Latest news with #electoralmap
Washington Post
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Redistricting battle underscores an age of partisan divisiveness
Last week, CNN anchor Brianna Keilar challenged Texas state Rep. Mitch Little to explain why the Republican legislature was planning to slam through a redrawn electoral map aimed at giving his party five more safe congressional seats ahead of next year's midterms. Little's reply began with three words of crystalline truth: 'Because we can.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
New York State lawmakers respond to redistricting issue in Texas
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — New York State lawmakers are responding as Democratic lawmakers in Texas are facing civil arrest warrants for fleeing the state to block a vote that could redraw the state's electoral map in favor of Republicans. The proposed congressional map is expected to grant Republicans an advantage in five additional districts, shifting the political balance in the state. Many of these Texas lawmakers have stated that they will remain out of state until the special legislative session concludes, asserting that they are defending the integrity of American voting rights. President Donald Trump has weighed in on the matter, supporting the GOP's stance and saying Republicans deserve five more congressional seats. In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul has also commented on the ongoing redistricting debate in Texas. Hochul suggested that New York could be next to modify its redistricting laws. Speaking at a state capital news conference on Tuesday, the governor strongly defended Texas Democrats' actions, condemning the Republican push to redraw electoral maps as creating 'a war' against the political opposition. 'This will have implications not just in Texas, but for our entire nation and its future,' Hochul said. On Monday, six Texas Democrats fled to Albany to block the Texan Republican effort. These lawmakers have labeled the Republican push as a 'dangerous power grab,' with Hochul saying, 'Republicans know they'll lose the elections, but to subvert the will of the people, they're hell-bent on rigging the system.' Currently, Republicans hold a narrow advantage in the U.S. House of Representatives with 219 seats compared to the Democrats' 212. With four upcoming vacancies, a shift in control is still possible. Shawn Donahue, a political science professor at the University at Buffalo, noted that the situation in Texas is unusual. 'There was no court that threw out these district lines in Texas, and in fact, Republicans had actually been the ones that had drawn the districts for 2022 and 2024,' Donahue said. Like Texas, New York lawmakers have the power to redraw both state and congressional districts every 10 years following the decennial census. Hochul has raised the possibility of initiating redistricting sooner, which has sparked reactions from state lawmakers across the aisle. Democratic Congressman Tim Kennedy spoke out against Republican efforts in Texas, calling it 'fighting fire with fire.' 'It's not allowing the people of Texas to take away the representation here in New York,' he said. However, Republican Congressman Nick Langworthy strongly disagreed. 'She can't do that before the midterm elections. That's all political posturing,' Langworthy said. 'I don't believe the voters of New York will stand for it. They stopped her last time she tried to meddle with these affairs.' Kennedy, however, continues to argue that the Republican strategy in Texas is part of a larger, troubling trend. 'A total attack on democracy,' he said. 'What Republicans are doing midway through this decade is they're trying to change the lines to benefit the politicians rather than the people.' In response to the ongoing debate, an amendment to the New York State Constitution has been introduced. The amendment would allow mid-decade congressional redistricting, but only if other states first make similar changes to their maps. Donahue said the amendment process is, 'a fairly straightforward process to amend the Constitution in New York. It's just not a quick process. You have to have two separately elected state legislatures approve identical language for a constitutional amendment that would eventually go to the voters.' If the amendment passes, the earliest it could take effect would be for the 2028 elections. Latest Local News New York State lawmakers respond to redistricting issue in Texas 1199SEIU, Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center reach 3-year tentative agreement 'GLOW With Your Hands' connects students to potential career paths Fredonia man sentenced for selling drugs leading to fatal overdose Everything you need to know about the Erie County Fair Dillon Morello is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has been part of the News 4 team since September of 2023. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Newsom threatens ‘fire with fire' if Republicans push ahead with redistricting plans in Texas
