Tag: gerrymandering

Repeat Loser Beto O’Rourke Tells Texas Crowd Democrats Will Do Whatever it Takes to Regain Power: ‘F**k the Rules’ 

Beto O’Rourke spoke to a crowd in Texas this weekend and made it clear that Democrats will do whatever it takes to regain power, saying ‘f**k the rules.’

He claimed that Dems will redistrict blue states in response to what Texas is doing. Apparently, no one has told him that Democrats have nothing left to gerrymander because they have been doing this for years.

O’Rourke also said that when Democrats regain power, they will immediately grant amnesty to illegals. That’s rather telling, isn’t it?

CBS News covered the event:

Beto O’Rourke’s redistricting rally draws crowd in Fort Worth as Texas legal fight escalates

The fight over Texas redistricting is escalating – and Fort Worth became the latest flashpoint Saturday afternoon.

More than 200 people packed the Ridglea Theater for a rally led by former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke.

The event focused on the legal and political fallout surrounding Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to block a Republican-backed redistricting plan. The Texas House failed to reach a quorum again on Friday, preventing lawmakers from voting on the new congressional maps, as GOP officials float ousting the absent Democrats from office or seeking civil arrests.

O’Rourke addressed the crowd and responded to a lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. A state judge on Friday barred O’Rourke and his political action committee from financially supporting the Democratic legislators who left Texas.

“He thinks we’re going to take it right here,” O’Rourke said. “But he doesn’t understand – in Texas, our knees do not bend.”

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Texas Democrats Are Raging Over GOP Gerrymandering—But They Did It First

Democrats in Texas are currently accusing Republicans of using redistricting to gain a partisan advantage. This accusation, however, is both disingenuous and historically inaccurate.

When Democrats controlled the state in the 1990s, they engaged in the same tactics—so aggressively that the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately ruled their districts racially gerrymandered and unconstitutional.

In 1990, Democrat Ann Richards was elected governor of Texas, and the Democratic Party controlled the state legislature. This control allowed them to redraw congressional districts to maintain their political dominance. 

State Senator Eddie Bernice Johnson, a Democrat, chaired the redistricting subcommittee and took charge of drafting the new maps. Her explicit goal was to create new minority-majority districts to favor the Democratic Party.

Johnson’s plan resulted in a majority-Hispanic district in Houston and a majority-Black district in Dallas—both aimed at consolidating long-term Democratic control. 

This political maneuvering did not go unnoticed. The newly drawn districts, which included those represented by Democrats Martin Frost and John Wiley Bryant, became more homogeneous and less politically diverse.

Despite protests, the Texas Legislature passed Johnson’s plan in 1991. Critics, primarily Republicans, argued that the maps used flawed census data, potentially undercounting minority populations.

Yet, the U.S. Department of Justice granted preclearance under the Voting Rights Act, and the new districts were used in the 1992 elections.

In 1994, Republicans filed a lawsuit, claiming that several new districts—particularly Districts 18, 29, and 30—were racially gerrymandered in violation of the Constitution. 

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TX Judge Slaps Beto O’Rourke With Fundraising Ban Over Fleeing Democrats

A Texas judge has issued a temporary restraining order against former congressman Beto O’Rourke and his nonprofit organization, Powered by People, following allegations from state Attorney General Ken Paxton that they engaged in illegal fundraising to aid Democratic lawmakers who fled the state in an effort to block Republican redistricting legislation.

Tarrant County District Judge Megan Fahey, a Republican appointed in 2019 by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, issued the ruling Friday evening.

The order prohibits O’Rourke and his group from raising funds or providing financial support to the Democrats who left Texas to avoid a legislative vote on GOP-backed redistricting maps.

In her decision, Fahey wrote that “Defendants have and will continue to engage in unlawful fundraising practices and utilization of political funds in a manner that either directly violates or causes Texas Democratic Legislators to violate [the law].

Consumers have and continue to suffer irreparable harm through these unlawful acts because they are making political contributions that are being used to fund personal expenses and violate state law.”

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New York rep wants more ‘migrants’ in Brooklyn ‘just for redistricting purposes’

Rep. Yvette D. Clarke, serving New York’s 9th District in Brooklyn, NY, has said that she would like to see more immigrants into her area “just for redistricting purposes.” Redistricting is an emerging political fight ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

“I’m from Brooklyn, New York,” Clarke said on a Zoom call. “We have a diaspora that can absorb a significant number of these migrants, and that, you know, when I hear colleagues talk about, you know, the doors of the inn being closed, no room. In the end, I’m saying, you know, I need more people in my district, but just for redistricting purposes, and those members could clearly fit here.”

New York joins Texas and California in undertaking redistricting efforts. President Donald Trump has called on Texas to redo its districts to remake some of their districts as GOP majority, saying this could be a gain of 5 seats. The Texas legislature began a special session on Monday to undertake that project.

