the boundaries of the two maps below:
“I know Lloyd Doggett is going to have to think about whether he’s going to come back, and I know Greg Casar is going to have to think about what he’s going to do,” Lira explained. “So, it’s a bit of a domino effect, but the mission remains the same. We want to provide a voice. We want to provide solutions for people here in this part of Texas.”
Because of the uncertainty of the situation, Lira said he intends to wait to file his candidacy application until the first week of December. There is a cost associated with filing to run for political office in Texas. To run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, the fee is $3,125.
On the other side of the ticket, Josh Cortez is campaigning in the Republican primary in CD-35 and has out-raised all of his rivals in fundraising. If the map is returned to its previous borders, it will also no longer live inside the CD-35. But he said he feels confident the courts will uphold the map and he intends to continue running in the district.
“We made a promise to these people in this area, and this is a plan that I continue to implement and we continue to implement,” Cortez said. He has not formally filed to run for the position, but says he intends to do so shortly after Veterans Day.