California Governor Gavin Newsom is back in the spotlight, and this time he’s not mincing words.
In response to Texas Republicans pushing forward with redistricting plans that could secure up to five additional GOP seats in Congress, Newsom is threatening to “fight fire with fire.” And he’s making it clear that if Texas goes down that road, California is prepared to follow suit — even if it means rewriting its own playbook.
At a Monday press conference, Newsom said he still “supports independent redistricting” and even favors a national framework for it. But in the same breath, he admitted that California Democrats are preparing contingency plans — including redrawing their own maps — if Texas Republicans “dismantle the protocols that are well-established.” His words: “Would the state of California move forward in kind? Fighting? Yes, fire with fire.”
So, in other words, California will keep up its “we love independent commissions” stance… unless Texas does something Democrats don’t like.
Then it’s game on. Newsom also hinted at litigation and constitutional workarounds, saying California “must change” in response to what Texas is doing, even if it means bypassing the state’s voter-approved redistricting commission.
That last part didn’t sit well with California Republicans. State GOP Chairwoman Corrin Rankin blasted the governor’s comments, calling them “a dangerous precedent” that would undermine the very voters who approved the independent redistricting commission back in 2010. “True democracy means empowering voters, not politicians, to decide representation,” Rankin said.
Meanwhile, the Texas Democrats who triggered this political firestorm aren’t even in Texas. Dozens fled to Illinois and New York over the weekend to deny the state legislature a quorum, and Governor Greg Abbott has made it clear he’s ready to arrest them if they don’t come back. Their response? A defiant “Come and take it.”
Illinois Democrats rolled out the red carpet for the Texas delegation at a press conference Monday, where the out-of-state lawmakers accused Abbott and Texas Republicans of everything from racism to subservience to Donald Trump. Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett even upped the rhetoric to street-fight levels, vowing not just to “punch back” but to “beat you down.”
Abbott isn’t budging. He told Sean Hannity that Texas’ redistricting efforts are fully legal, and he pointed out the irony of Democrats panicking over losing Hispanic and Black voters in districts they’ve long taken for granted.