A political brawl is underway with California and Texas at the center. California Gov. Gavin Newsom formally kicked off his plan to rewrite California’s congressional maps during a rally on Thursday.
The move is a direct counterpunch to Republicans in Texas, who are redrawing their maps in an effort to add five GOP seats.
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“We have got to recognize the cards that have been dealt. And we have got to meet fire with fire. And we’ve got to be held to a high level of accountability. So that’s what this is about,” Newsom said. “It’s not complicated. We’re doing this in reaction to a president of the United States that called a sitting governor of the state of Texas and said find me five seats. We’re doing it in reaction to that act.”
Labor leaders and members of Congress joined Newsom at the rally, with some saying it’s all part of a bigger fight with President Donald Trump. Sen. Adam Schiff, who Trump has repeatedly referred to as a lowlife, hammered that message home.
“He doesn’t give a rat’s a– about you, not in California, not in Texas, he only cares about himself,” Schiff said. “We are going to fight back. We’re going to make sure that here in California, your vote matters. If they’re going to play with fire, we’re going to fight fire with fire.”
Unlike in Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott plans to call special sessions until Democrats return, Newsom will need to put any new maps up for a statewide referendum in November.
Border Patrol at Newsom’s rally
However, the rally outside a Los Angeles museum took a sharp turn when more than a dozen Border Patrol agents, many armed and in tactical gear, arrived.
DHS said they were looking for migrants accused of committing crimes. However, local leaders called it a brazen show of force, noting the rally wasn’t even about immigration.
“This is just completely unacceptable,” Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles told reporters. “This is a Customs and Border Patrol that has gone amok. This absolutely has to stop. There was no danger here.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responded to Bass, saying she must be “misinformed.”
In a post on X, Tricia McLaughlin said, “Our law enforcement operations are about enforcing the law — not about Gavin Newsom. CBP patrols all areas of Los Angeles every day with over 40 teams on the ground to make LA safe.”
Obama offers support to Texas Democrats
Now, former President Barack Obama is joining the conversation with Texas Democrats. He hopped on a virtual call Thursday with the Democrats and offered his support.
“We can’t let a systematic assault on democracy just happen and stand by and so because of your actions, because of your courage, what you’ve seen is California responding, other states looking at what they can do to offset this mid-decade gerrymandering,” Obama said.
Obama also warned of a long battle ahead, but said the whole country is watching.
