OP-ED
Don’t get it wrong, I am a Republican and have been an active member of my party since I was first able to vote. Some may try to call me a RINO — whatever that is supposed to mean — but I will put my Republican credentials up against anyone, and my record will speak for itself.
But I am a Texan first, and the events of the last few weeks, set in motion by Governor Abbott’s call for a Special Session, have been heartbreaking. Austin has officially become like Washington, D.C., and this week, we witnessed the death of bipartisanship in Texas.
The Texas House and Senate both passed the redistricting map which changes five seats from Blue to Red, effectively increasing Republican power in our congressional delegation. That will help the GOP in Washington, where they hold a slim margin to pass the President’s agenda. Texas Republicans testified during the floor debate that the purpose of the map — which is legal — was to add Republican seats. Now some of you may be saying, good — Texas voted for Trump — so there should be more Republican seats. And I agree. But it’s the way things played out that should be concerning to all of us as Texans.
I’ve written before about the loss of Texas independence. As a state that values an independent culture, our ability to do what’s best for Texans over all other factors has been a part of the fabric of who we are. So when Governor Abbott uses flood victims as his hook to bring legislators back for a political power grab at redistricting, and uses a national media platform to threaten to jail legislators, the Austin political class is clearly out of sync with everyday Texans.
Most Texans are looking to our elected officials to give urgency to the things that affect our daily lives — I call them our kitchen table issues. The cost of housing and rising property tax appraisals. The price of food and school shopping. Our healthcare costs and insurance — my goodness, insurance. And long term, we worry about water, infrastructure, our children’s education, and the viability of the communities we live in.
We don’t give a damn about redistricting; that’s an insider’s game. But we do hate that Austin has adopted Washington’s playbook. On X (formerly Twitter), I’ve watched the strange new alliances forming — Republicans who once called Speaker Dustin Burrows a RINO are now praising him. Frankly, it’s all fake, performative politics from both Republicans and Democrats.
The truth is, Republicans were always going to get their map. Democrats left the state, but they had to come back. They pulled this same stunt in 2003 when I was a baby staffer in the Senate. House Democrats fled, then Senate Democrats did the same, and eventually they all returned. We, the Republicans, passed the map against their protests. That was in the days of Tom DeLay, Tom Craddick, and a new Republican majority. Elections have consequences, and redistricting is one of them.
What I take issue with is how this was handled. If the maps were urgent, they could have been passed during the regular session. Special sessions should be reserved for real emergencies, like responding to flooding. And there was no need to threaten arrests — which never happened — when the Governor had no authority to do so. It was pure sensationalism designed to get national media attention.
And why does that matter? Because Texas — especially rural Texas — faces many issues that are not partisan. And many impactful policy changes require a two-thirds or 100-vote majority. Republicans hold only 88 seats. That means, by design, they must work with Democrats to pass the issues that matter most.
On water, the Texas Water Development Board has sounded the alarm: without action, demand will outpace supply. Farmers, ranchers, and small towns will pay the price first. Addressing that requires funding packages that only clear the Legislature with a bipartisan supermajority.
On roads, every Texan relies on the system — whether it’s farm-to-market routes in Dalhart or Interstate 35 in Austin. Funding and dedicating revenue for highways requires constitutional amendments that both chambers must pass with a two-thirds vote.
On property taxes, every homeowner feels the burden. Increasing the homestead exemption or reforming the system must be done through constitutional amendments. Those also require two-thirds approval before going to the voters.
The supermajority requirement in our Constitution is no accident. It’s a guardrail against extremes, and a reminder that for the biggest issues, we can’t govern by narrow margins or performative stunts. We need broad coalitions and consensus.
This is why the collapse of bipartisanship in Austin matters. It’s not about protecting politicians or keeping score in the redblue horse race. It’s about whether the Legislature can rise to the occasion on the issues that demand unity. Without bipartisanship, we can’t secure water for the next generation, protect rural schools, or maintain the infrastructure that underpins our economy.
I’m a Republican. I’m proud of that, and I’ve never been afraid of a good fight. But some fights aren’t about partisanship. They’re about whether Texas will remain Texas: independent, forward- thinking, and capable of solving our own problems.
What we saw in this special session was performance for national news and campaign donations. What we need is leadership that remembers who we are as Texans. Bipartisanship isn’t weakness. It’s the only way we move forward on the things that matter most.
Suzanne Bellsnyder is editor and publisher of the Hansford County Reporter-Statesman and Sherman County Gazette. A former Capitol staffer with decades of experience in Texas politics and policy, she now focuses on how state decisions shape rural life through her newspapers and the Texas Rural Reporter. You can subscribe to the newsletter at www.TexasRuralReporter. Substack.com.