California Governor Gavin Newsom countered that proposal by saying that he would redo California’s districts. California, however, has an independent commission in the state to create districts, per the state’s constitution.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has also said that “all options” are on the table to win back the House in 2026, including redistricting. “All options are on the table when it comes to winning back control of the House,” he said.

Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke said that with regard to redistricting across the country. “We have to be absolutely ruthless about getting back in power,” he said. “So yes, in California, in Illinois, in New York, wherever we have the trifecta of power, we have to use that to its absolute extent. And then the last thing: this may end up biting Republicans in the ass. You have the possibility that they will disperse Republican voters to make up these three or four or five new congressional districts and put those districts in play.”

The population of District 9 in New York is about 771,000, which is greater than the population of two states and the District of Columbia. Brooklyn at large has a population of 2.6 million people, which is larger than the populations of 16 states. By recent estimates, there are nearly 600,000 illegal immigrants in New York City, with the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens holding the bulk of that population.

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Newsom Says California Will Hold Special Redistricting Election to Counter Texas’s Plan

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Friday that the state will move forward with a ballot measure in November to redraw its congressional map in response to a Republican-backed redistricting plan in Texas.

Speaking alongside state Democratic leaders, Newsom said they would call for a special election in the first week of November to vote on redrawing the congressional map, a move that could potentially add five more U.S. House seats to the Democratic tally.

“We are talking about emergency measures to respond to what’s happening in Texas, and we will nullify what happens in Texas,” the Democratic governor told reporters.

“We will pick up five seats with the consent of the people, and that’s the difference between the approach we’re taking and the approach they’re taking. We’re doing it [on a] temporary basis,” he added.

Newsom also reaffirmed that the state will remain committed to its independent redistricting process. The Democrats said they expected to have a newly agreed-upon map, based on previous plans reviewed by the state’s independent redistricting commission, ready for public scrutiny next week, three months before it would go to voters.

Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who attended the conference, backed Newsom’s decision and praised Texas Democratic lawmakers for their efforts to block the GOP’s redistricting plan.

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Texas AG Ken Paxton Launches Criminal Investigation Into Beto O’Rourke’s PAC For Unlawfully Funding Runaway Democrats

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation into Beto O’Rourke’s PAC for unlawfully funding runaway Democrats.

It was reported this week that Beto’s PAC funded the private plane that transported the Texas Democrat lawmakers to Illinois so they could block GOP redistricting efforts.

The Free Beacon reported:

Now We Know: Beto O’Rourke’s PAC Funded Texas Dems’ Private Jet to Illinois

State lawmakers in Texas make just $7,200 a year. A group of Democratic legislators spent roughly four times that amount to take a private jet to Illinois in an attempt to block their Republican counterparts from passing a new congressional map. But they didn’t have to worry about the price tag—because Beto O’Rourke’s PAC picked it up.

That’s according to a report in the Texas Tribune, which cited two people involved in the effort to raise funds for Texas Democrats’ walkout. O’Rourke’s PAC, Powered by People, is “armed with a $3.5 million war chest” and has covered most of the costs associated with the walkout so far, including “air transport, lodging, and logistical support,” the outlet reported. Every dollar the group receives going forward will go toward supporting the walkout.

On Wednesday, Ken Paxton announced he launched a criminal investigation into Beto’s PAC.

“Any Democrat coward breaking the law by taking a Beto Bribe will be held accountable,” Paxton said.

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Massachusetts Governor Criticizes Texas Redistricting – From a State With ZERO Republican Representation

Democrat Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey was asked about the effort to redraw congressional districts in Texas and criticized the move, suggesting that efforts by Democrats to do more gerrymandering in response is justified.

The irony of this is that despite the fact that about a third of the state of Massachusetts voted for Trump, there is ZERO Republican representation there.

This fact was apparently lost on Healey.

Hot Air reported:

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey now has Republicans quaking in their boots.

In response to the Texas legislature’s move to redistrict its state to create more Republican districts, Healey is making a brave stand and threatening revenge.

She, too, will redistrict the state in retaliation.

It is a frightening prospect, I know. In a state known for its fairness to Republicans, a change in attitude could have serious repercussions.

Currently, the state has nine Congressional Districts and nine Democrats representing them. Should a less favorable map be created, the state will have nine Congressional Districts and nine Democrats representing them.

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GOP Congressman Pushes Bill That Could Block Texas Republicans from Redrawing Districts to Secure House Majority

Republican Congressman Kevin Kiley (R-CA) introduced legislation Monday that could kneecap the GOP’s efforts to reclaim and secure dominance in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“I’ve officially introduced legislation to stop Newsom’s plan to abolish the Citizens Redistricting Commission, seize its powers for himself, and remove all checks and balances in California. I’m calling on House Leadership to bring it up for a vote and end this insanity,” Kiley wrote on X.

