Former Representative Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke, the Texas Democrat whose political ambitions have faltered in recent years, used strikingly combative language this week to call for aggressive partisan redistricting by Democrats nationwide, urging them to ignore traditional guardrails in the process.
Speaking to supporters through his political nonprofit, “Powered by People,” O’Rourke railed against Republican-led efforts to reshape Texas’s congressional map and called on Democrats in states they control to “redraw their congressional districts now” in a bid to maximize their party’s advantage in Washington.
“We don’t await the punch thrown by these would-be fascists to land,” O’Rourke said. “We punch first, and we punch harder.” He urged Democratic leaders in California, New Jersey, Illinois, and other states with one-party control to act immediately, regardless of whether Texas had finalized its own plans. “Listen, you may say to yourself, ‘Those aren’t the rules,’” he told the crowd. “There are no refs in this game, f*** the rules, we are going to win whatever it takes.”
Beto O'Rourke says when Democrats take back power, they're going to "drive that car like we stole it" to give amnesty to illegal aliens.
O'Rourke: Illegal immigrants are "what makes this country so G**damned great in the first place." pic.twitter.com/CYpN1JsQTi
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 9, 2025
O’Rourke’s remarks come in the wake of a court ruling that issued a restraining order preventing him from raising money to support Texas Democrats who fled the state during a special legislative session.
Those lawmakers had broken quorum in an attempt to block passage of a map that could grant Republicans as many as five additional right-leaning seats in Congress.
The former congressman’s nonprofit has sought to funnel money toward the absent lawmakers, drawing criticism from Republican leaders who argue that such tactics undermine democratic norms.
O’Rourke’s insistence that Democrats adopt similar strategies elsewhere underscores a broader national debate over whether partisan gerrymandering — long decried by his party — should be embraced when it benefits their own electoral prospects.
“We want California and New Jersey and Illinois and every other state where the Democrats hold the governor’s mansion, the assembly, and the state senate to redraw their congressional districts now,” he said, making clear that political advantage, not procedural fairness, was his primary goal.
O’Rourke also dispensed with subtlety when describing how Democrats should wield power if they regain it on the scale he envisions. “[We should] drive that car like we stole it,” he said — a metaphor that some critics view as a telling insight into his governing philosophy.
Republicans in Texas, who have faced accusations from Democrats of extreme gerrymandering in past cycles, see O’Rourke’s comments as confirmation that partisan map-drawing is less about principle and more about raw political power.
His call to “punch first” and “f*** the rules” stands in sharp contrast to earlier Democratic messaging about protecting voting rights and instituting independent redistricting commissions.
For conservatives, O’Rourke’s remarks are evidence that Democratic leaders are willing to discard procedural norms and legal boundaries when it suits their political aims — a strategy they argue would deepen polarization and further erode trust in the electoral process.
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