Texas Democrats geared up for another day of defiance against Gov. Greg Abbott and the state GOP as they try to move forward with their controversial redistricting.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the man he is vying to unseat in next year’s Republican primary, US Sen. John Cornyn, are both using the powers of their offices to try to pressure the Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to prevent a vote on a GOP-led redistricting plan.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and California legislative and congressional members stood with Texas state lawmakers in their opposition to President Trump's plan to redraw voting maps to hold onto power in the midterm election.

Texas has been the epicenter of Trump’s push to gerrymander congressional maps to shore up Republicans’ narrow House majority before next year.

California's governor said on Friday he will ask voters to approve a ballot measure in November redrawing the state's congressional map in a way likely to create five more Democratic seats, escalating a redistricting war with the Republican-led state of Texas and President Donald Trump.

Republicans had warned they would escalate efforts to end the nearly weeklong holdout if defiant Democrats do not return to the state Capitol. But the Democrats who bolted for points across the country on Aug.