If someone were to ask the advertising geniuses who coined the slogan "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" to adapt it to fit the Texas political landscape, the effort would be doomed.
The truth is, what happens in Texas politics — at least the juiciest stuff — rarely stays within the borders of the second-largest state by land area. That was clear this summer when Gov. Greg Abbott called lawmakers back to Austin to redraw the state's congressional boundaries in a way that gave Republicans an even softer cushion heading into the 2026 midterm elections.
The governor's action, as it turned out, lit the fuse that propelled redistricting onto the national stage. With little alternative to simply accept the defeat awaiting them in the GOP-controlled Legislature, Texas House Democrats packed up and left the state to halt work in the lower chamber.
No sooner had they landed in Chicago than Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, rolled out the welcome wagon with a news conference that was streamed from coast to coast. From there, sundry contingents of Texas Democrats splintered off to New York, Massachusetts and California to argue that Abbott and Republicans had become water carriers for President Donald Trump, aiming to shield him from a possible blue wave in 2026.
Everywhere they went, camera crews and national reporters followed.
Soon, even more journalists from faraway Washington and New York City crowded into the Texas Capitol. The ring around the Rotunda became the staging ground for well-lighted TV crews broadcasting live reports. Seats in the already crowded press pen just off the House speaker's rostrum were claimed by journalists — local and national — willing to sacrifice sleep for access by arriving an hour or more before the doors opened.
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Capitol Press Corps reporters suddenly found themselves in demand from major networks to explain the nuances of Texas politics to national audiences.
And perhaps to the chagrin of Texas Republicans, redistricting also gave Democrats in other states a sturdier platform. Hosting the Texas Democrats even sparked speculation that Pritzker might be a 2028 presidential contender.
The brightest spotlight, though, fell on California Gov. Gavin Newsom. While Texas Democrats stalled Abbott's redistricting plan in Austin, Newsom was leading California Democrats to press forward with their own redistricting plan to box out Republicans in the Golden State.
In other words, Newsom borrowed Abbott's playbook and gave it a California spin.
The two governors sparred on social media, with Newsom pulling Trump into the mix with memes. Abbott accused Newsom of charging into redistricting to offset GOP gains in Texas and boost his own 2028 presidential prospects.
Newsom, helped by the Texas Democrats' stalling tactics, claimed bragging rights by signing California's redistricting plan into law before Abbott received his.
But Abbott may have the last laugh: His map takes effect once he signs it, while Newsom’s faces voter approval. And as Newsom begins to make his case to voters, he's arguing that California must win the war that Texas started.
If that message resonates — and if Newsom eventually runs for president as Abbott predicts — it could be said his campaign began in Texas. Whether it stays in Texas is another question.
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