Democratic lawmakers and governors in key blue states are weighing whether to redraw their own congressional maps as Texas Republicans advance a mid-decade redistricting effort backed by President Donald Trump.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has publicly said he’s considering a special session or legislative maneuver to redraw the state’s House districts, calling Texas’s move “a whole other level of weaponization” of the redistricting process.

“If we’re going to play fair in a world that is wholly unfair, we may have the higher moral ground, but the ground is shifting from underneath us. And I think we have to wake up to that reality,” Newsom said on the “Pod Save America” podcast earlier this month.

Some liberal groups have pushed back on the idea. In a July 21 statement, California Common Cause called the proposal “a dangerous move” that would “put our state’s democracy on the line during a time of national instability.”

Patricia Sinay, a Democrat serving on the California Citizens Redistricting Commission, said it would “set a dangerous precedent for suppressing voters across the nation.”

Trump told reporters this past week that Republicans could pick up five seats in Texas through redistricting, with more gains possible in other states.

“Texas will be the biggest one,” he said.

A Republican strategist familiar with national redistricting efforts told The Epoch Times that Texas is legally permitted to redraw its congressional map mid-decade and does not face the same constitutional or legal barriers that exist in many Democratic-led states. He said states like California or New York would face steep legal and logistical challenges in attempting a similar move, including repealing redistricting commissions or amending state constitutions.

According to the Brennan Center for Justice, California’s redistricting process is controlled by an independent commission established by a voter-approved constitutional amendment—meaning that legislative intervention would likely require another amendment.

New York’s maps are also drawn under a commission process. Texas, by contrast, has no legal barrier to redrawing maps mid-decade.

The strategist added that there was a “strong chance” Democrats could “fall flat on their face” if they tried to redraw maps in states like California, adding that such a failure after promising bold action could be politically damaging to figures like Newsom, who is widely seen as gearing up for a 2028 presidential run.

U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) warned that the move could backfire on Republicans.

“Texas Republicans are walking themselves into a dummymander,” he said during a July 21 press conference, “where they’re going to create competitive districts currently held by Republican incumbents.”

He added that Democrats are “exploring what the opportunities and possibilities are in states like New York and California, to make sure the congressional map in 2026 is as fair as possible.”

The White House has not commented on Democrats potentially responding in kind and did not respond to an emailed request for comment from The Epoch Times.

Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), chair of the House Democratic Caucus, said in a joint statement to The Epoch Times that the Texas push is “egregious” and said it “cannot go unanswered.”

The pair said the “One Big Beautiful Bill” passed by Republicans recently and signed by Trump was unpopular, and that was the reason for the move. If it were popular, “they wouldn’t have to redraw their maps to try to hold on to power,” they said.

Lofgren chairs California’s House Democratic delegation. The office of New York’s Democratic delegation chair, Rep. Jerry Nadler, did not respond to a request for comment by The Epoch Times.

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) endorsed taking action.

“Too often Democrats are fighting these battles with one hand tied behind our back,” he said in a CNN interview on July 21, adding, “We’re not going to be helpless in this endeavor.”

Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office did not respond to a request for comment from The Epoch Times.

Midterms Ahead

In Texas, the Republican-led Legislature began a special session on July 21 to consider changes to the state’s congressional map. State lawmakers voted to create a redistricting committee after hours of floor debate. The plan could bolster the GOP’s narrow 220–212 majority in the House ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called the session to address what he described as “constitutional concerns” raised by the Justice Department. Federal officials have said four Texas districts may violate the Voting Rights Act and the 14th Amendment by improperly grouping minority voters. Texas Republicans say the committee will follow the same process used in 2021 and 2023.

Democrats have accused Trump and Abbott of trying to cement partisan power.

“They’re playing by a totally different set of rules,“ Newsom said on the TN Holler podcast, adding, ”These guys are going do everything in their power to maintain their power.”

Some analysts warn that retaliatory maps could backfire. Others say they’re necessary.

“Texas is moving ahead with mid-decade redistricting,” Dr. Stewart Parnacott, a Texas-based instructor at Baylor College of Medicine and former Democratic candidate for the Georgia House, told The Epoch Times.

“That decision puts pressure on Democrats in places like New York, California, and Illinois to decide if they want to play by the same rules. If they do, it signals a real shift. Most states stayed cautious after 2020. That restraint could be over.”

He added that while some Democrats may frame the move as correcting unfair maps, repeated redistricting—regardless of the party—risks further eroding public trust and shifting power from voters to the courts.

Nicholas Higgins, associate professor and department chair of political science at North Greenville University, told The Epoch Times that mid-decade redistricting is rare outside court orders, but that California might be able to flip one or more GOP-held seats based on recent population shifts. He said Democrats could “succeed in CA, and maybe less in Texas.”

Texas Democratic lawmakers, meanwhile, have vowed to resist the GOP-led effort but lack the numbers to block it outright.

“We have to refuse to make this easy for them,” Texas state Sen. Boris Miles said.

With both parties now openly considering redrafting maps mid-decade, the 2026 midterms could be shaped not just by turnout or messaging, but by new district lines drawn years ahead of schedule.