The power grab in Texas with Rep. Chris Turner, Ari Berman, & Mimi Marziani

This week, President Trump demanded that Texas Republicans throw out decades of political norms in a racist gerrymander to rig the system in his favor ahead of the 2026 midterm election.Texas Republicans’ new, proposed redistricting map further disenfranchises Black and Latino voters in the state.Ari Berman, Mother Jones’ voting rights correspondent, explains how the proposed map unfairly favors white Republican voters and how the Supreme Court has opened the door for even more gerrymandering.And, you might have seen last Sunday, Texas House Representative Chris Turner left the state with his colleagues in order to break quorum as a means to block the Republicans’ plan. Rep. Turner spoke with Jen about how they decided to leave, and why every American—not just people in Texas—needs to care about this fight.Then, constitutional law expert and civil rights lawyer Mimi Marziani breaks down why the proposed redistricting map is so harmful to fair elections across the country and where the fight could go next.The Contrarian is owned by nobody. Your paid subscription helps us bring you the brightest voices in politics & culture and fight every day against the Trump chaos machine. Join us on Substack. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.contrariannews.org/subscribe