AUSTIN (Nexstar) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) was joined by lawmakers from the Texas House on Monday and vowed to fight back against Texas redistricting. The move comes after over 50 representatives left the state in an attempt to break quorum to prevent the House from approving new U.S. congressional maps.
Multiple Democratic governors, including Hochul, have threatened to redraw their states’ maps to benefit Democrats, but most of those states have legal hurdles to doing so. New York has a nonpartisan redistricting commission that is enshrined in the state’s constitution, preventing Democrats from attempting a mid-decade redraw of the map.
Texas Legislature: What is a quorum?
Despite likely not being able to redraw the maps, Hochul has maintained a tough attitude to show that New York will at least attempt to respond.
“I have (a) news flash for Republicans in Texas. This is no longer the ‘Wild West,'” Hochul said. “We’re not going to tolerate our democracy being stolen in a modern-day stagecoach heist by a bunch of law-breaking cowboys.”
Hochul provided details on how New York could execute the process, and it will not be immediate. New York requires amendments to the constitution to pass the legislature in two consecutive sessions before being sent to voters for approval. She said the legislature would try to pass an amendment this year to repeal the redistricting commission and then pass it again in 2027 to put it on the ballot that fall.
That process would prevent New York from enacting new maps until at least the 2028 election. She did say she was also exploring a litigation route, but did not provide specifics.
“That’s why I’m exploring with our leaders every option to redraw our state congressional lines as soon as possible,” Hochul said. “We’re already working on a legislative process, reviewing our legal strategies, and will do everything in our power to stop this brazen assault.”
For years, large Democratic states have taken redistricting control out of the hands of state legislators, in an attempt to promote fairness. Now, as Republicans attempt to redraw maps in Texas and Ohio, with the possibility of Florida and Missouri joining them, Democrats have decided to stop playing by the rules they created.
“I’m tired of fighting this fight with my hand tied behind my back, with all due respect to the good government groups,” Hochul said. “Politics is a political process, and to think that we’re going to do this with a purity test … that era is over.”
Democrats joining Hochul were State Reps. Mihaela Plesa, D-Dallas, Lulu Flores, D-Austin, Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin, Cassandra Hernandez, D-Farmers Branch, Jolanda Jones, D-Houston and Suleman Lalani, D-Sugar Land.
The representatives left the state to prevent the Texas House from reaching the two-thirds of members present needed to meet or vote on any bills. So far, the legislature has not sent any bill to the governor to be signed with a little over two weeks remaining in the special session.
Redistricting, flood warning systems on Texas special session agenda
While flood relief headlined the special session call by Gov. Greg Abbott, those bills have not been brought to the House floor for any votes. The Democrats made their decision to leave after the House put the new congressional map on the calendar for Monday. Plesa criticized the choice to put that bill to a vote before any flood-related legislation following the devastating July 4th floods.
“House Republicans did not want to put flood relief [first] … they are bending the knee to President Donald Trump,” Plesa said. “The first bill put on the calendar today was a redistricting bill, an attempt to steal power. This cannot be allowed to stand.”
But the legislature will not be able to put any flood-related bills to a vote without a quorum, potentially preventing any legislation from passing during this special session, depending on how long the Democrats are absent. The governor can call subsequent special sessions if the congressional maps do not pass in the first called special session.
But Democrats would need to remain absent, likely until December, the deadline to file to run for office. That means putting their lives on hold for months. If they do not return by 3 p.m. Monday, Abbott said he would remove them from office, though it is not clear if that is possible.
“What he’s saying is not completely accurate,” Pleasa said. “He knows that we’re using a tool that was given to us by the founders of the Texas Constitution.”
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