As Texas moves forward with an off-cycle redistricting to shore up Republicans’ narrow House majority, Gov. Gavin Newsom is plotting a Democratic response in California. But the state’s independent redistricting commission is a major obstacle.

As the Texas Legislature plans to redraw congressional maps, the governors of California and Illinois may devise new borders before the 2026 elections.

With little say in the ongoing debate over redrawing congressional districts​ in their home state, Texas Democratic state legislators are looking beyond their borders for help.