Abbott: Texas can ‘eliminate' 10 Democratic districts in response to California
'Listen, all those big blue states, they've already gerrymandered,' Abbott told CNN's Jake Tapper on Monday, when asked if he was concerned about a redistricting arms race as Texas moves forward to create new congressional lines.
'Look at the map of Illinois. Look at the map of California, New York and Massachusetts, and so many other blue states they gerrymandered a long time ago. They got nothing left with regard to what they can do,' Abbott said. 'And know this: If California tries to gerrymander, find more districts, listen, Texas has the ability to eliminate 10 Democrats in our state.'
Abbott's remarks underscore how Republicans plan to be as aggressive as possible in trying to knock off as many Democrats as they can. Right now, the state has 25 House Republicans and 12 Democrats, in addition to one vacancy waiting to be filled after the late Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Texas) died in March.
So far, the Texas GOP's new map is looking to make five pickup opportunities for the party next year.
But Texas Republicans' efforts to pass new congressional lines are stalled as Democrats have fled the state to deny the GOP a quorum, or the minimum number of lawmakers needed present to conduct business.
As the redistricting war heats up, blue states have signaled they're moving ahead with their own redistricting plans.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced last week that he would be calling for a special session in November as Democrats in the Golden State look to pass a new House map that looks to offset the gains Republicans are hoping to make in Texas with their new map.
New York and Illinois have also signaled they're exploring their options over how to redraw their maps in response to Texas. Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has signaled readiness to revisit his state's maps while Missouri and Indiana could also revisit their congressional maps.
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