NEWS ALERT: Texas Senate Votes on Redistricting Map After Thwarting Dem Tactics and LONG Debate

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FROM BREITBART: The Texas Senate passed the “Big Beautiful Map” shortly after midnight Saturday morning. The party-line vote to approve the map came after a planned filibuster by Senator Carol Alvarado (D-Houston) was canceled by Republican senators using a parliamentary procedure.

The Texas Senate voted 18-11 to pass the Senate bill authorizing a new mid-census congressional redistricting map. The vote took place at 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, following more than eight hours of debate. Senator Alvarado announced plans to filibuster the bill and continue the debate well into Saturday. Her plans were cut short when the Senate Republican Caucus discovered Alvarado planned to use the filibuster as a fund-raising gimmick.

In a letter to Lt. Governor Dan Patrick (R), Alvarado described the bill as an “extraordinary attempt to redraw the lines in the middle of the decade.” She said the bill would create a “dangerous precedent where politicians could redraw maps to pick their voters before every election.”

“I intend to use every procedural tool available under Senate rules” to oppose the bill.
Apparently, according to the New York Post, Alvarado also planned to use a catheter and a urine bag to assist her in carrying out the extended filibuster.

Alvarado’s debate was about to begin when the Senate announced a long break for dinner.

However, her plans were abruptly interrupted when the Senate Republican Caucus discovered an email from Alvarado’s campaign promoting her filibuster as a fundraising opportunity. This revelation was made public on Saturday morning.

Republican senators criticized Alvarado’s campaign email, saying it violated the “long-standing traditions, ethics, and decorum of the Texas Senate.”

Jack Fink, a reporter at KTVT-TV CBS-11 in Dallas-Fort Worth, said that the Senate didn’t allow Alvarado‘s filibuster “after discovering she sent fundraising email after notifying Senate she would filibuster.”

Alvarado (D-Houston) had issued the campaign email that afternoon “to promote her filibuster as a campaign fundraising event,” Charles Perry, a senator from the 28th district said on the floor, adding it was “unprecedented” and “highly offensive to the body, to hold state employees at work under the guise of official responsibilities for the purpose of campaign fundraising appears to be potentially unlawful, at least unethical, using state resources for a campaign purpose.”

Perry quoted Alvarado’s email asking recipients to “rush a donation now” to assist her in opposing the congressional map.

Democratic Sen. Sarah Eckhardt (D-Bastrop) blasted the Republicans’ decision on social media.

“Shutting down a filibuster over a fundraising email is unprecedented,” Eckhardt said in a post. “It exposes the hypocrisy of Republicans, who will turn around and raise millions off stealing Texans’ votes while silencing their voices.”

Republicans responded, saying Alavarado’s filibuster and fundraising campaign would appear to be “unlawfully and unethiclally using state resources for a campaign purpose.”

“Using the Senators, the employees, and support resources to bolster Sen. Alvarado’s fundraising activities effectively holds hostage the entire Senate and forces emplaoyees to assist and participate in her campaign,” they said. “Every other Senate member and each employee is a ‘prop’ to support Sen. Alavarado’s campaign.

“Given this unprededented situation, as the Republican Caucus, we move to call the previous question and end this political debate.”

After the bill was passed, Gov. Abbot wrote on X, “The One Big Beautiful Map has passed the Senate. Despite Democrats’ petty stunts, we delivered on our promise.”

“This map reflects Texans’ actual voting preferences, and I look forward to signing it into law,” Abbott said.

He included the following statement: “The One Big Beautiful Map has passed the Senate and is on its way to my desk, where it will be swiftly signed into law,” said Governor Abbott. “I promised we would get this done, and delivered on that promise. I thank Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick for leading the passage in the Senate of a bill that ensures our maps reflect Texans’ voting preferences.”

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