While national attention fixates on redistricting battles in Texas and California, Washington State Senator Nikki Torres is warning that gerrymandering in her own state has been quietly reshaping politics for years, long before Governor Greg Abbott or Governor gavin Newsom’s latest battles.
Torres, the state’s first Latina Republican senator, blasted a ruling from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld newly drawn maps she says are designed to squeeze out one of the few remaining red districts in Washington.
“Not the right type of Latina.” WA Sen. Nikki Torres blasts Dems & 9th Circuit over redistricting she says gerrymanders her district, dilutes Latino voices & targets GOP seats while media ignores WA to focus on Texas & California. pic.twitter.com/JIYOae5dxy
— Ari Hoffman 🎗 (@thehoffather) August 29, 2025
“So many of these blue states are already so gerrymandered they can’t even gerrymander anymore,” Torres told Ari Hoffman on Talk Radio 570 KVI. “But here in Washington, they’re still trying, and their goal is to eliminate the last few red districts we have.”
“Not Latina Enough”
The case began when progressive groups sued, claiming Latino voters in Central Washington lacked the ability to elect the candidate of their choice. Torres, who won her seat after the 2022 redistricting cycle, says the irony is staggering: the state’s first Latina Republican senator became the very target of those efforts.
“The left argued Latinos didn’t have representation,” Torres said. “But when I ran and won, suddenly I wasn’t the ‘right type of Latina.’”
She added that Democrats even recruited a non-Latina challenger against her, undercutting their own claims about representation. When she defeated that candidate, Torres said, her opponents went back to court to redraw the lines again.
Courts Blocked Torres, Latino Leaders from Case
In its ruling, the 9th Circuit rejected attempts by Torres and other Latino leaders, including Rep. Alex Ybarra and community leader Martin Campos, to intervene, claiming they were not directly harmed by the changes.
Torres disagreed, saying more than 500,000 people were affected. “The Latino community was significantly, negatively impacted,” she said. “A district that was once 52% Latino is now at only 50%. And when I asked to intervene in the case, the courts denied my request.”
Media Silence on Washington Gerrymandering
Torres also took aim at the national media for ignoring Washington’s redistricting battles while focusing heavily on Republican-led Texas.
“Everyone knows about Texas because CNN runs it nonstop,” she said. “But nobody talks about Washington. Gerrymandering here has been going on for a long, long time, and yet the spotlight is only on red states.”
She noted that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas flagged the Washington case in a briefing last year, raising hopes the high court may eventually take it up.
A Latina Republican in the Crosshairs
Torres bristles at suggestions she doesn’t represent the Latino community.
“I’m a first-generation Latina. My parents came from Mexico and became citizens under President Reagan in 1986. I grew up working in agriculture as a kid. Most Democrats in Olympia have never done that, they’re not first-generation,” she said.
“The real problem is there’s an R next to my name. That’s all this is about.”
Looking Ahead
Despite the court’s decision, Torres said she remains committed to serving her community. She announced earlier this year that she will move into the newly drawn 15th Legislative District and continue her re-election campaign.
“My community deserves a fair, balanced, and fiscally responsible senator in Olympia,” she said. “That hasn’t changed, and I’ll keep fighting to give them that voice.”
