California Gov. Gavin Newsom called on President Trump to accept a ceasefire in the fight over redrawing congressional lines, vowing Monday to make the GOP pay if Texas follows through on the president’s plans.
The second week of the standoff began with dozens of Democratic Texas lawmakers still outside the state, denying the legislature the quorum it needs to take action.
The sides are dug in, but Mr. Newsom, a Democrat with White House ambitions in 2028, proposed an armistice with all sides backing away.
He has said his state will attempt to redraw its own lines to offset any GOP gains Texas may produce. But he said Monday he’ll back away if Republicans do.
“Donald Trump, if you do not stand down, we will be forced to lead an effort to redraw the maps in [California] to offset the rigging of maps in red states. But if the other states call off their redistricting efforts we will do the same,” the governor said on social media, adopting Mr. Trump’s all-upper case writing style.
He closed by mimicking Mr. Trump’s signature sign-off: “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Mr. Newsom hosted some of the runaway Texas lawmakers last week as he seeks to ride the dust-up to national political prominence.
Indeed, the issue is proving to be a bonanza for a number of politicians looking to raise their profile.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, seeking his party’s nomination for Texas’ U.S. Senate seat up for election next year, has been particularly active.
He has sued to ask his state’s Supreme Court to vacate the seats of 13 Democratic lawmakers who fled to break quorum. And he won a restraining order over the weekend against former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, a Texas Democrat who was using his political organization to raise money to support the legislators’ flight from the state.
Redistricting — the process of drawing new legislative maps — usually only happens after the decennial census, though there is no federal prohibition on it happening in the middle of a decade.
Indeed, New York, controlled by Democrats, redrew its lines last year, helping to capture three seats from Republicans in November’s elections.
Democrats say Mr. Trump sparked the new fight by prodding Texas to follow New York’s lead.
The Trump Justice Department sent a letter suggesting that a number of Texas districts drawn to give Black voters an overwhelming say in the outcome of elections may no longer be justified by the law. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has cited that letter as a prod for his actions.
Mr. Abbott has said he won’t bow to the runaway Democrats.
He said he will call special sessions until the redistricting is complete, testing Democrats’ resolve.
“If they want to evade that arrest, they’re going to stay outside of the state of Texas for literally years,” the Republican told “Fox News Sunday.”
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.