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vowed to 'fight fire with fire' in response to moves in Texas to redraw the electoral map to favor Republicans. Newsom was speaking as Greg Abbott, his Lone Star State counterpart, ordered the arrest of the 51 state Democratic lawmakers who have left Texas to prevent its House of Representatives voting through the redistricting proposals advantageous to the GOP by denying it a quorum. Speaking of the possibility of the Sunshine State engaging in its own retaliatory redistricting push to weaken Republican-leaning districts, Newsom said: 'The proposal that we're advancing with the legislature has a trigger only if they move forward, to dismantling the protocols that are well-established. 'Would the state of California move forward in kind? Fighting? Yes, fire with fire.' He acknowledged, however, that going ahead with such a step would have to be done within the law, commenting: 'That process has to have the concurrence, the support of two-thirds of the legislature. 'The maps, we believe, should be transparent. They should be provided in a transparent way to the public, and as a consequence, those maps are being processed and will be brought to light.' He also said that California citizens should be given a chance to have their say: 'We will offer them the opportunity to make judgments for themselves, again, only if Texas moves forward. 'I'll reinforce that we believe it should be a national model, independent national redistricting, and it would revert back to its original form, but it's done in response to the existential realities that we're now facing. 'Things have changed, facts have changed, so we must change.' Newsom continued: 'They've triggered this response and we're not going to roll over and we're going to fight fire with fire, but we're going to do so not just punching with the weight of the fourth largest economy, the most populous state in our union, the size of 21 state populations combined. 'We also will punch above our weight in terms of the impact of what we're doing, and I think that should be absorbed by those in the Texas delegation. Whatever they are doing will be neutered here in the state of California, and they will pay that price.' Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul have likewise indicated they could be prepared to act in kind if Texas proceeds with its gerrymandering manoeuvre. The desperate measures taken by the Texas Democrats to block the redistricting – which saw them jet out for New York, New Jersey and Illinois on Sunday to stop a vote going ahead – came after the Texas House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting advanced the GOP's proposals on Saturday. Republicans hold a majority in the Texas House of Representatives, as they do in its Senate, meaning the bid to revise the state's 38 congressional districts would likely pass both chambers and be signed off by Gov. Abbott. Doing so would create five extra right-leaning seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., potentially expanding the congressional GOP's majority and easing the passage of President Donald Trump's future legislative agenda. Faced with that likelihood, the Democrats left town, preventing the 150-seat House being able to hold the vote, which requires at least two-thirds of representatives to be present before it can grind into action. Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu led the exodus and has the support of the Democratic National Committee but he and his colleagues look set to be fined $500 for every day they are absent from the legislature and now face arrest under Abbott's orders after failing to return to Austin in time for a 3pm deadline set by Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Newsom threatens ‘fire with fire' if Republicans push ahead with redistricting plans in Texas
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vowed to 'fight fire with fire' in response to moves in Texas to redraw the electoral map to favor Republicans. Newsom was speaking as Greg Abbott, his Lone Star State counterpart, ordered the arrest of the 51 state Democratic lawmakers who have left Texas to prevent its House of Representatives voting through the redistricting proposals advantageous to the GOP by denying it a quorum. Speaking of the possibility of the Sunshine State engaging in its own retaliatory redistricting push to weaken Republican-leaning districts, Newsom said: 'The proposal that we're advancing with the legislature has a trigger only if they move forward, to dismantling the protocols that are well-established. 'Would the state of California move forward in kind? Fighting? Yes, fire with fire.' He acknowledged, however, that going ahead with such a step would have to be done within the law, commenting: 'That process has to have the concurrence, the support of two-thirds of the legislature. 'The maps, we believe, should be transparent. They should be provided in a transparent way to the public, and as a consequence, those maps are being processed and will be brought to light.' He also said that California citizens should be given a chance to have their say: 'We will offer them the opportunity to make judgments for themselves, again, only if Texas moves forward. 'I'll reinforce that we believe it should be a national model, independent national redistricting, and it would revert back to its original form, but it's done in response to the existential realities that we're now facing. 'Things have changed, facts have changed, so we must change.' Newsom continued: 'They've triggered this response and we're not going to roll over and we're going to fight fire with fire, but we're going to do so not just punching with the weight of the fourth largest economy, the most populous state in our union, the size of 21 state populations combined. 'We also will punch above our weight in terms of the impact of what we're doing, and I think that should be absorbed by those in the Texas delegation. Whatever they are doing will be neutered here in the state of California, and they will pay that price.' Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul have likewise indicated they could be prepared to act in kind if Texas proceeds with its gerrymandering manoeuvre. The desperate measures taken by the Texas Democrats to block the redistricting – which saw them jet out for New York, New Jersey and Illinois on Sunday to stop a vote going ahead – came after the Texas House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting advanced the GOP's proposals on Saturday. Republicans hold a majority in the Texas House of Representatives, as they do in its Senate, meaning the bid to revise the state's 38 congressional districts would likely pass both chambers and be signed off by Gov. Abbott. Doing so would create five extra right-leaning seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., potentially expanding the congressional GOP's majority and easing the passage of President Donald Trump's future legislative agenda. Faced with that likelihood, the Democrats left town, preventing the 150-seat House being able to hold the vote, which requires at least two-thirds of representatives to be present before it can grind into action. Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu led the exodus and has the support of the Democratic National Committee but he and his colleagues look set to be fined $500 for every day they are absent from the legislature and now face arrest under Abbott's orders after failing to return to Austin in time for a 3pm deadline set by Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Newsom threatens ‘fire with fire' if Republicans push ahead with redistricting plans in Texas
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vowed to 'fight fire with fire' in response to moves in Texas to redraw the electoral map to favor Republicans. Newsom was speaking as Greg Abbott, his Lone Star State counterpart, ordered the arrest of the 51 state Democratic lawmakers who have left Texas to prevent its House of Representatives voting through the redistricting proposals advantageous to the GOP by denying it a quorum. Speaking of the possibility of the Sunshine State engaging in its own retaliatory redistricting push to weaken Republican-leaning districts, Newsom said: 'The proposal that we're advancing with the legislature has a trigger only if they move forward, to dismantling the protocols that are well-established. 'Would the state of California move forward in kind? Fighting? Yes, fire with fire.' He acknowledged, however, that going ahead with such a step would have to be done within the law, commenting: 'That process has to have the concurrence, the support of two-thirds of the legislature. 'The maps, we believe, should be transparent. They should be provided in a transparent way to the public, and as a consequence, those maps are being processed and will be brought to light.' He also said that California citizens should be given a chance to have their say: 'We will offer them the opportunity to make judgments for themselves, again, only if Texas moves forward. 'I'll reinforce that we believe it should be a national model, independent national redistricting, and it would revert back to its original form, but it's done in response to the existential realities that we're now facing. 'Things have changed, facts have changed, so we must change.' Newsom continued: 'They've triggered this response and we're not going to roll over and we're going to fight fire with fire, but we're going to do so not just punching with the weight of the fourth largest economy, the most populous state in our union, the size of 21 state populations combined. 'We also will punch above our weight in terms of the impact of what we're doing, and I think that should be absorbed by those in the Texas delegation. Whatever they are doing will be neutered here in the state of California, and they will pay that price.' Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul have likewise indicated they could be prepared to act in kind if Texas proceeds with its gerrymandering manoeuvre. The desperate measures taken by the Texas Democrats to block the redistricting – which saw them jet out for New York, New Jersey and Illinois on Sunday to stop a vote going ahead – came after the Texas House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting advanced the GOP's proposals on Saturday. Republicans hold a majority in the Texas House of Representatives, as they do in its Senate, meaning the bid to revise the state's 38 congressional districts would likely pass both chambers and be signed off by Gov. Abbott. Doing so would create five extra right-leaning seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., potentially expanding the congressional GOP's majority and easing the passage of President Donald Trump 's future legislative agenda. Faced with that likelihood, the Democrats left town, preventing the 150-seat House being able to hold the vote, which requires at least two-thirds of representatives to be present before it can grind into action. Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu led the exodus and has the support of the Democratic National Committee but he and his colleagues look set to be fined $500 for every day they are absent from the legislature and now face arrest under Abbott's orders after failing to return to Austin in time for a 3pm deadline set by Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
