Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) declared Monday that he will respond aggressively to Texas redistricting efforts, vowing to use his state’s massive political and economic power in retaliation.
The announcement came as Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) ordered the arrest of dozens of Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to prevent Republicans from redrawing congressional districts.
Fifty-seven Texas Democratic legislators abandoned their posts, traveling to Illinois and New York in an unprecedented move to block GOP redistricting plans.
The lawmakers argue the proposed changes would deliver Republicans five additional Congressional seats, significantly improving Donald Trump’s prospects for maintaining control of Congress in upcoming midterm elections.
Newsom, widely considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate, announced his intention to counter Abbott’s redistricting efforts.
“The proposal that we’re advancing with the legislature has a trigger only if they move forward, to dismantling the protocols that are well-established,” Newsom stated.
The California governor emphasized his state’s willingness to engage in political warfare.
“Would the state of California move forward in kind? Fighting? Yes, fire with fire,” he declared during his announcement.
Democratic lawmakers characterize the Texas redistricting effort as an “all-out war,” with Texas Democrat Julie Johnson using that exact phrase to describe the current political battle.
Newsom’s intervention transforms what began as a state-level dispute into a national confrontation between Democratic and Republican governors.
California Democrats control overwhelming majorities in both legislative chambers, holding 30 of 40 state senate seats and 60 of 80 assembly positions.
This dominance provides Newsom significant leverage in any retaliatory redistricting efforts.
Newsom outlined specific conditions for California’s potential response to Texas actions.
“That process has to have the concurrence, the support of two-thirds of the legislature,” he explained regarding his state’s redistricting plans.
The governor promised transparency in California’s redistricting process while maintaining the threat of retaliation.
“The maps, we believe, should be transparent. They should be provided in a transparent way to the public, and as a consequence, those maps are being processed and will be brought to light,” Newsom said, according to Daily Mail reporting.
Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL), another potential 2028 presidential contender, welcomed the fleeing Texas Democrats to Chicago on Sunday after conducting quiet negotiations with them for weeks.
Pritzker characterized the Texas redistricting effort as a threat to democratic processes nationwide.
“This is not just rigging the system in Texas,” Pritzker declared Sunday.
“It’s about rigging the system against the rights of all Americans for years to come.”
U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX) called for additional Democratic governors to join the resistance effort.
Speaking from Illinois, Veasey announced that Democrats would no longer “unilaterally disarm” in political battles with Republicans.
“Democrats have too often shown up to a gunfight with good intentions, no knives. But that era is over,” Veasey declared Monday.
Abbott issued an ultimatum to the absent Democratic lawmakers, demanding their return to Austin by 3 p.m. Monday or face arrest.
When none complied, Republican leadership authorized law enforcement to apprehend the legislators using any necessary means.
House Speaker Dustin Burrows, a Republican from Lubbock, announced the arrest authorization.
“The sergeant-at-arms and any appointed officers are directed to send for all absentees whose attendance is not excused, and to secure and maintain their attendance under warrant of arrest if necessary,” Burrows stated.
