Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is firing back at California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) after Newsom threatened to reopen his state’s redistricting process if Texas Republicans move ahead with plans to alter their congressional map.
Abbott said Texas could respond in kind—and with greater force—if California follows through.
The clash began when Newsom sent a letter to President Donald Trump on Monday warning that he would “be forced to lead an effort to redraw the maps in California to offset the rigging of maps in red states.”
Newsom accused Trump of “playing with fire” and “risking the destabilization of our democracy” if Texas Republicans pursue their plan.
Abbott, dismissing the threat, argued that deep-blue states have already maximized their partisan advantage through previous redistricting.
“All those big, blue states, they’ve already gerrymandered,” Abbott said, per Tampa Free Press. “Look at the map of Illinois, look at the map of California, New York and Massachusetts and so many other blue states, they gerrymandered a long time ago, they’ve got nothing left with regard to what they can do.”
He went further, warning that Texas could strip Democrats of significant representation if California attempts to tilt its map further.
“If California tries to gerrymander five more districts, listen, Texas has the ability to eliminate 10 Democrats in our state,” Abbott said. “We can play that game more than they can because they have fewer Republican districts in their states.”
The feud comes as Texas lawmakers prepare to redraw the state’s congressional boundaries ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Texas holds 38 House seats, with Republicans currently controlling 25, Democrats holding 12, and one seat vacant, according to Newsweek.
GOP leaders believe their plan could add as many as five Republican seats, potentially widening the party’s slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Trump has backed Abbott and Texas Republicans in the redistricting push.
Speaking with CNBC earlier this month, Trump said, “I won Texas. I got the highest vote in the history of Texas, as you probably know, and we are entitled to five more seats.”
Newsom’s warning is part of a broader Democratic strategy to counter Republican redistricting efforts in red states.
In California and other Democratic strongholds, leaders have indicated they could revisit their maps in response to GOP actions elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the Texas Legislature is holding a special session on redistricting. Some Democratic lawmakers have left the state, traveling to states such as New York and Illinois in an effort to deny the chamber a quorum and block a vote.
Both parties have long accused one another of gerrymandering—manipulating district lines to secure an electoral advantage.
Legal experts say that any aggressive changes are likely to face court challenges, with judges sometimes delaying or striking down maps that violate the Constitution or the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
With the House narrowly divided—Republicans hold 219 seats, Democrats have 212, and four seats are vacant—the Texas redistricting battle could help determine control of Congress in the next election cycle.
Abbott’s warning to Newsom makes clear that Republicans in Texas are prepared to match or exceed any Democratic moves in the fight over political boundaries.
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