"In early August, dozens of Democratic lawmakers fled Texas for Illinois, denying Republicans the quorum needed to pass new congressional maps projected to give the party as many as five additional seats. Their absence paralyzed the state legislature, turning a walkout into political resistance and drawing national attention. As the standoff dragged on, Gavin Newsom, California's governor, offered an unorthodox countermove: a proposal to suspend his state's independent redistricting commission and draw maps designed to hand Democrats a comparable advantage."
"He unveiled the plan with spectacle, mimicking Donald Trump's signature style through all-caps declarations, a mocking nickname for White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt (KaroLYIN) and AI-generated celebrity endorsements. While Texas Democrats ultimately returned and the Republican redistricting plan has advanced, Newsom has been cast as the emerging leader of Democratic opposition to Trump. Why did it take the party nine months to find one? It wasn't for lack of need."
Dozens of Texas Democratic lawmakers fled the state to deny Republicans a quorum and block congressional maps that would add up to five Republican seats. California governor Gavin Newsom proposed suspending the state's independent redistricting commission to draw maps favoring Democrats, unveiling the plan with theatrical tactics mimicking Trump's style, a mocking nickname for Karoline Leavitt and AI-generated celebrity endorsements. Texas Democrats later returned and the Republican plan advanced, but Newsom emerged as a leader of Democratic opposition to Trump. Powerful liberal institutions prioritize agreeability, discouraging disruption and narrowing space for urgent, bold leadership, making Newsom's willingness to defy convention distinctive.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]