Some Democrats Are Opposed to New Round of Democrat Gerrymandering

(Substack)—As Texas Republicans push forward with plans to redraw congressional districts, highlighting the state’s population growth and aiming to secure fair representation, Democrats have resorted to extreme measures to obstruct the process.

State lawmakers from the Democrat side have abandoned their posts, fleeing to other states in a bid to deny the legislature a quorum and halt the vote. This dramatic tactic has drawn sharp criticism, even from within their own ranks, exposing what many see as a glaring double standard in how the left approaches redistricting.

Julian Epstein, a Democrat strategist, laid bare this inconsistency during a recent appearance on “Fox News Live.” He argued that his party lacks the standing to condemn Texas’s efforts given their own history of manipulating maps in blue strongholds.

“No, I think they don’t have the moral authority, and there’s a lot of pearl-clutching going on,” Epstein said.

He pointed to states where Democrats have drawn lines to minimize Republican influence, effectively sidelining conservative voices.

“The Democrats don’t have clean hands here. You look at states like Massachusetts, New Jersey[…] Illinois, California, and Democrats have effectively gerrymandered Republicans out of existence,” he added.

Epstein’s warning extends beyond mere partisanship, suggesting that the escalating redistricting wars could erode faith in democracy itself. He described it as a potential “race to the bottom,” where voters in opposition-heavy areas feel disenfranchised. For instance, he noted New Jersey, where former President Trump captured 46% of the vote in 2024, yet Republicans hold only three of the state’s 12 congressional seats—a disparity that underscores how gerrymandering can distort electoral outcomes.

Texas State Rep. Brian Harrison, a Republican, echoed these sentiments in a statement to Fox News Digital, calling out the opposition’s tactics as disingenuous.

“The dirty little secret is Democrats have no problem whatsoever with states redrawing their congressional maps to maximize partisan political advantage. They’re just furious that Republican states are starting to redraw their maps,” Harrison said.

He highlighted a pattern in Democrat-controlled states: “It’s because Democrat state after Democrat state, for a decade, has been gerrymandering the hell out of their congressional maps.”

Harrison listed examples where Republicans are shut out entirely or given token representation: “Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, Delaware, all of these states have zero. If you’re a Republican in those Democrat states, you don’t have any voice in Congress,” he added. “And [there are] many, many more that have given you just one seat, Oregon, I think Maine and Maryland.”

This criticism comes amid threats from Democratic leaders in other states to retaliate aggressively. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been particularly vocal, announcing plans for a special election in November to redraw his state’s maps and offset any gains Texas Republicans might achieve.

“We are talking about emergency measures to respond to what’s happening in Texas, and we will nullify what happens in Texas,” Newsom declared.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has similarly shifted tone, abandoning earlier calls for national redistricting reforms in favor of a more combative stance. She recently stated that Democrats “cannot and will not unilaterally disarm” in the face of Republican efforts.

Such admissions only reinforce the conservative argument that Democrats’ outrage over Texas is selective at best. In Illinois, for example, Democrats have long crafted districts to consolidate Republican voters into as few seats as possible, a strategy that has left the GOP with minimal influence despite competitive statewide races. New York provides another case, where proposed maps under Democratic control have drawn scrutiny for packing conservative areas to protect incumbents, even as Gov. Kathy Hochul publicly decries similar tactics elsewhere.

These examples illustrate a broader trend: while Democrats decry gerrymandering when it doesn’t benefit them, they’ve wielded it as a tool to maintain power in blue states for years.

The Texas showdown, now spilling into national headlines as of early August 2025, could reshape the 2026 midterms by adding up to five GOP seats in the Lone Star State alone. But it also serves as a wake-up call for conservatives. If blue states like California and New York follow through on their vows to redraw maps mid-decade—a move with little precedent but encouraged by figures like former President Trump—Republicans in those areas risk further marginalization. Yet this tit-for-tat might ultimately backfire on the left, as aggressive gerrymandering often creates vulnerable districts that flip in shifting political winds.

At its core, the redistricting debate reveals the left’s willingness to bend rules when convenient, while demanding purity from opponents. Conservatives must remain vigilant, advocating for transparent processes that prioritize voters over party bosses. Texas’s efforts aren’t about suppression—they’re about ensuring representation matches reality in a growing state. If Democrats truly cared about fairness, they’d clean up their own maps first. Until then, their protests ring hollow.