Map war between California and Texas enters wild new phase

California Democrats move quickly To redraw the map of their state congress in order to combat the seizure of the power of the Republicans in Texas before the mid-term elections of 2026.

The Texas Republicans drew the first time. Wednesday evening, the house controlled by the GOP approved A new congress card in a vote of the 88-52 party line, target To win up to five additional republican seats. Friday, the Senate should include the rubber, sending it to governor Greg Abbott for final approval.

“This fight is far from over”, said The representative of the Gene Wu, the Democratic Chief of Texas House. “Our best blow is in court.”

But Democrats in California do not wait. Governor Gavin Newsom is pressure for reprisals Adding five Democratic districts. The process is complicated because the constitution of the state of California requires that an independent panel can draw cards, and voters must approve a constitutional amendment before changes take effect.

“It’s on, Texas”, Newsom tweeted Wednesday evening.

The confrontation between the two most populous states of the nation is in a way a war by proxy between President Donald Trump and national democrats. Asset urged the Republicans To maximize their advantage of the congress, drafting of prosecution, rideAnd now open reprisals.

A legislative committee led by Democrats in California approved a set of bills on Tuesday to put a constitutional amendment before the voters during a special election in November. The proposal would temporarily replace the independent state cards and replace them with new more blue lines for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections. The Democrats aim to vote on the three bills on Thursday.

There is a catch. The legislation includes a trigger clause indicating that California will only do if states like Texas lock the partisan cards.

Newsom insists that he still supports the independent process approved by Californians more than a decade. However, he maintains that Trump’s second term has changed the rules.

“He is a different person. This is a different presidency ”, Newsom said journalists On a call from the National Democratic Committee. “This requires a different approach from that we have seen in the past. And so I think it is the ultimate awakening – in the process of fueling this election even before the vote was expressed before 2026. ” He called the fight “the rule of donation against the rule of law”.

Democrats run against the clock. They want the two chambers to register on the invoices by Thursday so that Newsom can order the special elections before the deadline of Friday at the office of Secretary of State Shirley Weber.

As would be expected, the Republicans of California call the movement a cheeky takeover. They has filed a legal action-quickly rejected By the Supreme Court of the State – the voters of the reduction of voters had not received a notice. According to the Washington Post, the first Republican of the State Assembly, James Gallagher, accused Democrats of doing “sneaky things” to adopt the measures.

Of course, the Republicans do not complain about partisan cards when they are the ones who draw them. And with supermajeures in both chambers, California republicans have little lever to slow down the process. And beyond, the voters will finally decide what they want.

This decision also won praise of democrats outside the state. Former President Barack Obama described the effort to counter the seizure of the power of Texas Gop “responsible. “”

In Texas, the Republicans celebrate prematurely. President of the House of State Dustin Burrows praised the new cards of his state as “a new chapter of republican unity”. Abbott goes further, promising to punish Democrats Outfit To block a quorum – a tactic used several times in recent years. He has already added a measure to the agenda of the special session to penalize the fleeing legislators, targeting the Democrats who took place during past fights.

Trump praised the Texas Republicans on Truth Social.

“Great victory for the great state of Texas !!! everything has passed, on our way to five other seats in the congress and saving your rights, your freedoms and your country, itself”, it wrote. “Texas never lets us fall. Florida, Indiana and others seek to do the same thing. More seats are less crime, a large economy and a second amendment. It means happiness and peace. “

The fight extends beyond Texas and California. Other states consider Rediscovering in mid-December, abandoning the tradition to wait after the census. Trump calls for a more aggressive gerrymandering, while the Democrats debate how far they are ready to fold the principles to meet him.

Currently, the Republicans have a close majority of 219-212 in the House, with four vacant posts. If the Democrats regain control, they could block the Trump agenda and keep its administration to report on the surveys. This means that the card was fighting one of the most critical and intense battles of its presidency.

These are no longer just district lines. It is California against Texas, the Congress itself suspended.