Newsom urges Illinois, NY to hurry up on redistricting

Desmond Milligan · August 14

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Tuesday urged Illinois and New York to press ahead with redistricting efforts as GOP lawmakers push to pick up five additional House seats in Texas.

“Right now forget the talking; it’s not about press. It’s time to move. You got to move. I mean, enough,” Newsom said.

“We’re all saying the right thing. Now we got to do the right thing, which means we got to fight fire with fire,” he told Beto O’Rourke, a former Democratic representative from Texas, during the Tuesday episode of his “This is Gavin Newsom” podcast.

The two also criticized Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) for advocating for the arrest of Democratic lawmakers who fled the state in an effort to block a vote advancing redistricting efforts in the Lone Star State. The Democratic state lawmakers who left are preventing the Texas Legislature from having the quorum necessary to pass legislation.

Lawmakers in New York and Illinois have launched redistricting efforts in response to Texas.

In New York, state Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris (D) and Assembly member Micah Lasher (D) introduced legislation to amend the state’s constitution permitting redistricting efforts outside of the traditional cycle. Lawmakers in Illinois are working on a similar measure.

On the Tuesday podcast, Newsom also noted that California’s elected officials would be moving swiftly to combat Republican efforts with countermeasures.

“Later this week, we’re going to announce the campaign. Next week, the Legislature’s going to move this forward,” Newsom said.

Newsom has been listed as a potential contender for the White House in 2028 as Democrats prepare to launch a comeback bid after losing the presidential race and the Senate majority last year.

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