New York Governor Hochul Calls Texas Redistricting Effort a ‘Legal Insurrection’

Gov. Kathy Hochul is accusing Texas Republicans of waging a “legal insurrection” with their redistricting plan, calling it a national threat to democracy. The New York governor pledged to respond in kind, signaling a growing red-versus-blue state battle over political power.

Key Facts:

Gov. Hochul (D-NY) published an op-ed calling Texas Republicans’ redistricting plan a “legal insurrection.”
The GOP-backed map could shift up to five congressional seats in Texas toward Republicans.
Texas Democrats fled the state to block the vote, prompting GOP leaders to seek arrest warrants.
AG Ken Paxton supported the arrests and warned absent Democrats could face bribery charges.
Hochul vowed to push similar redistricting in New York and coordinated with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.

The Rest of The Story:

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is taking aim at Texas Republicans, accusing them of launching a “legal insurrection” through their redistricting plan. In a Houston Chronicle op-ed, Hochul claimed the GOP-led redistricting is “political arson” designed to “torch our democracy to cling to power.”

At the center of the controversy is a proposed Texas congressional map from Republican state Rep. Todd Hunter. The plan would redraw districts in areas like Houston, Dallas, and the southern border, likely favoring the GOP with as many as five additional seats. Republicans currently control 25 of Texas’s 38 congressional districts.

In protest, Texas House Democrats fled the state to break quorum, halting the legislative vote. Gov. Greg Abbott and Speaker Dustin Burrows authorized arrest warrants to bring them back. Attorney General Ken Paxton supported the move, calling the fleeing lawmakers “cowards” and raising concerns they may have violated bribery laws if donations were used to support their absences.

Hochul praised the Democrats’ flight as “a legitimate and legal tactic,” and warned that if Republicans rewrite the rules, “then they’re leaving us no choice. We must do the same.” She confirmed she’s working with Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries on legal countermeasures and potential redistricting in New York.

The op-ed and surrounding events reflect escalating political warfare over who controls House seats before the 2026 midterms. “This is a war,” Hochul declared. “We are at war. That’s why the gloves are off, and I say, bring it on.”

"It's really a joke when @GovKathyHochul says she's responding to what's going on Texas, if anything Texas is responding to what's been going on for years in blue states… she says we're at war. Governor Hochul has never been to war, but I have – and it's a good thing she's… pic.twitter.com/LXflgPed7a

— Rob Ortt (@SenatorOrtt) August 6, 2025

Commentary:

Gov. Hochul’s op-ed is a textbook example of projection and political theater. The charge of a “legal insurrection” is absurd on its face — there is no coup, no sedition, and certainly no illegal activity in Texas using its legislative process to redraw maps.

The truth is Texas has grown rapidly over the past decade, largely due to an influx of Americans fleeing high-tax, high-regulation states like New York and California. With millions of new residents, Texas is rightly updating its districts — and all five of the new ones are Hispanic majority. So much for the accusation of disenfranchising minorities.

Hochul’s real problem isn’t fairness — it’s political math. She sees the balance of power slipping away, and instead of addressing why her state is losing people and influence, she lashes out. If anything, it’s her failed policies driving migration out of New York.

She also glosses over the fact that her own party dominates one of the most gerrymandered maps in the nation. Democrats in Illinois, Maryland, and New York have all drawn heavily partisan maps, yet she dares to preach about democracy?

Rather than admitting her side is losing in places where voters want lower taxes, safer streets, and better schools, she throws around dramatic language like “war” and “arson.” It’s rhetoric designed to inflame, not inform.

Hochul’s cheerleading of Texas Democrats abandoning their duties also says a lot. They weren’t brave — they ran away to block a lawful vote. That’s not courage. That’s obstruction.

Instead of warning America about some fictional crisis in Texas, Hochul should take a long, hard look at the dysfunction in her own backyard. Crime, taxes, and a shrinking population don’t lie — and they’re the real reasons voters are moving red, not maps.

The Bottom Line:

Gov. Hochul’s incendiary claims against Texas Republicans are more about politics than principle.

There’s no insurrection — just a legal and logical response to Texas’s growing population. If Democrats want to win seats, they should focus on persuading voters, not running from votes.

The real threat to democracy isn’t redistricting — it’s leaders who refuse to accept the will of the people.