Texas lawmakers gathered in New York to blast Republicans’ redistricting proposal after more than 50 Texas House Democrats fled the state ahead of a scheduled legislative session on Monday. As the GOP seeks to redraw congressional maps and add as many as five congressional seats in their favor,

( NewsNation) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state will be redrawing state district lines as soon as possible and said “the gloves are off” in a national fight over redistricting. “Here in New York, we will not stand on the sidelines with timid souls,” Hochul, a Democrat, said. “This is a war; we are at war.”

Hochul said Monday that New York should toss out its 2012 redistricting reforms that were aimed at removing partisan politics from congressional maps — while standing alongside Texas Democrats at the state Capitol in a photo-op her detractors ripped as “political grandstanding.