NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Gov. Kathy Hochul ripped Republicans for approving redrawn congressional maps in Texas that would give the GOP a bigger edge in 2026, saying it was “the last gasp of a desperate party clinging to power” and that New York would follow suit.
The maps approved by the Texas House on Wednesday are set to be OK'd by the Republican-controlled state Senate and then signed off on by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.
The controversial move came after President Donald Trump pushed Texas Republicans to reopen the legislative maps they passed in 2021 to squeeze out up to five new GOP seats to help the party stave off a midterm defeat in 2026.
"Texas Republicans delivered Donald Trump the rigged map he demanded," Hochul said in a statement.
"Trump, Greg Abbott and their allies know they can’t win on their record of stripping health care, tanking the economy and making families pay more with less. This is a last gasp of a desperate party clinging to power," Hochul continued.
"In New York, we’ll confront Trump’s legal insurrection head on. We’ll meet him on the same field and beat him at his own game," the governor vowed.
Hochul had previously said that if Texas proceeds, “we must do the same.”
And while New York has an independent commission that changes the political maps only after every census, state Democrats in Albany have introduced legislation to allow mid-decade redistricting.
But the soonest new maps could be in place in New York would be for the 2028 elections. That is because the proposal would require an amendment to the state constitution, a change that would have to pass the Legislature twice and be approved by voters.
Meanwhile on Thursday, California Democrats moved quickly to counter the move by Texas Republicans: They launched their final legislative push to redraw their congressional map to add up to five winnable seats for their party.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.