Gavin Newsom vowed to ‘fight fire with fire’ on Monday as he entered a fierce power struggle in Texas that is rapidly becoming a national showdown.

Newsom’s action followed Texas Governor Greg Abbott‘s decision to arrest state Democrats who left in protest of a Republican initiative to redraw congressional lines favoring Donald Trump.

Fifty-seven Democratic lawmakers from Texas departed to Illinois and New York in a bold attempt to stop the GOP’s new electoral map from advancing. 

The Texas Democrats argue the sudden change could hand Republicans five additional Congressional seats – dramatically boosting Trump’s chances of holding Congress in the midterms.

The California governor – who many believe will run for president in 2028 – said he will ‘fight fire with fire’ against Abbott’s redistricting plan, joining what Texas Democrat Julie Johnson called an ‘all-out war.’ 

‘The proposal that we’re advancing with the legislature has a trigger only if they move forward, to dismantling the protocols that are well-established,’ Newsom said. 

‘Would the state of California move forward in kind? Fighting? Yes, fire with fire.’ 

He said that he has not yet seen the state party’s re-drawing of California’s districts, he set his terms for approving them.  

Gavin Newsom has joined the gerrymandering war Democrats are fighting against Texas Republicans

Texas Governor Greg Abbott (pictured) has ordered the arrest of dozens of state Democrats who fled to block a Republican plan to redraw congressional districts in Donald Trump ‘s favor

‘That process has to have the concurrence, the support of two-thirds of the legislature,’ he said. 

California Democrats own 30 of 40 seats in the state senate and 60 of 80 seats in the state assembly.  

‘The maps, we believe, should be transparent. They should be provided in a transparent way to the public, and as a consequence, those maps are being processed and will be brought to light.’

Newsom also offered Californians themselves a chance to endorse the maps in time for the midterms. 

‘We will offer them the opportunity to make judgments for themselves, again, only if Texas moves forward,’ Newsom said. 

‘I’ll reinforce that we believe it should be a national model, independent national redistricting, and it would revert back to its original form, but it’s done in response to the existential realities that we’re now facing. Things have changed, facts have changed, so we must change.’ 

Newsom follows Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a potential 2028 presidential contender and outspoken Trump critic, who welcomed the fleeing Texas Democrats to Chicago on Sunday after having been in quiet talks with them for weeks. 

‘This is not just rigging the system in Texas,’ Pritzker said Sunday. ‘It’s about rigging the system against the rights of all Americans for years to come.’

U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey of Texas urged other Democratic governors to join Pritzker, Newsom and New York’s Kathy Hochul. 

Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (pictured center) speaks in front of Democratic members of Congress and Texas House Democrats during a news conference, after they left their state to deny Republicans the quorum needed to redraw the state’s 38 congressional districts

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, left, listens as Texas state Representative Rafael Anchia, center discusses the Republican redistricting efforts in Texas

Democrats, Veasey said, have too often ‘shown up to a gunfight with good intentions, no knives.’ But ‘that era is over,’ Veasey declared Monday from Illinois. ‘We are not going to unilaterally disarm.’

Newsom reiterated that he was only acting in defense of his state. 

‘They’ve triggered this response and we’re not going to roll over and we’re going to fight fire with fire, but we’re going to do so not just punching with the weight of the fourth largest economy, the most populous state in our union, the size of 21 state populations combined,’ he said.

‘We also will punch above our weight in terms of the impact of what we’re doing, and I think that should be absorbed by those in the Texas delegation. Whatever they are doing will be neutered here in the state of California, and they will pay that price.’ 

Abbott gave the state Democrats until 3 p.m. Monday to return to Austin, warning they risked arrest and even losing their seats.

When none came back, Republican leaders authorized law enforcement to bring them in ‘by any means necessary.’

‘The sergeant‑at‑arms and any appointed officers are directed to send for all absentees whose attendance is not excused, and to secure and maintain their attendance under warrant of arrest if necessary,’ House Speaker Dustin Burrows, a Republican from Lubbock announced.

By fleeing the state, Democrats broke quorum in the Texas legislature, preventing Republicans from conducting official business.

Runaway Democrat Texas Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, left, speaks to the media as leader of Texas House Democrats State Rep. Gene Wu, right and other Texan democratic legislators listen during a press conference in Chicago Sunday

Democrats call the redistricting plan a blatant power grab and told DailyMail.com they welcome the showdown with Republicans.

‘When we have the President of the United States looking for five Congressional seats, this can eventually impact the entire United States, so to say that we are doing this to grand stand is bulls***, with all due respect,’ Texas Rep. Linda Garcia told DailyMail.com Monday afternoon.

Among the liberals on the lamb, two members of the House are traveling with children — a nine and five-year-old. 

Garcia decided to bring her nine-year-old son after not having great child care options and realizing she might be in Chicago until Aug. 19 — when the current special session ends. 

‘What I want him to understand is that sometimes we have to make very big sacrifices in order to generate change,’ the Mesquite (a Dallas suburb) Democrat shared in a phone interview from Chicago.

‘I walked him through worst possible scenarios that could take place, including getting arrested, getting bombarded by press…and he has been very brave.’

Abbott doubled down by ordering Texas troopers to arrest all rouge Democrats Monday afternoon. 

Garcia’s elementary school student has found a playmate in the five-year-old grandchild of another representative who was forced to bring the boy as well. 

Texas State Representative Linda Garcia (far right) stands behind her nine-year-old-son at a press conference in Chicago. The mom decided to bring her child as she joined nearly 60 other Democrats in fleeing the state to stop what they called a Republican power grab

 Texas Democratic House members including State Rep. TREY MARTINEZ FISCHER, D-San Antonio, arrive at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport catching a private charter plane to Chicago in an attempt to break quorum on a redistricting bill on August 3, 2025. At left is State Rep. CHRIS TURNER, D-Grand Prairie. Texas House Members Leave Texas, Austin, Texas

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a close ally of President Donald Trump, has ordered state lawmakers to redrawn congressional maps in the Lone Star State outside of the normal 10-year period so that POTUS and the GOP will have an advantage in the 2026 elections

‘This is going to be one of the greatest lessons he could learn. I would hope that in the future he would recall the courage that as a mother this requires,’ she said, her voice cracking with emotion. 

They have been working with lawyers who told them arrests were a likely outcome. 

However, the Lone Star State Democrats believe this is a moment of inflection nationally, particularly because the congressional district that will be redrawn in Texas if the GOP gets its way would impact Black and Hispanic communities.

‘You’re going to steal the power and the voices of black and brown communities– we’re not just going roll over and just allow you to do that,’ Rep. Lauren Ashley Simmons added. 

‘The message that I’m receiving from my community is that we need to stand up and hold the line.’ 

In fact, the Dems wouldn’t share their location in Chicago with Daily Mail, explaining they knew arrests were looming early Monday. 

‘We know that Donald Trump is the one spear-heading all of this. We don’t know what he’s capable of, we are preparing for the worst and hoping for the best,’ Rep. Christina Morales said via phone interview. 

State Attorney General Ken Paxton, bragged he successfully secured a Texas Supreme Court ruling that held that the House could arrest absent members to secure their presence and establish a quorum when Democrats fled the state in 2021.

‘If he wants to round up and arrest duly elected officials whose constituents are watching and who put us in office, so be it,’ Rep. Simmons said of Abbott.

‘I hope he understands, you can only push people so far to their breaking point and then there will be a response.’