Nothing brings out political hypocrisy more than a good old-fashioned gerrymander brawl. Both sides do it. Both sides pretend that it's absolutely the worst thing in the history of the world — until they want to do the same thing. Now, there's a Texas-sized hullabaloo brewing in the Lone Star State that promises to not only be gigantically impactful politically, but entertaining as hell.
Last month, Donald Trump suggested that it would be really nice if Texas redrew its congressional districts to give the Republicans in Washington a better shot at holding the House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections. Texas Governor Greg Abbott politely obliged and scheduled a special session of the Texas legislature to get the job done.
That special legislative session will end on August 19, and on Wednesday, Texas Republicans will unveil a sparkling new congressional map that could give them as many as five more seats in Congress.
The U.S. Constitution mandates that maps be redrawn every decade; there's nothing in that document that says districts cannot be redrawn at any other time. It's highly unusual, yes. But it's hardly unprecedented. Texas pulled the same gambit in 2003. That year, legendary lawmaker Rep. Tom DeLay funded an effort to take advantage of the Texas GOP's first majority in a century to redraw district lines. "They 'cracked' coalition districts along racial lines, diluting suburban Democrats and packing minorities into safe Democratic urban seats," according to The Hill.
That 2003 effort saw the Democrats employ a partisan "quorum break." When 50 Democrats headed for the hills and left the state, they denied the Republicans a quorum to do any business, including approving the new maps. Enraged Republicans passed a new law making it a crime punishable by a fine of $500 a day and arrest for intentionally avoiding a quorum.
Texas Democrats are already fundraising like crazy to get enough money to pay their fines and fight arrests, as they will almost certainly repeat their 2003 tactics. Their biggest problem is that state law forbids the use of campaign contributions to pay the fines or defend themselves against arrest.
Two people involved in the latest Democratic fundraising strategy sessions, who were granted anonymity to discuss private conversations, claim their legal teams have found a way to disburse the funds to the members but declined to provide any additional details.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Dallas Democrat who was part of the 2021 quorum break, sees a path to circumvent the campaign finance rules: With minimal limits on external income, Texas lawmakers can simply accept the donations as another salary, she said. As one of the most prolific fundraisers in the U.S. House, Crockett said she’s willing to tap her donor base — and her $3.7 million war chest — to cover the expenses.
On private donor calls, members of Congress, including Rep. Greg Casar of Austin, have been making the case for high-stakes Democratic resistance, including a quorum break, according to two people familiar with the calls.
Gerrymandering is as American as apple pie, hot dogs, and football. Efforts to stop the practice only result in hypocritical politicians from one party decrying the gerrymandering efforts in one state, only to see their own party trying to do the same thing elsewhere.
Democratic governors from New York, California, and Illinois are all promising to hold their own gerrymandering parties if Texas goes through with its plan to redraw its maps.
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California met with fellow Democrats from the Texas Legislature last week to strategize about a response.
Mr. Newsom said there were several different ways they could change California’s lines, including putting a referendum before the state’s voters that would allow changes to be made ahead of the 2026 election.
Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois, a Democrat who, like Mr. Newsom, may have presidential aspirations in 2028, also met with Texas Democrats in Chicago last week, declaring that “everything is on the table.
In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state would follow its rules, but added that “all’s fair in love and war.”
These Democratic governors have a big problem: Their huge majorities in the legislature for the last few decades have already gerrymandered their state's congressional districts about as far as they can go. Practically speaking, they'll have a hard time squeezing any more seats out of another gerrymander.
Democrats who are complaining about "fairness" or "tradition" might want to examine their party's history of redrawing district lines. They'll see that neither party holds a monopoly on virtue when it comes to fiddling with district lines to gain an advantage.
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