Gov. Kathy Hochul, hosting Texas Democrats who fled the state to break quorum and avoid voting on a rare mid-decade redistricting that could cost the party up to five congressional seats in 2026, said New York would do the same in retaliation because “all is fair in love and war.” “They’ve drawn racist lines to disenfranchise millions of Texans,” she said. “I have a news flash for Republicans in Texas: this is no longer the Wild West. We’re not going to tolerate our democracy being stalled in a modern-day stagecoach heist by a bunch of law-breaking cowboys.” “If Republicans are willing to rewrite these rules to give themselves an advantage, then they’re leaving us no choice,” Hochul said. “We must do the same.” “There’s a phrase: you have to fight fire with fire. That is a true statement of how we’re feeling right now. As I’ve said-another overused but applicable phrase-all’s fair in love and war.” “That’s why I’m exploring, with our leaders, every option to redraw our state congressional lines as soon as possible.”

GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL: These brave public servants are taking a stand-a strong stand-against a blatant power grab that’s happening in their state as we speak. And this will have implications not just in Texas, but for our entire nation and its future. First of all, by breaking quorum-using a legitimate form of government, correct, we’ve talked about this-this is not breaking the law. This is a legitimate process that has been used before. By breaking quorum, by being here today, these legislators are getting into what John Lewis might call good trouble. The trouble is the best kind of trouble. Because now you have the Attorney General-the Texas Attorney General-who, by the way, is obsessed with going after doctors in our state who are simply providing medication abortion assistance to people who are denied that by their own states. Now he’s threatened to arrest each and every one of them if they don’t return to Austin. But they’re being asked to return to vote for a radical, radical redrawing of the congressional lines that were already adopted. They’re being redrawn in favor of Republicans. And of course, where did this come from? Well, Donald Trump came up with this scheme-perhaps with some help from AI, I don’t know-but they have literally redrawn five congressional districts, primarily representing communities of color that need the representation. They’ve drawn racist lines to disenfranchise millions of Texans. … I have a news flash for Republicans in Texas: this is no longer the Wild West. We’re not going to tolerate our democracy being stalled in a modern-day stagecoach heist by a bunch of law-breaking cowboys. Americans don’t want a system that’s stacked against them. They believe in fairness-it’s fundamental. I’ll tell you this: they’re done with the chaos, they’re done with the cruelty, and I would say they’re ready to vote Republicans out of power in Washington-certainly in the upcoming 2026 elections. Republicans know this. They’ve seen the polls. They know they’re sliding downhill because Americans are rejecting their policies. So this is why they’re fighting. They know they’ll lose the elections. But to subvert the will of the people, they’re hell-bent on rigging the system. Rigging the system is un-American. Congressional districts are never redrawn mid-decade-but here they are, flagrantly breaking the rules so they can hold on to power. And with that power, they’re going to inflict even more pain. They’d rather eliminate fairness in the system than proceed knowing they’re going to lose. They’d rather silence voters than serve them. … If you won’t fight for democracy, you’re doomed to lose it. For almost 250 years, our democratic experiment has been fought for, and it’s endured. As governor of a state where many of those early battles took place-we’re commemorating them next year-those battles for freedom were here. That’s why I cannot stand by and let this happen while Donald Trump and his co-conspirator Greg Abbott erode our democracy and drag us toward authoritarianism. Now, what Texas and Republican states are doing, in the direction of Donald Trump-I say it is nothing short of a legal insurrection against our Capitol. Legal meaning they’re using the legal process-does not mean it’s lawful. And it must be stopped. If Republicans are willing to rewrite these rules to give themselves an advantage, then they’re leaving us no choice. We must do the same. There’s a phrase: you have to fight fire with fire. That is a true statement of how we’re feeling right now. As I’ve said-another overused but applicable phrase-all’s fair in love and war. That’s why I’m exploring, with our leaders, every option to redraw our state congressional lines as soon as possible. Our state legislative leaders-Carl Heastie, Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins-they’re on board, as are their members. We’re already working on a legislative process, reviewing our legal strategies, and we’ll do everything in our power to stop this brazen assault.

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