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December 5, 2025

Rep. Lloyd Doggett announces retirement after redistricting ruling

Axios
NBC News
The Texas Tribune

Gerrymandering forces out three-decade progressive champion

Lloyd Doggett announced Dec. 5, 2025 he will not seek re-election in 2026 after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Texas Republicans' redistricting map that merged his Austin district with Greg Casar's district

The 79-year-old congressman (born Oct. 6, 1946) serves on the powerful Ways and Means Committee as Ranking Member of the Health Subcommittee, bringing three decades of legislative experience

Texas Republicans passed Trump-backed mid-decade redistricting plan in Aug. 2025, combining two Austin Democratic districts into one to force veteran Doggett and progressive star Casar (age 36, born May 4, 1989) into the same seat

The Supreme Court ruled Dec. 4, 2025 that Texas could use the new maps for 2026 elections, rejecting claims of racial gerrymandering and clearing the way for 5 new Republican seats

Governor Greg AbbottGreg Abbott signed the redistricting law on Aug. 29, 2025, after Democratic state legislators fled to Illinois to block quorum

Doggett was the first House Democrat to call for Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race on Jul. 2, 2024, following Biden's poor debate performance

Austin's one million residents lose consolidated representation as Travis County gets divided among multiple rural Republican districts under the new maps

🏛️Government🗳️Elections🏙️Local Issues

People, bills, and sources

Lloyd Doggett

U.S. Representative (D-TX, 30+ years, age 79)

Greg Casar

U.S. Representative and Progressive Caucus Chair (age 36)

Donald Trump

Donald Trump

President of the United States

Greg Abbott

Greg Abbott

Governor of Texas

U.S. Supreme Court

Final arbiter on redistricting legality

What you can do

1

Support legal challenges at Texas Civil Rights Project (texascivilrightsproject.org) and Mexican American Legal Defense Fund (maldef.org) fighting racial gerrymandering in federal court

2

Join massive voter registration drives with Texas Democrats at texasdemocrats.org targeting communities whose representation was systematically diluted by computer algorithms

3

Contact Texas Senators Cornyn (202-224-2934) and Cruz (202-224-5922) demanding they oppose racially discriminatory congressional maps that pack Latino voters

4

Volunteer for Fair Districts Texas at redistrictingcampaign.org advocating for independent redistricting commissions to end partisan manipulation of electoral boundaries

5

Donate to Democracy Forward at democracyforward.org challenging gerrymandering and voting rights violations in federal court using constitutional arguments

6

Register to vote immediately at vote.texas.gov for Mar. 2026 primaries—the last elections before gerrymandered maps take permanent effect nationwide