The high-stakes fight over congressional redistricting is back in full force, and once again Texas and California are setting the stage for what could shape the balance of power in Washington for years to come. Both states, political heavyweights in their own right, are moving aggressively in opposite directions—Texas Republicans tightening their hold, California Democrats maneuvering to give their party an edge. The contrast couldn’t be sharper, and the implications couldn’t be greater for the 2026 midterms.
In Texas, lawmakers reconvened in Austin for a second special session called by conservative Republican Governor Greg Abbott. At the top of the agenda is a GOP-crafted redistricting map designed to create up to five new Republican-leaning congressional districts, shifting the political ground under several seats currently held by Democrats. For Texans, this isn’t just politics—it’s a matter of ensuring that their legislature reflects the conservative values and priorities of the state’s voters.
This push comes at the urging of President Donald Trump, who is determined to avoid a repeat of 2018, when Democrats rode a wave of favorable maps and turnout to seize the House majority during his first term. Republicans today hold only a razor-thin advantage in the House, and history shows the party in power often loses seats in midterm elections. The stakes are nothing short of control over the direction of the country.
For weeks, however, progress in Texas was stalled by an extraordinary act of obstruction. Dozens of Democratic state lawmakers fled to Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts in a bid to deny the legislature a quorum and stop Abbott’s agenda in its tracks. “Now, as Democrats across the nation join our fight to cause these maps to fail their political purpose, we’re prepared to bring this battle back to Texas under the right conditions and to take this fight to the courts,” Democratic state Rep. Gene Wu declared. Their walkout forced taxpayers to foot the bill for special sessions, travel, and legal maneuvers—all while state business was left hanging.
But on Monday, Democrats finally signaled their return, realizing they had little choice after California Democrats unveiled their own sweeping redistricting scheme to counterbalance Texas. Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows wasted no time making clear the GOP was ready to move: “Let me also be clear about where we go from here, we are done waiting and we have quorum, now is the time for action.” Still, the chamber adjourned without votes until Wednesday, underscoring that this battle is far from over.
Governor Abbott, running next year for a fourth term, has been blunt about his resolve. He vowed to “continue to call special session after special session until we get this Texas first agenda passed.” He also blasted Democrats who fled as “delinquent House Democrats” who “ran away from their responsibility to pass crucial legislation to benefit the lives of Texans.” House leadership even promised that runaway Democrats sneaking back home would face arrest, fines of up to $500 a day, and removal from office under state law.
Meanwhile, on the opposite coast, California Democrats are working feverishly to undo their own state’s non-partisan redistricting system, a reform that has been in place for over 15 years and remains popular with voters. Governor Gavin Newsom, a likely 2028 presidential contender, is pushing for a referendum to temporarily scrap the independent commission so the legislature can redraw congressional maps for the next three election cycles. The proposed maps would wipe out as many as five Republican districts and cement Democratic dominance in a state where one-party control already reigns.
Newsom claimed last week, “Here we are in open and plain sight before one vote is cast in the 2026 midterm election and here [Trump] is once again trying to rig the system.” His comments, delivered as part of a high-profile fundraising kickoff, laid bare the strategy: flood the state with campaign cash to sell the partisan overhaul to voters, while insisting it’s about “fairness.”
But conservatives see this for what it is—another power grab. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy warned that “when you think about how they drew these lines, there wasn’t one hearing. There is no debate. There’s no input. Even the legislature in California doesn’t have input. The DCCC is just ending it. That is why we need to stop Newsom’s power grab.”
Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has also jumped into the fray, blasting gerrymandering as “evil” and posting on social media, “I’m getting ready for the gerrymandering battle,” alongside a photo of himself in a T-shirt that read “terminate gerrymandering.”
The maneuvering in California highlights just how far Democrats are willing to go to tilt the playing field in their favor—even dismantling a system they once championed as a model of fairness and accountability. While California Democrats cloak their plan in procedural language, the practical effect is clear: strip voters of their voice and hand unchecked power back to politicians.
Taken together, the dueling moves in Texas and California show the two visions of America’s future colliding in real time. In Texas, Republicans are standing firm to protect their majority, insisting that lawmakers do their job and represent the people who elected them. In California, Democrats are discarding their own reforms to tighten their grip on power. The outcome of these battles will not only decide congressional boundaries but will also send a message about whether voters—or entrenched political machines—ultimately hold the reins.
Boy,that picture of them,they look so guilty for their behavior….not enough!! Fine and fire them!