Texas’ redistricting brawl is about much more than House seats

The redistricting fight in Texas has Ken Paxton written all over it, with the state attorney general filing a multitude of lawsuits seeking to rein in the runaway Democrats and punch his ticket to national political prominence.

He is not the only one. Prominent Democratic figures are also using the Lone Star scuffle to jockey for position in their party.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warn they will retaliate with redistricting efforts of their own that will hurt Republicans if they do not back away from the Trump-inspired effort to rearrange the lines in Texas.

Meanwhile, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has welcomed the runaway lawmakers to Illinois. He said they are “heroes” for leaving the Texas Legislature without the quorum necessary to act on legislation.

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas has been raising money off the runaway Democrats’ cause. He welcomed the chance to mix it up with Mr. Paxton and seized on the battle as a way to rally liberal voters behind a potential Senate bid.

Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott is testing the resolve of the state’s wayward Democratic lawmakers, who have faced lawsuits and fines. On Tuesday, Mr. Abbott announced he would call a second special session to force the Legislature to address redistricting and other legislative priorities.

“There will be no reprieve for the derelict Democrats who fled the state and abandoned their duty to the people who elected them,” he said.

Mr. Paxton, who is running to unseat Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary race next year, was also back in the headlines Tuesday.

Mr. Paxton asked a judge to arrest Mr. O’Rourke for violating a temporary order barring him and his Powered by People group from fundraising or spending money on behalf of the Texas Democrats who fled the state to thwart the redistricting plans.

“He still thinks he’s above the law, so I’m working to put him behind bars,” Mr. Paxton said in a statement.

The temporary injunction was granted last week after Mr. Paxton sued Mr. O’Rourke and his political group for bankrolling the Texas House Democrats’ exodus.

Mr. Paxton said Mr. O’Rourke “flagrantly and knowingly” violated that court order when he told a crowd over the weekend, “There are no refs in this game, [expletive] the rules.”

“He’s about to find out that running your mouth and ignoring the rule of law has consequences in Texas,” Mr. Abbott said. “It’s time to lock him up.”

Nick Maddux, a spokesperson for Mr. Paxton’s Senate campaign, said the fight plays to the candidate’s political strengths and reminds Texas voters that he is a fighter.

“He fights the left, and he wins,” Mr. Maddux said. “He owns the libs, just like President Trump.”

Mr. Cornyn has also put his imprint on the debate.

Last week, the veteran lawmaker said the FBI granted his request to track down the runaway Democrats.

Matt Mackowiak, a Cornyn campaign adviser, said the senator “has consistently supported Gov. Abbott’s efforts” to force Democrats back to Texas through his request to the FBI and by filing a brief supporting the governor’s lawsuit against the lawmakers.

“Ken Paxton has failed miserably during this redistricting battle,” Mr. Mackowiak said. “He selfishly took a two-week vacation in Europe, he said bringing the Dems back would be a ‘challenge,’ he incorrectly claimed local judges would decide what happens, and he has opposed FBI involvement requested by Sen. Cornyn and welcomed by President Trump.”

Mr. Maddux said the Cornyn campaign and its anti-Paxton messaging are a “clown show” and underscore “Paxton derangement syndrome.”

Mark P. Jones, a political science professor at Rice University, said Mr. Paxton and Mr. Cornyn are “falling all over each other in terms of who can be the most aggressive” in the redistricting push.

“Paxton has gotten the most mileage out of it because he’s the most directly involved in the whole process as attorney general,” he said.

Democrats are also trying to score points.

In a letter to Mr. Trump, Mr. Newsom urged the president to have his supporters stand down and warned that he is “playing with fire” by trying to “rig” upcoming elections.

“If you will not stand down, I will be forced to lead an effort to redraw the maps in California to offset the rigging of maps in red states,” he said.

Ms. Hochul has staked out similar ground. She said New York Democrats are not going to “tolerate our democracy being stolen in a modern-day stagecoach heist by a bunch of lawbreaking cowboys.”

Mr. O’Rourke, who lost a closer-than-expected race against Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018, has also sounded the drums of political war.

“Republicans care about power and nothing else, and for far too long, Democrats have cared about being right, coloring within the lines, following the rules, and power has always been a secondary consideration,” he said on MSNBC. “We need to flip that around and focus on power exclusively.”

Mr. Jones said the battle is a prime opportunity for Democrats to curry favor with the Trump resistance as they look to strengthen their hands before races next year and in 2028.