Texas State Senator Beverly Powell announced that she is suspending her re-election campaign, citing that the latest round of redistricting has made it impossible for her to win the general election.
“Under the new map that will remain intact through November, the results of the 2022 election are predetermined. Election prospects for any candidate who relies on a diverse voter coalition will be thwarted,” Powell told NBC 5. “So I have decided to withdraw my name from the ballot for the State Senate District 10 race.”
Weatherford Republican State Rep. Phil King, who defeated Warren Norred in the March Republican primary, will now be the only candidate on the ballot for State Senate District 10 in November.
70-year-old Beverly Powell is a Democrat who was first elected to represent SD 10 in 2018 when the district was situated only within Tarrant County. The latest redistricting changed SD 10 to include a smaller portion of Tarrant County while adding seven rural counties, including parts of Parker County and all of Johnson, Palo Pinto, Stephens, Shackelford, Callahan, and Brown Counties.
“I cannot in good faith ask my dedicated supporters to spend time and contribute precious resources on an unwinnable race,” Powell said. “That time and those resources are better spent on efforts that will advance our causes and on the continuing efforts to restore voter rights.”
During last year’s contentious hearings over redistricting, Powell claimed that the redrawing of her district discriminated against persons of color. Republican State Sen. Joan Huffman, the chief architect of redistricting, dismissed Powell’s claims saying she drew the district “blind to race.”
“The core is still there in Senate District 10,” Huffman said during hearings. “I believe your home is in Senate District 10… I’m pretty sure you live in the heart and soul of Senate District 10. The core is still there. It is a Tarrant County-based district.”
Huffman insisted she followed the law and that the maps were compliant with the Voting Rights Act.
Once the redistricting was complete, a lawsuit was filed to suspend the new map’s usage in March primaries by seeking a temporary injunction. The temporary injunction request was rejected on February 1 by a three-judge panel in El Paso. However, a trial in the case is scheduled for September in El Paso.
The judges ruled in favor of the state, which claimed that race was not behind the effort at redistricting but simply partisanship, which is legally allowed, based on the Republican majority.
While Powell will no longer be in office next year, she indicated that she would continue to make an effort to challenge what she perceives as gerrymandered redistricting.
“It has become clear, however, that my path to continuing this important work beyond my current term in office will lie outside the walls of the Texas Senate,” Powell told supporters in a video on Wednesday.
Together, we accomplished many great things and were looking forward to continuing our service. It has become clear, however, that my path to continuing this work beyond my current term, will lie outside the walls of the TX Senate.
Full announcement at https://t.co/06MigIai8V pic.twitter.com/j778Ou9Cen
— Senator Beverly Powell (@beverlypowelltx) April 6, 2022
