California Governor Gavin Newsom has directly warned President Donald Trump to abandon Texas redistricting efforts, stating Trump is "playing with fire" in a letter sent on Monday. The Democratic governor threatened to redraw California's congressional maps to "neutralise" any Republican gains if Texas proceeds with its redistricting scheme, as The Guardian reports.
Texas Democrats successfully stymied another Republican attempt to redraw the state's congressional maps by remaining outside Texas, denying the Republican-led legislature the necessary quorum. Dozens of Democratic state lawmakers fled to blue states including Illinois and New York on Sunday, with the redistricting plan aiming to flip five Democratic-held seats to secure a GOP House majority for the 2026 midterms.
Newsom wrote in his letter that the redistricting attempt was "an affront to American democracy" and warned that "California cannot stand idly by as this power grab unfolds". The governor said he would prefer independent commissions to handle congressional map-making and would "happily" stand down if other states abandoned their redistricting efforts.
Direct Trump challenge escalates
The Daily Mail reports that Newsom, who has aspirations for a presidential run in 2028, used an all-caps tweet mimicking Trump's social media style to summarise his letter. The tweet declared: "DONALD TRUMP, IF YOU DO NOT STAND DOWN, WE WILL BE FORCED TO LEAD AN EFFORT TO REDRAW THE MAPS IN CA TO OFFSET THE RIGGING OF MAPS IN RED STATES."
Trump has defended the Texas plan, arguing he is "entitled to five more seats" because he won the state's popular vote in the 2024 presidential election. However, a popular vote win does not necessarily mean a president's party is awarded more congressional seats.
At a press conference with Texas lawmakers and California's legislative leaders, Newsom outlined his plan to ask voters to override existing congressional maps drawn by an independent commission. The governor expressed confidence voters would approve creating five more Democratic-leaning seats and said the state legislature would act to get the measure on November's ballot.
Surveillance and enforcement escalate
Texas authorities have dramatically escalated their response to the Democratic exodus, with the Department of Public Safety deploying special agents to locate the absent lawmakers. The Guardian confirmed that surveillance has been set up outside Democrats' homes, with agents repeatedly knocking on doors and calling phones, though "no one is home" according to House Speaker Dustin Burrows.
Burrows adjourned Monday's session moments after opening it, marking the fourth failed attempt since Republican Governor Greg Abbott convened the special session. He claimed absent Democrats would be responsible for "every gallon of gas, every mile travelled, and every hour of overtime" spent tracking them down.
Under legislative rules, the Democrats face £500 daily fines for each absence. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has asked the state supreme court to vacate 13 Democrats' seats and requested an Illinois court to enforce Texas civil warrants, though those out of state remain beyond Texas authorities' reach.
Interstate political warfare intensifies
The redistricting battle has expanded beyond Texas, with Vice President JD Vance travelling to Indiana to lobby Republican leaders for similar efforts, as The Guardian reports. Republicans have also targeted Ohio and Missouri for redistricting campaigns.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker have also vowed to take retaliatory action if Texas proceeds. Abbott has separately asked the state supreme court to remove Gene Wu, the house Democratic leader, from office.
The Democrats have indicated they intend to stay away until at least 19th August when the current special session ends. Texas state lawmaker Mihaela Plesa said from Illinois that Democrats were "more committed than ever" to stopping Trump from gaining Republican seats, declaring: "We don't take our marching orders from a man who thinks he's a king."
Abbott has vowed to call special sessions repeatedly until enough Democrats return, threatening: "If they show back up in the state of Texas, they will be arrested and taken to the capitol." Burrows said the House would attempt to reconvene again on Tuesday.
Sources used: "PA Media", "The Guardian", "Daily Mail"
Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
