Texas Five
Encyclopedia
The Texas Five was a term coined for a group of five Democratic members of the United States House of Representatives
from the state of Texas
. They were identified in this manner because the Congressional redistricting
plan passed by the Texas legislature
for the 2004 elections forced these five Democrats out of their previous districts and into ones dominated by Republicans and/or occupied by Republican incumbents. The five Democrats were Martin Frost
, Charles Stenholm
, Max Sandlin
, Nick Lampson
, and Chet Edwards
. Four Democrats lost their bids for reelection. Only Edwards survived the redistricting, but was eventually defeated by a Republican in 2010. The races were especially notable for their extreme cost. Martin Frost's race against a Republican incumbent, Pete Sessions
, was the most expensive U.S. House race in the 2004 elections. The four defeated Democrats had a combined 68 years of experience in the House of Representatives.
. Naturally, a redistricting plan that put five long-time incumbents in trouble was controversial. Representative Tom DeLay
was responsible for the plan, which he forced through the Texas Legislature
after two walkouts by Texas Democrats. DeLay has since been accused of wrongdoing for using the Federal Aviation Administration
to force the Democrats back into session in Texas to vote on the redistricting, as well as for helping fund several Republican candidates for the state legislature in 2002. Republicans took the majority in the state legislature in 2002. In October 2004, the United States Supreme Court ordered a lower court to review the redistricting plan to determine whether or not it was unduly partisan and unfair to Texas voters. The Circuit Court upheld the districts but it went back to the Supreme Court, which in League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry
dismissed the statewide claims of partisan gerrymandering (7-2), in large part because the Court found the districts drawn in 1991, largely by Frost
to be just as partisan. However, the Supreme Court also ruled 5-4 that District 23
was a racial gerrymander in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act
.
See 2003 Texas redistricting
for information on the Democratic walkouts from the Texas legislature to Oklahoma
and the resulting controversy.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from the state of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. They were identified in this manner because the Congressional redistricting
Redistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
plan passed by the Texas legislature
Texas Legislature
The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...
for the 2004 elections forced these five Democrats out of their previous districts and into ones dominated by Republicans and/or occupied by Republican incumbents. The five Democrats were Martin Frost
Martin Frost
Jonas Martin Frost III is an American politician, who was the Democratic representative to the U.S. House of Representatives for Texas's 24th congressional district from 1979 to 2005.-Personal life:...
, Charles Stenholm
Charles Stenholm
Charles Walter "Charlie" Stenholm, is a politician from the state of Texas. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives for 13 terms, from 1979 to 2005....
, Max Sandlin
Max Sandlin
Max Sandlin , is a lawyer, lobbyist, American politician, and former Democratic Congressman who served eight years in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Texas District 1....
, Nick Lampson
Nick Lampson
Nicholas Valentino 'Nick' Lampson is an American politician from the state of Texas and was a Congressman representing the 22nd Congressional District of Texas. He was defeated by Pete Olson on November 4, 2008 in his re-election bid....
, and Chet Edwards
Chet Edwards
Thomas Chester "Chet" Edwards is a former member of the United States House of Representatives from Texas. He represented a district based in Waco, Texas from 1991 to 2011, and served in the Texas Senate from 1983 until 1990. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
. Four Democrats lost their bids for reelection. Only Edwards survived the redistricting, but was eventually defeated by a Republican in 2010. The races were especially notable for their extreme cost. Martin Frost's race against a Republican incumbent, Pete Sessions
Pete Sessions
Peter Anderson Sessions is a politician from the state of Texas. He is a Republican, and currently represents the 32nd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is the current Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee-Personal:Sessions was born in Waco,...
, was the most expensive U.S. House race in the 2004 elections. The four defeated Democrats had a combined 68 years of experience in the House of Representatives.
Controversy
Some consider the plan that ousted four of the Texas Five a prime example of gerrymanderingGerrymandering
In the process of setting electoral districts, gerrymandering is a practice that attempts to establish a political advantage for a particular party or group by manipulating geographic boundaries to create partisan, incumbent-protected districts...
. Naturally, a redistricting plan that put five long-time incumbents in trouble was controversial. Representative Tom DeLay
Tom DeLay
Thomas Dale "Tom" DeLay is a former member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1984 until 2006. He was Republican Party House Majority Leader from 2003 to 2005, when he resigned because of criminal money laundering charges in...
was responsible for the plan, which he forced through the Texas Legislature
Texas Legislature
The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...
after two walkouts by Texas Democrats. DeLay has since been accused of wrongdoing for using the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
to force the Democrats back into session in Texas to vote on the redistricting, as well as for helping fund several Republican candidates for the state legislature in 2002. Republicans took the majority in the state legislature in 2002. In October 2004, the United States Supreme Court ordered a lower court to review the redistricting plan to determine whether or not it was unduly partisan and unfair to Texas voters. The Circuit Court upheld the districts but it went back to the Supreme Court, which in League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry
League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry
League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry, 548 U. S. 399 , is a Supreme Court of the United States case in which the Court ruled that only District 23 of the 2003 Texas redistricting violated the Voting Rights Act. The Court refused to throw out the entire plan, ruling that the plaintiffs...
dismissed the statewide claims of partisan gerrymandering (7-2), in large part because the Court found the districts drawn in 1991, largely by Frost
Martin Frost
Jonas Martin Frost III is an American politician, who was the Democratic representative to the U.S. House of Representatives for Texas's 24th congressional district from 1979 to 2005.-Personal life:...
to be just as partisan. However, the Supreme Court also ruled 5-4 that District 23
Texas's 23rd congressional district
Texas's 23rd congressional district is the 8th largest congressional district in the country not counting at-large districts, stretching across the southwestern portion of Texas. It is a Latino-majority district and its current Representative is Republican Quico Canseco...
was a racial gerrymander in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act
Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of national legislation in the United States that outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans in the U.S....
.
See 2003 Texas redistricting
2003 Texas redistricting
The 2003 Texas redistricting refers to a controversial mid-decade congressional redistricting plan appealed to the United States Supreme Court in League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry...
for information on the Democratic walkouts from the Texas legislature to Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
and the resulting controversy.