Manny Rizo is a Democrat in Texas, so he is no stranger to being on the losing side. But this one seems to sting a bit more.
“Intentional gerrymandering in order to control the vote,” is Rizo’s take on the new Texas congressional map. “Republicans want less government, but then they want to control who is going to represent you in Congress.”
The new Texas map is the biggest trophy in a red state redistricting push orchestrated by President Donald Trump. The goal is simple: Republicans have a tiny House majority and Trump hopes to defy midterm history by creating as many red-leaning districts as possible before the 2026 vote.
Rizo’s small business sits in one of the areas most dramatically impacted: Austin and its suburbs. Today, there are two deep-blue districts side by side. The new map makes keeps the 37th Congressional District blue but shrinks its footprint. The 35th Congressional District is shifted south, closer to San Antonio — in territory shaded red if you look at any recent Texas election results.
Two longtime Democratic districts shrink to one, and tens of thousands of Democrats who now live in the 35th or 37th districts are dispersed into more rural — likely more Republican — districts.
“Why should they decide who represents me?” Rizo asked. “Especially doing a change in the midterms. I don’t agree with that.”
Rizo maintains and repairs private jets, and business is good. His biggest problem is finding qualified new hires, and he wishes there were better state or federal training programs.
Trump’s tariffs are an issue. Some longtime customers grumble a bit that their maintenance costs are up; Rizo often has to source parts in Mexico and Canada.
Manny Rizo and John King speak at Rizo’s company RizoJet Avionics, an aircraft maintenance company in Pflugerville, Texas – CNN
“Tariffs cost more money to stay in business,” Rizo said as he showed a visitor a jet stripped down for inspection and repairs at his airport hangar in Pflugerville. “That cost is transferred over to the customer.”
Still, Rizo doesn’t see any major business impact of switching from a Democratic to a Republican district.
But he is angry because of a much more personal toll. Rizo’s niece, Jackie Cazares, was among the students killed in Uvalde. Pushing for new gun safety measures is a passion for him now.
He knows the Republicans who control Austin and Washington are not going to pass new gun laws, but in Democratic Rep. Greg Casar he at least has a sympathetic ear.
“I’d prefer to keep the same representative over so we can have dialogue and communicate with them and help us advance what our needs are,” Rizo said.
“It’s really important to us and our family,” he continued. “You know: our values, our morals.”
Instead, Rizo sees a brazen, disproportionate Republican power grab designed to give Democrats far less voice — and impact — than is justified by their numbers. The new Texas map is aimed at creating five new Republican seats just here. If it plays out that way in the 2026 vote, the GOP could hold 30 of the state’s 38 congressional seats — that’s 79%. Trump won Texas with 56% of the vote last year; Gov. Greg Abbott won 55% in his 2022 reelection.
Manuel Rizo’s 9-year-old niece, Jackie Cazares, was one of the victims in the Robb Elementary shooting in Uvalde, Texas. – CNN
As he watches this play out, feeling powerless to stop it, Rizo is reminded how far the Democratic Party has drifted from being competitive statewide here. Ann Richards was the last Democratic governor of Texas; she left office more than 30 years ago — in January 1995 — after losing her reelection campaign to George W. Bush.
“Complacency,” is Rizo’s one-word diagnosis of what ails the party. First losing its edge in rural areas, then with blue-collar workers, more recently with Latinos — including some of Rizo’s employees and friends who view Trump as better for the economy. “They thought that the Latinos were just going to always remain in the Democratic Party,” Rizo said.
We visited Texas as part of our All Over the Map project, an effort to track major events through the eyes and experiences of voters. In 2024, the focus was on presidential battlegrounds. Now, the map is wider to keep tabs on the impact of Trump policies and Democratic rebuilding efforts as we move deeper into the 2026 midterm cycle.
“We have to get the younger people involved in this,” Rizo said. “We really do. New leadership is the way I see it.”
Gretchen Pruett is another Texas Democrat being moved against her wishes to a different congressional district. She moved to Texas 30 years ago and chose the Austin suburbs for a reason.
Gretchen Pruett speaks to CNN’s John King and says the move by Republicans in Texas has galvanized her to take action. – CNN
“I was looking for a place that would be a community that I would feel at home in,” said Pruett, a retired library director who lives in Kyle, about 10 miles down Interstate 35 from Austin. “I have had wonderful representation over the years, most recently from Greg Casar. My family has supported him. … He very much mirrors my philosophy as well as my family’s.”
Her objection to her new district goes beyond just the likelihood that her next congressman will be Republican.
“It’s also a district that is heavily farming and industrial, and that is not the same kind of industry and ecosystem that we’re in here in the Austin suburbs,” Pruett said.
While working for the library system in New Braunfels, Pruett got involved in efforts to fight the push by Texas Republicans to ban certain books from schools and libraries. Now retired, she promises to make thwarting the GOP’s midterm goals her new political passion.
“It has activated me and my family,” she said. “We will be helping to register voters. We will be helping to get out the vote. We will do voter education. We will walk door to door and let people know. When I was in public service, in government, I could not speak out. But I’m now retired and unmuzzled, so I have a voice and I am going to use it.”
Trump’s personal push for the remapping adds to Pruett’s outrage, for reasons that go beyond redistricting.
Texas Republicans are answering President Trump’s call to create five more red-leaning districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. – CNN
She blames Trump for growing anti-immigrant sentiment. Her husband, Angel, is Mexican American, long a naturalized citizen of the United States. They sometimes talk about moving to the Midwest, where Pruett has family.
“Because there he is not looked at with suspicion,” Pruett said. “Here? Oh yeah. Not so much Austin. But when he goes outside of Austin, you can bet he carries his passport at all times.”
Pruett’s energy is palpable. But she has studied the new map and knows the odds of electing a Democrat in her new district are beyond long. Plus, and more concerning to Pruett, are the results of her early door-knocking and conversations about the new map.
“There was not a high level of outrage,” Pruett said. “They say, ‘Well, what does it matter if I vote or not?’”
But she vows to fight.
“We’re silencing these voices,” Pruett said. “We’re marginalizing them. My voice is marginalized as well.”
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