Gavin Newsom Writes Letter to Donald Trump Urging Him to Give Up Texas Redistricting Effort

Texas Democrats once again prevented a Republican attempt to redraw the state’s congressional maps at the request of Donald Trump and Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, who urged the president to back down amid a nationwide redistricting controversy. By remaining out of state, enough Texas Democrats were able to deny the Republican-controlled state legislature the necessary quorum to pursue Trump’s desired congressional map. Dozens of Democratic state lawmakers escaped to blue states like Illinois and New York to avoid the situation and raise awareness of their efforts to block the Republican redistricting plan. This incident has widened the redistricting wars, with Newsom and other Democratic leaders threatening retaliatory maps in response to Texas’s actions. In a letter to Trump, Newsom stated that California would consider redrawing its own maps to counteract any Republican gains in Texas. He emphasized a preference for independent commissions rather than partisan legislative bodies to handle congressional map-making. The White House has not commented, while Trump defended the Texas plan, arguing that he deserves more seats due to winning Texas’s popular vote. However, this argument is flawed, as a popular vote win does not determine the number of congressional seats. The White House is encouraging other red states to participate in the redistricting conflict, with vice-president JD Vance meeting with state Republican leaders in Indiana. Ohio and Missouri have also been targeted. At a press conference with quorum-breaking Texas lawmakers and California’s legislative leaders, Newsom revealed plans to ask voters to override the existing congressional maps and create more Democratic-leaning seats. The governor expressed confidence that voters would approve the plan and said the state legislature would take action to include it on the ballot this November. Governors Kathy Hochul of New York and JB Pritzker of Illinois have also vowed to take action. At the Texas capitol in Austin, the state house speaker, Dustin Burrows, adjourned the session due to the lack of a quorum, marking the fourth failed attempt since Republican Governor Greg Abbott called a special session. The session aimed at approving a mid-decade redistricting plan to flip five Democratic-held seats and secure a GOP house majority in the 2026 midterm elections. Burrows stated that the Department of Public Safety had deployed agents to locate the absent Democrats, who have civil warrants out for their arrest. The search has so far proven unsuccessful. The Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, a right-wing ally of the president, requested the state supreme court to vacate the seats of 13 out-of-state Democrats and asked an Illinois court to enforce the warrants. Abbott also sought to remove the house Democratic leader, Gene Wu, from office. US Senator John Cornyn, a Republican facing a right-wing primary challenge from Paxton, claimed the FBI agreed to assist Texas authorities in locating the Democrats, though the agency refused to comment and it remains unclear what authority federal law enforcement would have. The Democrats have indicated they will remain out of state until at least the end of the current special session on 19 August. Mihaela Plesa, a Texas state lawmaker, stated she and her Democratic colleagues remain committed to stop Trump from gaining Republican seats. Meanwhile, Governor Abbott vowed to continue calling special sessions until enough Democrats return to the state house.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/11/gavin-newsom-trump-texas-redistricting