Longtime U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, has decided to run for reelection in Texas's 25th Congressional District.
That's the district he represents now, but the boundaries were dramatically shifted by the 2011 Texas Legislature to favor a Republican candidate.
The lines were altered again by a three-judge federal panel late last month. Then the U.S. Supreme Court stayed use of those maps, pending a hearing before the high court January 9.
Doggett is keeping his options open, but he's running for his current seat, according to a news release sent this afternoon.
Because I believe that Federal Judges Orlando Garcia and Xavier Rodriquez acted properly in reuniting San Antonio neighborhoods, removing District 35 from Austin, and reuniting District 25 as a compact Travis-Hays County district, I have formally filed for reelection in District 25. If the Republican map is once again imposed, I will seek reelection along the I-35 corridor, from San Antonio to Austin, in District 35, about half of which I have represented in Congress. With uncertainty associated with the review of these lines by three separate federal courts in January, I will continue to maintain campaign offices in both San Antonio and Austin. Districts may change, but my commitment to stand firmly for our shared values will not.
The Texas Legislature drew District 25's boundaries to roll north and west from Austin through the Hill Country. Observers agree the seat would be an easy one for a Republican to capture. District 35 was originally drawn to be an Hispanic-opportunity district, running from southeast Austin to northeast San Antonio. State Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, has already announced his intention to run for that seat.
