Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) has said she will consider running in a different congressional district than the one she currently represents if Texas Republicans succeed in their effort to redraw the Lone Star State’s congressional maps.
Crockett, who serves Texas’s 30th Congressional District, said she is debating whether to serve the state’s 33rd District. If the new maps are approved, her home will be located in the latter district currently represented by Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX).
The congresswoman told CBS News she would look at polling first before making a decision on the matter.
“I feel confident I can win wherever I run, but ultimately I’m trying to get a pulse on the district. So I ended up with 200,000 additional people into 30,” she said, referring to her current district that primarily covers Dallas County but will include a larger portion of a neighboring county if the maps are redrawn. “They are all coming from Tarrant County. I know nothing about those 200,000 people.”
Crockett explained her decision would be influenced by her fixed income in Congress, which prevents her from relocating to a new residence in the redrawn 30th District.
“We don’t get enough money,” she added. “I have a mortgage, and I have an interest rate that is like 3%. Interest rates are not that low anymore. … So it’s a matter of, ‘Do you sell your home, then go somewhere else and get a higher interest rate?’ There’s all these variables. And as a single woman who has one income, who’s not allowed to make outside income, there’s a lot to be had there.”
Rank-and-file members of Congress in the House and Senate earn $174,000 per year, while congressional leaders make higher salaries. Both representatives and senators are limited to making 15% of their annual rate of basic pay in outside income.
“I think I have a strong enough rapport with what is left in 30 that they trust me to be a strong advocate for these areas that I’ve already represented,” Crockett said of some areas that will be given to the 33rd District in the event that the Texas legislature approves the GOP-led redistricting push.
Texas state Democrats protested the partisan gerrymandering for the past two weeks by fleeing the state. The defiant lawmakers are expected to return to the Texas Capitol this week for the second special legislative session, with redistricting still on the agenda. Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) approved the next session after the first ended on Friday.
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Meanwhile, Crockett previously revealed she would consider a 2026 Senate run if the general polls are in her favor. The prospect of her Senate bid received support from former Texas Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke, whose political group is subject to an investigation led by Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton for donating over $1 million to the dozens of Democrats absent from the state legislature.
When asked by CBS if she would consider a Senate run next year, Crockett said she is not currently planning one. Rather, she noted, “I am focused on saving the district.”