Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, has urged Donald Trump to abandon a Republican-led effort to redraw Texas’s congressional maps, warning that the president was “playing with fire” and that California was prepared to draw retaliatory maps to neutralise any Republican gains.
The letter came after enough Texas Democrats left the state on Monday to deny the Republican-controlled legislature the quorum needed to proceed with the redistricting plan. Dozens of Democratic lawmakers fled to blue states such as Illinois and New York to block the scheme, which they argue is an attempt to rig congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Newsom wrote that he would prefer to leave map-making to independent commissions and would “happily” stand down if other states abandoned their efforts, but added: “California cannot stand idly by as this power grab unfolds.” His office also issued a snarky all-caps tweet mimicking Trump’s social media style, threatening to redraw California’s maps unless the Republican effort ceased.
The White House did not immediately respond, but Trump has defended the Texas plan, claiming he is “entitled to five more seats” after winning the state’s popular vote in 2024. Vice-President JD Vance travelled to Indiana last week to lobby Republican leaders, and other red states such as Ohio and Missouri have also been targeted.
In Texas, state house speaker Dustin Burrows adjourned the session after it opened on Monday, the fourth failed attempt since Governor Greg Abbott convened a special session. Burrows said the Department of Public Safety had deployed agents to locate the absent Democrats, who face civil warrants, but added: “So far, no one is home. The search continues and it will not stop.”
Meanwhile, governors Kathy Hochul of New York and JB Pritzker of Illinois have also vowed to take action, widening the redistricting stand-off that has escalated into a national political clash.
