The Democratic governor of New York says the state will also seek redistricting in order to influence the control of Congress, after a redistricting feud broke out between Texas and California.
The Constitution grants each state the responsibility of drawing district maps to determine what groups of voters will be pooled together to vote for their members of Congress. Partisan state lawmakers have used the practice to try to draw district maps to maximize their party’s influence.
‘There’s a phrase, “You have to fight fire with fire.” That is a true statement of how we’re feeling right now.’
Republicans in Texas were accused by Democrats of such “gerrymandering” when they announced a proposal to redistrict that might cut out some Democratic seats. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) responded by saying the liberal-dominated state would redraw districts to cut out Republican seats.
On Monday, Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the Empire State would join the fight.
“There’s a phrase, ‘You have to fight fire with fire.’ That is a true statement of how we’re feeling right now,” Hochul said to reporters with state Democrats beside her.
“And as I’ve said, another overused but applicable phrase, ‘All’s fair in love and war.’ That’s why I’m exploring with our leaders every option to redraw our state congressional lines as soon as possible,” she added.
She said that state Democrats were on board with the endeavor. New York has 26 representatives in the U.S. House, 19 of which are Democrats and seven Republican.
Texas Republicans are currently fighting efforts by the Democrats in the minority to avoid allowing a quorum for the redistricting by fleeing the state. Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) said Democrats might lose their seats and could face criminal consequences for their behavior.
RELATED: Gov. Gavin Newsom threatens to redistrict California after Texas GOP drops new district map proposal
Newsom fired off a threat to redraw district lines in California on Wednesday after accusing Texan Republicans of caving to demands from President Donald Trump.
“Donald Trump asks for 5 seats and Greg Abbott automatically bends the knee. The 2026 election is being rigged. California won’t sit back and watch this happen,” he wrote on social media.
However, despite the big talk from Hochul, the process of redistricting is so complicated that it would not affect the 2026 election.
“We’re already working on a legislative process, reviewing our legal strategies, and we’ll do everything in our power to stop this brazen assault,” Hochul added.
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