Rand Paul warns redistricting battles could lead to political violence
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Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., warned on “Meet the Press” Sunday that redistricting efforts by both Republican and Democratic states could potentially lead to political violence.
Paul was asked about his thoughts on nationwide redistricting after the Republican-controlled Indiana State Senate rejected a new congressional map that would have added two new GOP House seats.
“You know, these tensions are escalating on both sides,” Paul said. “Both sides are doing this, and isn’t one side going to sit quietly and do this? You can argue about who started this. But I think that’s the downside of both sides doing this. I think it’s going to lead to more civil tension and probably more violence in our country because think about it.”
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Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has criticized redistricting efforts on both sides of the political aisle. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
He continued, “If Texas is 35% Democrat, completely Democrat, and they have zero representation. Or like in my state, we’re a pretty Republican state, but we have a Democratic district in Louisville, and we have a Democratic congressman. We could break up Louisville and get rid of that one congressman, but how would that make the Democrats feel? I think it makes them feel like they’re unrepresented.”
Paul didn’t just blame Republicans or Democrats for the redistricting fight, but he also expressed concern about how much the problem has escalated.
NBC host Kristen Welker asked Paul to explain what he meant by believing political redistricting could lead to violence.
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Texas Governor Greg Abbott has signed into law a new congressional map that adds five new seats to the GOP House. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
“I say it was a mistake on both sides,” Paul said. “I know exactly how we’re going to de-escalate this, because when Texas is done and flips five more seats to be Republican, California is going to do the same thing. And back and forth, back and forth. How do you put the genie back in the box? How do you go back to detente? How do you do something better? When people feel like they don’t represent themselves, when they feel disenfranchised, I think that can lead, can lead to violence in our society and country.”
There have been redistricting battles across the country ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. In August, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law a new congressional map that added five Republican-leaning U.S. House districts.
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California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom responded by supporting a ballot initiative that would give the Democratic-dominated state legislature the authority to draw a new congressional map and add five Democratic-leaning districts.
California Governor Gavin Newsom led efforts to redistrict his state in response to Texas. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
Newsom spokesman Brandon Richards suggested in a statement to Fox News Digital that President Donald Trump and Abbott are responsible for the redistricting effort.
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“The Senator should bring these concerns to the President and the Governor of Texas. California’s redistricting was done solely in response to their actions; we urged them to back down. Unfortunately, they refused,” Richards said.
Fox News Digital has also reached out to Abbott’s office for comment.