I’ve officially introduced legislation to stop Newsom’s plan to abolish the Citizens Redistricting Commission, seize its powers for himself, and remove all checks and balances in California.

I’m calling on House Leadership to bring it up for a vote and end this insanity. pic.twitter.com/ggXDMTuYNI

— Rep. Kevin Kiley (@RepKiley) August 5, 2025

According to the press release:

“Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) will be introducing legislation to prohibit Mid-Decade Redistricting nationwide. The bill, which Kiley plans to introduce tomorrow, will nullify new maps adopted by states before the 2030 census, including any that are adopted this year.

For decades, the California Supreme Court has held that the State Constitution forbids mid-decade redistricting, and since 2010 redistricting in the state has been done by a voter-approved Independent Citizens Commission. But now, Governor Gavin Newsom is seeking to overturn that long-standing precedent, sideline the Citizens Commission, undo the will of voters, and return line-drawing power to himself and other partisan politicians. The Governor’s brazen scheme has been denounced by groups ranging from Common Cause to the California League of Women Voters.

“Gavin Newsom is trying to subvert the will of voters and do lasting damage to democracy in California,” Rep. Kiley said. “Fortunately, Congress has the ability to protect California voters using its authority under the Elections Clause of the U.S. Constitution. This will also stop a damaging redistricting war from breaking out across the country.””

But the problem with Kiley’s bill is that it would not only affect California, but would also ban all 50 states from redrawing their congressional maps before the 2030 census.

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Gavin Newsom’s Gerrymandering Post Backfires in Spectacular Fashion

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has moved forward with legal efforts to hold Democratic lawmakers accountable after they fled the state in protest of Republican-led redistricting efforts.

The Texas Supreme Court has now ordered Democratic State Representative Gene Wu, a central figure in the walkout, to formally respond to the governor’s legal action.

The controversy stems from a renewed push by the Texas legislature to pass new redistricting maps.

In response, several Democratic legislators left the state to prevent the Republican-controlled House from reaching the quorum necessary to conduct legislative business.

The move effectively stalled legislative action in Austin and has now resulted in potential legal consequences.

Governor Abbott’s legal filing seeks to challenge the Democrats’ decision to abandon their legislative duties.

The Texas Supreme Court’s directive to Rep. Wu marks the latest development in an ongoing standoff over the redistricting process. The Court has not yet announced a timeline for a final ruling on the matter.

While the legislative impasse continues, other state issues remain unresolved, including responses to recent flooding and other critical matters requiring legislative attention.

The walkout has drawn criticism from those who argue the legislators’ absence is hindering necessary governance.

The debate over redistricting has also spilled into the national political scene.

California Governor Gavin Newsom weighed in on the matter with a post on X, where he listed red states with zero or just one Democratic House representative.

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Don Lemon Embroiled In New Controversy

Former CNN host Don Lemon is once again facing intense backlash after appearing to give tacit approval to an outrageous Holocaust comparison made by a Texas Democrat during a livestream discussion on the state’s 2026 redistricting battle.

Texas State Rep. Jolanda Jones (D–Houston), who recently fled to Illinois along with dozens of other Democrats to block a Republican redistricting proposal, created outrage when she likened the GOP’s mid-decade redistricting efforts to the Holocaust.

“I will liken this to the Holocaust,” Jones said. “People are like, ‘well, how did the Holocaust happen? How is somebody in a position to kill all them people?’”

“Well, good people remained silent or good people didn’t realize that what happens to them can very soon happen to me or somebody I love,” Jones claimed.

As she delivered the incendiary remarks, Lemon nodded in agreement and muttered, “Mmhmm.”

Jones remained defiant, even as the Holocaust analogy threatens to derail her party’s messaging. “God forbid they end up targeting you and your family,” she added in her closing line.

Jones, who was elected in 2022, made the comments during a virtual town hall discussing the Republican-led redistricting plan. That proposal—unveiled earlier this summer—aims to redraw 37 of Texas’s 38 congressional districts, potentially giving the GOP control of up to 30 seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Democrats claim the map disproportionately targets Black and Latino-majority districts in cities like Houston, Austin, and Dallas–Fort Worth. But comparing political maneuvering to one of the most horrific genocides in human history has even some liberals backing away from Jones.

Jones’s full comments were even more dire. “If you think it can’t happen, it can,” she said. “We will lose all of our rights. And if you think it can’t happen, it can. And I will liken this to the Holocaust.”

While most of the attention has focused on her remarks, Lemon’s visible affirmation is raising eyebrows as well. The former CNN anchor, who has previously come under fire for bizarre on-air moments, including suggesting women over 40 are “past their prime,” was recently attempting a career pivot through online platforms. Many are now calling for advertisers to cut ties.

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