Democrats Fight Back on Re-redistricting

Politicians satiate the base’s demand to stand up to MAGA bullies

In a bold move to foil Donald Trump’s effort to rig the 2026 elections with the re-redistricting of Texas, Democrats in Texas, Illinois, New York, and California have managed to demonstrate the fighting spirit many activists have been looking for since Trump took office.

House and Senate Democratic leadership on one hand, and, on the other, Democratic activists and a group of high-profile fighters (including Illinois Gov JB Pritzker, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, and, more recently, California Gov. Gavin Newsom) have conducted a sort of running debate since January that has gone like this:

Democratic base: Fight!

House and Senate Dem Leaders: We are!

Democratic base: Not really! Look at the CR screw-up.

House and Senate Dem Leaders: What d’ya expect—we are in the minority!

Democratic base: More!

House and Senate Dem Leaders: We’re trying!

Democratic Base: No, fight like Pritzker/AOC/Booker/Newsom

Well, the base appears to have gotten what it’s been looking for all these months.

In just the last month or so, Senate and House Democrats fought tooth-and-nail to stop the horrendous reconciliation bill, knocking out many horrible proposals, forcing votes into broad daylight, and messaging relentlessly.

Then, House Democrats’ incessant maneuvers to force release of the Jeffrey Epstein files in turn forced Speaker Mike Johnson to scurry out the doors early to the August recess. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats have fought so tenaciously on nominees that Republicans threw up their hands and left town without confirming a slew of terrible nominees.

This week, the re-redistricting fight took center stage. Trump apparently does not believe his own hollow boasts. (Everything is great! We’re winning!) Recognizing the only way to save the House majority in 2026 would be to cheat, he demanded Texas Republicans make the current gerrymandered congressional lines even more favorable to Republicans. They hope to squeeze out five more Republican seats. Having no will of their own, Texas Republicans immediately tried to rush through this new re-redistricting. But Democrats struck back on multiple fronts.

Democratic Texas legislators fled the state to deny a quorum. Instead of cowering, the Democratic lawmakers sneered at Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s threat to arrest them and/or declare them to have abandoned their seats. He cannot do the latter without help from the courts. Texas Democrats have walked out to break quorum multiple times, dating all the way back to 1870.

Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu on CNN retorted to Abbott’s threats:

“Frankly, Democrats say, ‘Come and take it.’”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Pritzker also denounced Abbott’s redistricting scheme and his threats. They welcomed the refugee lawmakers with open arms. “The cheating here is the fact that we are midstream in 2025, and they want to rewrite the map, and for only one reason,” Pritzker said. “The cult leader of their party tells them to do it because he knows he’s going to lose control of the House of Representatives.”

Gov. Hochul vowed to retaliate with her own redistricting plan. “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,” Hochul told the press.

Meanwhile, Gov. Newsom made plans to call a special election so California could redistrict its map. On Monday, he told reporters, “[Trump] knows he’s going to lose in the midterms, and we have the opportunity to de facto end the Trump presidency in less than 18 months. That’s what’s at stake. That’s why we’re putting a stake in the ground. We’re not drawing lines just to draw lines—we’re holding the line: on democracy.” Newsom added, “He doesn’t care about lighting democracy on fire, bending the rules, and playing dirty to get what he wants. This is an attack on our American rights, and California won’t stand for it.”

Abbott’s threats may be performative. As The Texas Tribune reported, “In threatening to remove the elected officials from office, Abbott cited a nonbinding 2021 legal opinion from Attorney General Ken Paxton, who said it would be up to a court to decide whether a lawmaker who had left the state to deny quorum had forfeited their office.” On Tuesday, Paxton reiterated his threat to go to court to declare the Democrats had abandoned their seats if they do not return by Friday. However, it was Abbott, seemingly without legal authority, who actually filed suit on Tuesday. (As for the Republican legislature’s civil arrest warrants, they cannot be enforced outside Texas.)

Illinois and New York are not about to cooperate with any civil warrant. “They’re here in Illinois. We’re going to do everything we can to protect every single one of them and make sure that — ’cause we know they’re doing the right thing, we know that they’re following the law,” Pritzker responded in defense of the Texas lawmakers. Although they can be fined $500 per day for staying out of state, donations from enthusiastic Democrats can cover that cost. (Abbott sounded ever more petulant and desperate in threatening to pursue “bribery” charges if they accepted funds.)

Democrats may be getting some traction. The right-wing opinion page of the Wall Street Journal pleaded for a true in the redistricting wars. Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Cal.) put out a press release vowing to introduce legislation to prohibit mid-decade redistricting nationwide. Even if that were to pass, it is not clear it would be constitutional. However, signs of buyers’ remorse signify at least some Republicans realize the downside to the Trump-Abbott power grab.

In sum, however this washes out, Democratic leaders across the country are showing spine and blocking MAGA tactics aimed at destroying the normal operation of elections. Democratic politicians aren’t just complaining or running to court. They are effectively raising the stakes with their feet and their own redistricting plans. This response should further encourage the Democratic base already itching to engage in the midterms.

Democratic voters and activists should be proud to see their elected leaders turn the tables on MAGA autocrats. That is how to fight back—and how to mobilize voters nationwide.