Texas Democrats returned to their home state this week, which means that Gov. Greg Abbott’s new maps are about to be approved, as the other side does not have the numbers to stop them.
Democrats in states such as California have since vowed to offset the gains by Texas by redoing their own congressional district maps.
Now, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is stepping into the fight, vowing to stop Democrats dead in their tracks.
When Abbott announced his plan, California Gov. Gavin Newsom could not wait to grab the spotlight by pushing back on the new maps.
Newsom announced, "California won't stand by and watch Trump burn it all down -- we are calling a special election to redraw our Congressional maps and defend fair representation.”
The media and other Democrats applauded Newsom’s move, but they seemed not to comprehend the fact that California’s maps are already gerrymandered.
The same can be said about Illinois, another state that said it would fight Texas by redrawing its maps.
On Monday, Democrats started to trickle back into the state legislature, boldly declaring victory as a result of their publicity stunt.
Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Gene Wu (D-Houston) stated, “We’re returning to Texas more dangerous to Republicans’ plans than when we left.”
He continued, “Our return allows us to build the legal record necessary to defeat this racist map in court, take our message to communities across the state and country, and inspire legislators across the country how to fight these undemocratic redistricting schemes in their own statehouses.”
Let me just ask a quick question… when California and Illinois announced their new maps after the census, clearly eliminating Republican districts, did anyone say they were racist maps for cutting out what are assumed to be white voters? You see, it is always about race with Democrats.
Speaker Johnson has been very quiet during this battle, but he just announced that he is going to fight whatever moves the Democrats make.
Johnson stated, “Democrats across the nation have played politics with redistricting for decades, and this is just the latest example. Republicans who are following state and federal laws will not be lectured by people who abused the system.”
He continued, “I have instructed the NRCC to use every measure and resource possible to fight the California Democrats’ illegal power grab. I will continue to lead efforts to defend our House Republican incumbents and grow our majority so that we can continue to deliver on our commonsense, America First agenda.”
All of this will be litigated, so I really don’t want anyone to get too upset or excited about what they see taking place on this front. The Texas maps will surely be fought and likely tied up in court for far too long to impact the 2026 midterm election. My guess is that any effort made by Dems will meet the same fate.
