Democratic U.S. Rep. Greg Casar will run for a redrawn Austin-area congressional seat after Texas Republicans targeted him with redistricting.
Casar — a progressive whose current district includes portions of both San Antonio and Austin — announced his plans Monday on social media, saying he’s running in the new district to “take on Trump, his billionaire buddies and their puppet politicians.”
Should he win re-election, Casar’s new district wouldn’t include San Antonio but instead concentrate his purview in the capital city.
“Donald Trump and Greg Abbott don’t want a guy like me in Congress, because I didn’t start my career in courtrooms or in the C-suite,” Casar said. “I started it here, on Austin construction sites, as a labor organizer fighting alongside workers to win a raise, a union and the right to a water break.”
Further emphasizing his labor bonafides, Casar was joined at his campaign announcement event Monday by members of the Texas AFL-CIO union. Fellow U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, also spoke at the event.
Casar has represented District 35, which includes the downtowns of both San Antonio and Austin, since 2023. Under the new map, the district retains only 10% of his current constituents. However, the newly drawn District 37 includes 90% of Casar’s prior constituents, Austin radio station KUT reports.
District 37 has been the seat of veteran Democratic U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, who at 78 is the dean of the Texas congressional delegation. However, Doggett last week indicated that if his redrawn district holds up in court, he wouldn’t seek re-election, paving the way for Casar.
A federal lawsuit filed in San Antonio challenges the legality of Texas Republicans’ redistricting scheme, and more are expected to follow.
Though only a sophomore in Congress, Casar already chairs the House Progressive Caucus — an accomplishment Castro in his remarks called no small feat.
“For the last two years, I’ve had the honor of serving San Antonio along with Greg and to see him grow and really blossom into one of the nation’s most important leaders as head of the Progressive Caucus,” Castro said.
“I want to tell you how difficult it is, in your sophomore term, to lead a caucus within Congress that is over 100 people strong, that is essential to the Democratic Party,” Castro added. “They don’t just bestow that position to anyone.”
Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
Related Stories
Texas House passes GOP redistricting map that would carve out five more seats for Trump
U.S. Rep. Greg Casar calls ICE arrests at San Antonio Immigration Court ‘disturbing, dystopian’
San Antonio Rep. Greg Casar demands, and gets, independent probe of Trump’s weather-service cuts
As Trump looks to net five GOP seats through Texas redistricting, Democrats grasp for response
Progressive Rep. Greg Casar has a playbook he wants Democrats to use in 2026
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs Texas’ redrawn congressional maps into law
This article appears in Aug 21 – Sep 2, 2025.
