Beto O'Rourke calls on Democrats to play hardball on redistricting

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas added himself to a shortlist of Democrats pressuring California to carve out extra congressional districts for their party ahead of the midterms.

The remarks, made at an event hosted by the left-leaning think tank Center for American Progress on Tuesday, came a day after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott started a special session to redistrict his state years earlier than it normally would, which could thwart Democrats’ attempt to recapture power in Congress in 2026. It’s part of an effort led by President Donald Trump to hold the slim Republican majority, but California Gov. Gavin Newsom has threatened to redistrict his state in a way that’d offset gains in Texas.

“Not only do I think he should do this, I don’t think he should wait for Texas,” said O’Rourke, who is considering running for a Texas Senate seat in 2026. “Why the fuck are we responding and reacting to the other side instead of taking offense on these things?"

"Democrats care more about being right than being in power," he added. "We have to change that. We have to be ruthlessly focused on winning power.”

The former Texas gubernatorial candidate said Democrats could “squeeze out” congressional seats in “Illinois or New York or anything that Democrats hold unitary power.”

It’s unclear how feasible Newsom’s efforts are because his state ceded redistricting power to an independent commission to avoid gerrymandering. In Texas, the Republican-controlled state legislature draws districts, which offers the party a clear path to carve out extra seats without Democratic interference.

O’Rourke, who now runs a voter registration organization called Power to the People, thinks Democrats can leverage voter outreach to make any Republican gains in Texas their own.

“If, God forbid, new districts are drawn, they will be drawn at the expense of existing Republican-majority districts. They will have to bleed out some Republican voters to make these other districts more competitive for Republicans,” he said. “We're already out there … registering eligible, likely Democrats who are not currently on the rolls.”