Hochul labels Texas GOP redistricting a ‘legal insurrection,’ urges Democrats to fight back

On Tuesday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul published an op-ed in the Houston Chronicle condemning Texas Republicans’ push to redraw the state’s congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterms, calling the effort a “legal insurrection” and urging Democrats nationwide to “fight fire with fire.”

In the op-ed, Hochul criticized the proposed Texas map, which could give Republicans up to five additional U.S. House seats.

“At President Trump’s direction, Texas state House Republicans are attempting to redraw their congressional maps mid-decade, an aggressive power grab,” Hochul wrote.

The draft maps in Texas target Democratic strongholds in major urban areas and would shift boundaries in a way that pits some Democratic incumbents against each other. Republicans currently hold 25 of the state’s 38 congressional seats, and the new proposal aims to solidify GOP control further. State Democrats have argued that the plan dilutes the political power of Black and Latino voters and fractures local communities.

Hochul also framed the issue as part of a broader national trend. “When Republicans rig congressional maps in one state, it weakens representation in every state,” the Governor wrote. “Every unfair seat they create tilts Congress further out of balance.”

Governor Kathy Hochul condemned the Texas GOP in a recent op-ed.Photo: Aidin Bharti/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul

Texas House Democrats have left the state to deny Republicans a quorum, thereby blocking the redistricting plan from advancing. Hochul hosted members of the Texas delegation in Albany last week and praised their tactics.

“These public servants left the state to follow a legitimate and legal tactic to deny Republicans a quorum and stop this scheme in its tracks,” she said.

The Governor also pointed to her own state’s voting rights record, highlighting the 2022 passage of New York’s John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act and expansions in early voting and registration. She said that these efforts contrast with what she described as Republican attempts to limit voter access.

New York’s congressional maps have faced legal challenges in recent years, and efforts to redraw them could require navigating procedural and constitutional hurdles.

However, Hochul signaled that her administration is actively considering its options in response to republican lawmakers’ attempts at redistricting.

“We are also reviewing every legal and legislative option to redraw our own maps in New York,” she wrote. “If Republicans are changing the rules, we’ll meet them on the same field.”

The op-ed comes as other Democratic-led states, including California and Illinois, also consider responses to the Texas map. California Governor Gavin Newsom has reportedly been in discussions about drawing a new map that could flip Republican-held seats, adding to what some observers have called a redistricting arms race ahead of the 2026 midterms.