NOT ADDING UP

Ted Cruz Mocked for Simple Addition Error in Redistricting Spat

The exchange comes as Texas Republicans seek to redraw legislative maps in their favor.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom savagely ridiculed Sen. Ted Cruz for making an addition error as he sought to defend Republicans’ gerrymandering efforts in Texas.

In a Thursday post on X, Cruz said that if California redrew its congressional districts to favor Democrats, as Newsom has threatened to do, Texas Republicans should have the right to gerrymander in their favor as well.

Cruz wrote that California Democrats currently have a “43-9 Dem advantage (83%)” which could become “51-0 Dem advantage (100%)” after Newsom’s redistricting proposal.

But Cruz’s burn fell flat after Newsom pointed out that 43 and 9 add up to 52, not 51.

“Please learn math,” Newsom wrote. Cruz promptly deleted the post, opening himself up to further ridicule.

“Ted Cruz treating his posts like Cancun: Gets caught, then disappears,” Newsom wrote, referring to a vacation the senator took to Mexico in 2021 while hundreds of Texans went without power during a brutal winter storm that left 246 people dead.

Cruz then reposted his remarks with the correct numbers. “Like all charlatans, @GavinNewsom resorts to insults & distractions to hide the truth,” Cruz said.

Recently, Newsom has taken to jeering Republicans on X in Trump-style all-caps as he declares war on the Trump administration’s efforts to help Republicans in the upcoming midterms through gerrymandering, which has centered on Texas. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s redistricting plan has stalled as 50 Democrats in the state House fled the state to deny the legislative body of a quorum.

Newsom sent Trump a letter on Monday setting a Tuesday deadline for Trump to call off Republicans’ redistricting efforts before Newsom launches his own redistricting plan on Thursday, which Newsom is cheekily calling “Liberation Day”—a phrase he borrowed from Trump’s April 2 tariff package.

On Thursday morning, Newsom hinted at his forthcoming redistricting agenda in an ominously worded tweet, “Donald Trump and Greg Abbott are going to have a very bad day today.”

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Amber LevisBreaking News Intern

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