In an opinion piece published this week by the Houston Chronicle, Hochul characterized the Texas redistricting effort as a “legal insurrection” and said it threatens fair representation not just in Texas, but nationwide. The governor wrote, “What Texas is doing isn’t a clever strategy, it’s political arson — torching our democracy to cling to power.”
WATCH — Democrats Flee Texas Like Spoiled Children:
The Texas redistricting proposal, introduced by Republican state Rep. Todd Hunter, is expected to shift up to five congressional seats toward the GOP by altering districts in major metropolitan areas like Houston, Dallas, and regions along the southern border. The plan has drawn criticism from Democrats, who argue the map is politically and “racially” motivated.
Hochul expressed support for Texas House Democrats, who fled the state to deny Republicans a quorum needed to vote on the map. “These public servants left the state to follow a legitimate and legal tactic to deny Republicans a quorum and stop this scheme in its tracks,” she argued.
Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) and Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R) have taken steps to compel the absent Democrats to return. On August 5, the Texas House passed a motion to issue arrest warrants for the lawmakers. The sergeant-at-arms was authorized to coordinate with state police to bring them back.
Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-TX) backed the move, stating, “Democrats in the Texas House who try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately.” He added that the lawmakers may have violated bribery laws if they solicited or received funds to avoid attending the vote.
Texas State Capitol (Bob Price/Breitbart Texas)
Governor Hochul, meanwhile, indicated she is considering similar redistricting measures in New York in response. “If Republicans are willing to rewrite these rules to give themselves an advantage, then they’re leaving us no choice. We must do the same,” she remarked in a media interview.
Hochul also stated in the column that she is coordinating with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and others to explore legal and legislative options. Jeffries has publicly supported the Texas Democrats who fled the state to block a vote on the proposed map, calling their actions ‘the embodiment of good trouble’ and accusing Texas Republicans of attempting to ‘rig the midterm elections for House Republicans.’
“This is a war. We are at war. That’s why the gloves are off, and I say, bring it on,” Hochul declared.
Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) also weighed in, accusing Abbott of “threatening to remove democratically elected officials from office because they have refused to rig an election for Donald Trump.”
Currently, Republicans hold 25 of Texas’s 38 congressional seats. Trump carried 27 of those districts in the 2024 presidential election, including several represented by Democrats. If the new map is adopted, GOP gains could impact the national balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Hochul’s op-ed signals a broader strategy among Democrats to counter GOP-led redistricting efforts across states. “If they rewrite the rules, then so will we,” she concluded.
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