Under the redrawn U.S. Congressional map passed by the Texas legislature, the majority of San Marcos would be shifted to Congressional District 21, which currently covers much of the Texas Hill Country, extending south to the northeast portion of San Antonio.
CD 21, currently represented by Chip Roy (R-Austin), now includes Bandera, Blanco, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr and Real counties, as well as most of Comal and Hays counties.
The cities of Dripping Springs, Fredericksburg and Kerrville, as well as the western edges of San Marcos and Kyle are now represented by Roy. The eastern portions of San Marcos and Kyle currently in Gregory Casar’s (DAustin) CD 35 would move to CD 21 in the proposed redistricting map included in Texas House Bill 4.
The revised CD 35 would no longer include any portion of San Marcos, Kyle or Austin, but cover more rural areas east of the current district, such as Guadalupe, Wilson, and Karnes counties.
On Monday, Casar announced that he will run for the seat in CD 37, one of two Austin districts proposed under the new redistricting plan.
While the revised CD 37 would not include Hays County, Casar told the Daily Record on Wednesday that in spite of his Monday announcement, he continues to oppose the redistricting proposal and support his current constituents.
”I support legal challenges to these illegal gerrymandered maps,” Casar said. “I will continue to fight to represent Hays county. My office remains open and eager to help all residents of the current Texas 35, from Austin to San Marcos and Kyle.”
Current CD 37 representative Lloyd Doggett has announced that he would not run for reelection for the seat if a new map is in effect for the 2026 midterms, although he would continue to run in CD 37 if the revised map is rejected.
“I prefer to devote the coming months to fighting Trump tyranny and serving Austin rather than waging a struggle with fellow Democrats. If extreme gerrymandering prevails, I wish Congressman Casar the best,” Doggett said during a press conference at the Texas Capitol on July 31.
Under the new redistricting map, Kyle would shift to a remapped CD 27, which would also include Buda and the portion of San Marcos north of Post Road and north of the Blanco River.
Republican Michael Cloud has represented CD 27 since 2018. His official US House website refers to him as a “Constitutional Conservative … promoting the booming economy in south Texas, maintaining a strong national defense, and combating anti-American values that work against the American people, rather than for the American people.”
In addition to his office in Washington, his website lists Texas offices in Victoria and Corpus Christi, cities included in the current CD 27 which would remain in CD 27 in the revised version set forth by House Bill 4.
San Marcos State Representative Erin Zwiener has stressed that CD 27 would not accurately represent the concerns of her constituents.
“It’s a district where the electoral weight is in Corpus Christi and Victoria, which are both industrial cities; they have the chemical industry, the ports, and are really connected to oil and gas,” she said during an August town hall meeting in San Marcos.
The redistricting set forth in House Bill 4 currently faces legal challenges from the NAACP and Hispanic advocacy organization LULAC, among other groups, claiming that the proposed redistricting map is racially biased and violates voter protection laws.
If the bill is upheld, it will first be used during the November 2026 elections to determine Texas representation in the United States House of Representatives.
