New Congressional District Draws Attention, Candidates
It's hard to see the lines from this angle, but Travis County will split five ways for Congressional representation in next year's election. Photo by Nathan Bernier for KUT NewsAudio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Travis County is growing. In addition to adding population at a breathtaking rate, there will be five different members of the U.S. House of Representatives who will have Travis County in their district.
The boundary lines are being challenged in the courts. A trial date has been set for September 6 to argue the lines. But that’s not stopping candidates from lining up for a chance to sit in the 113th Congress. State Representative Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio) has already thrown his hat into the ring for the nomination in the 35th Congressional District, which currently stretches from Southeast Austin to San Antonio. Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin) has seen a significant change in his District 25, which now stretches westward through Lakeway and Bee Cave and into the Hill Country. There is speculation that he could jump into the race for the 35th District, but Doggett hasn’t announced his intentions yet.
In this week’s “Texas Political Parlor,” KUT’s Ian Crawford and Tim Eaton of the Austin American-Statesman look at the race that may be shaping up for Austin’s newest congressional seat.
Podcast: Download (4.8MB)
