Democratic Hypocrisy in Redistricting

Brian Harrison: Well, Caitlyn, I have to tell you I’m incredibly flattered by the amount of time CNN must have spent fact-checking what I said today to come up with those clips. But if those are the best clips they could find, then that proves I was right—because at no point was he asked to justify those maps.

But that’s the point. It wasn’t about saying whether it was good, bad, right, or wrong, whether they could or should do it. The point is that what we’re talking about in the state of Texas is something that is constitutional. It’s legal. The Supreme Court has said we can do things like this.

And my main criticism of the governor, of the liberal Democrat governors in California, New York, Illinois, and other places, isn’t so much about the content of their maps. It’s the blatant hypocrisy and fake outrage.

These Democrats—my Democratic colleagues—who fled the state to hide behind Governor Pritzker, they’re not mad that states are engaging in redistricting to maximize partisan political advantage. They’re mad—but they won’t say it. They’re mad because a Republican state is stepping up and doing it.

That’s the real problem, and that’s the hypocrisy I’m trying to point out here. But to the point—Governor Abbott isn’t here right now. I’m not questioning him about it. Obviously, we’d love to.

During a televised interview, Republican State Representative Brian Harrison lashed out at Democratic lawmakers who fled Texas to prevent the House from reaching the quorum needed to pass a new congressional redistricting map. Harrison called the Democrats’ reaction “fake outrage” and denounced what he described as “blatant hypocrisy” from his colleagues across the aisle.

The lawmaker defended the Republican-led redistricting plan, insisting that it is fully constitutional and legal, backed by U.S. Supreme Court precedent. He emphasized that redistricting — a process with significant political implications — is a legal and accepted practice used by both Republican and Democratic-controlled states.

However, Harrison argued that Democrats are not upset about the redistricting itself, but rather about the fact that this time it is a Republican-led state taking the lead. “They’re not mad that states are engaging in redistricting to maximize partisan political advantage. They’re mad — but won’t say it — that a Republican state is doing it,” he stated.

The comments came amid a special session of the Texas Legislature, where the Republican majority was pushing forward with its legislative agenda, including the new redistricting proposal that could significantly reshape electoral representation in the state. In response, over 50 Democratic representatives left the state to block the quorum, a tactic Harrison condemned as irresponsible and undemocratic.

Harrison also criticized liberal media outlets like CNN for attempting to discredit his remarks by airing selective clips. According to him, those clips only served to prove his point. “If those are the best clips they could find, it just proves I was right,” he said, adding that Democratic governors were never asked to justify their own redistricting maps.

For Harrison, the episode highlights not only a partisan power struggle in the legislature but also a deeper conflict over legality, representation, and the strategic use of political power. “The real issue here isn’t redistricting. It’s that Democrats can’t stand Republicans playing by the same rules they’ve used for years,” he concluded.