California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has locked horns with Texas GOP Senator Ted Cruz over Texas Democrats leaving their state to avoid a redistricting vote.
Posting on X, formerly Twitter, the two politicians traded barbs with each other, referencing old political controversies, as the state’s redistricting conflict intensifies.
Why It Matters
Republicans want to redraw the districting map to bolster their chances in next year’s midterm election. It was thought the new map would give the party the opportunity to gain five seats in the midterms.
Their efforts were thwarted when more than 51 Texas Democrats traveled to Chicago last Sunday to stop the vote, causing anger from critics and praise from political allies who accused Republicans of gerrymandering and voter suppression. Votes can only take place in the Texas legislature when two-thirds of the 150 members are present. In the days that followed, some Democrats also traveled to California and other Democratic states.
Newsom and Cruz’s interventions epitomize how far-reaching the Texas saga is and its broader significance in national politics.
AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli
What To Know
Posting on X, Newsom, who has spoken out in support of the fleeing Democrats, responded to Speaker of the Texas House Dustin Burrows and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filing a legal complaint in California to enforce arrest warrants for Texas Democrats who had gone to the Golden State to avoid voting.
“You should definitely use ALL resources looking for them here, Ken,” Newsom wrote in what appeared to be a sarcastic tone. “You will TOTALLY find them here.”
This prompted Cruz to reply: “I assume they’re having inner with you at the French Laundry,” referencing an incident in 2020 when Newsom attended a dinner party at the French Laundry restaurant during the coronavirus pandemic. This was not against the rules at the time, but sparked a backlash given that the governor had encouraged people to stay distanced to contain the fast-spreading virus.
Newsom replied to Cruz: “To be fair, he knows a lot about fleeing” and posted an image of the senator pulling a suitcase through an airport. This referenced a viral image of Cruz leaving his home state for Cancun, Mexico, in 2021 in the middle of a record-breaking cold snap in Texas.
What People Are Saying
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said of the redistricting furor in an X post on Friday: “We have an agenda to pass priorities critical to Texans, and we will get it done. I’ll call special session after special session—no matter how long it takes—until the job is finished.”
Texas State Representative Gene Wu, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, in a statement: “This is not a decision we make lightly, but it is one we make with absolute moral clarity. We’re not walking out on our responsibilities; we’re walking out on a rigged system that refuses to listen to the people we represent.”
What Happens Next
The Texas House is scheduled to meet again on Monday. The FBI has been called in to find the lawmakers.
Meanwhile, redistricting issues are also taking place in other states. The U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing a dispute over redistricting in Louisiana, and earlier this year overturned a lower court decision that ruled South Carolina’s congressional map was unconstitutional.