New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is one of several blue state governors to welcome Texas Democrats who fled their state to deny a quorum in the Texas House of Representatives ahead of a redistricting vote. Addressing the recent developments in a Monday speech, Hochul delivered a message to “Republicans in Texas: this is no longer the Wild West. We’re not going to tolerate our democracy being stalled in a modern-day stagecoach heist by a bunch of law-breaking cowboys.” And she vowed to retaliate.
In its coverage of the speech, RealClearPolitics ran the headline: “Gov. Hochul: If Texas Republicans ‘Rig’ 2026 Election With ‘Legal Insurrection,’ New York Will ‘Do the Same.’”
Professor Jacobson vigorously defended his blog and rejected the allegations in a social media post. He wrote: “We deny trying to rig any elections, that’s not something WE do.”
On a more serious note, even as both sides dig in, the hypocrisy from the Left has reached a fever pitch. The reality is that both parties, when given the chance, have used gerrymandering to maximize political power in states they control. In fact, Republicans are relatively late to the game. It’s also worth remembering which party has been the most aggressive.
Democrats are angry for two reasons. First, five new Republican districts could make all the difference in next year’s high‑stakes midterms. And second, the Democrats have already squeezed most of the juice out of the gerrymandering lemon.
Just as Democratic lawmakers beclowned themselves this spring over “Maryland Dad” Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s “due process” rights, they’ve gone hyperbolic over redistricting in Texas. In a Tuesday appearance on MSNBC, Eric Holder, who served as attorney general during the first half of the Obama administration, claimed that Republicans aim to keep control of the House so that, if a Democrat wins the White House in 2028, they can refuse to certify the results.
Perhaps the most vocal Democratic critic has been Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a billionaire, whose state has welcomed the largest contingent of Texas Democrats and who is now pledging revenge if Texas proceeds with its redistricting plan. Given that Pritzker governs one of the most gerrymandered states in the country, his indignation rings hollow.
Below, investor Mike Cernovich points out that while President Donald Trump won 45% of the vote in 2024, Republicans won only 3 seats out of 17, or less than 18%. (Such lopsided representation exists in many states.)
Buzz Patterson, who served as a top military advisor to former President Bill Clinton, noted the hypocrisy from leaders of the three most gerrymandered seats in the US.
The map below of Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District shows just how far state lawmakers were willing to contort boundaries to keep the seat safely blue.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vowed to retaliate even though the “California Supreme Court has interpreted the state Constitution to prohibit redrawing congressional districts between the decennial census, a process known as mid-decade redistricting.”
Newsom published a list of states that Republicans have already gerrymandered on X.
One X user was happy to point out that four of those states have only one congressional district.
Texas’s Constitution expressly allows mid-decade redistricting. And, opportunistic or not, the state’s population has surged over the past five years as residents have fled blue states for the freedom — and lower taxes — of red states.
Although the standoff continues, eventually the Texas Democrats will be forced to return. And the result of their theatrics will likely be the same as it was when they fled to Washington, D.C., in 2021 over legislation to enact voting restrictions: it will only delay the inevitable.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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