California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom appeared to sign off on physical violence against supporters of President Donald Trump, if not Republicans in general, in an unhinged rant during a podcast this week.
The governor’s remarks come as he struggles to contain his anger over Texas’ mid-decade redistricting effort, which aims to produce another five GOP congressional seats, something he has vowed to oppose by redistricting seats in California despite an already outsized Democratic congressional delegation.
“This is radical rigging of a midterm election,” Newsom fumed. “Destroying, vandalizing this democracy, the rule of law,” he claimed on “The Siren” podcast.
“So, I’m sorry, I know some people’s sensibilities. I respect and appreciate that. But right now, with all due respect, we’re walking down a damn different path,” he continued. “We’re fighting fire with fire, and we’re gonna punch these sons of b****es in the mouth.”
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The Texas Legislature has a sweeping new congressional map that would hand Republicans up to five additional U.S. House seats, locking in a commanding advantage for the GOP and sparking a fresh wave of redistricting warfare across the country.
The Texas House passed the measure last week after Democrats who fled the state to deny the chamber a quorum returned. The state Senate passed the measure overnight.
The move, hailed by conservatives as a “big beautiful win,” comes after months of bitter partisan wrangling, quorum-busting tactics by Democrats, and threats of arrest by state leaders.
“PASSED THE HOUSE,” the Texas House Republican Caucus wrote triumphantly on X. “The Big Beautiful Map will ADD 5 GOP districts to our congressional delegation – A HUGE WIN for the conservative movement in Texas!”
The proposed map would grow the GOP’s U.S. House delegation from 25 to as many as 30 out of 38 seats, a historic shift in a state already considered the backbone of Republican electoral power. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) called lawmakers into a second special session after Democrats fled the state during the first round, denying Republicans a quorum and temporarily stalling the redistricting effort. With Democrats finally back in Austin this week, the outcome was never in doubt.
For Republicans, the fight has always been about timing as much as politics. The White House pressed Texas GOP leaders earlier this year to act quickly and lock in new lines ahead of the 2026 midterms, when the president’s party traditionally faces steep headwinds. Trump himself urged lawmakers this week to “move swiftly” and secure a bigger delegation from the Lone Star State.
Democrats, meanwhile, called the plan a racially discriminatory gerrymander designed to fracture growing minority communities and suppress their voting power. They point to surging Latino populations in Houston, Dallas, and along the border that, under a more neutral map, could have yielded additional Democratic seats.
Civil rights groups and Democratic attorneys are preparing immediate lawsuits, arguing that the new lines violate federal protections for minority voters.
“We’re already drafting the complaint,” one Democratic strategist told reporters. “This will end up in federal court.”
Illinois and New York Democrats are exploring similar moves, while Republicans in Florida, Indiana, and Missouri are considering opportunities to expand their maps.
However, blue state governors face an unusual challenge: Their states are already heavily gerrymandered.
“Texas Democrats want to cry foul here while cheering gerrymanders in their backyard,” said Rep. Brian Harrison (R–Waxahachie). “It’s pure double standards.”
