Former President Barack Obama has vocally criticized the ongoing Texas GOP’s redistricting plan that has spilled into the national news.
And while a group of Texas Democrats have fled the state and face expulsion and possible arrest for walking out on a vote over the situation, insiders just uncovered that Obama himself led a much bigger movement his fellow Democrats are now protesting.
This week, dozens of Texas Democrats fled the state to deny Republicans the quorum needed to pass the proposed congressional maps, escalating a national redistricting battle ahead of the 2026 midterms.
And Obama appears to be supporting their efforts.
“We can’t lose focus on what matters – right now, Republicans in Texas are trying to gerrymander district lines to unfairly win five seats in next year’s midterm elections,” he said in a post on X.
“This is a power grab that undermines our democracy.”
We can’t lose focus on what matters – right now, Republicans in Texas are trying to gerrymander district lines to unfairly win five seats in next year’s midterm elections. This is a power grab that undermines our democracy. https://t.co/lBGo5aNbyp
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 5, 2025
Obama’s post was shared from an original post from All On The Line, a campaign affiliated with the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), and a group that teamed up with Obama to create a program known as “Redistricting U” in 2019.
At the time Obama announced over his social media that he could not “wait to begin organizing when the redistricting process starts in 2021,” adding, “we need to build this movement from the ground up–right now.”
Training is at the heart of organizing. It’s why I’ve always made it a priority – from my 2008 campaign until now. And it’s why I’m proud to announce @allontheline’s in-person training initiative, Redistricting U. Join us: https://t.co/yrWJ50wSdE pic.twitter.com/HiKvGd2XyE
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 26, 2019
However, in light of what has been happening in Texas coupled with Obama’s support of Democratic opposition, insiders quickly pointed out that “Redistricting U” was an organization fueled by redrawing election maps in favor of Democrats.
Former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R) shared an IRS tax exemption form on X from 2017 that featured the NDRC describing their mission: “Favorably position Democrats for the redistricting process.”
If anyone tells you that @EricHolder is “fighting against gerrymandering” and for “fair maps,” just look at the form his organization filed with the IRS. The truth: their mission is to “FAVORABLY POSITION DEMOCRATS FOR THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS.” pic.twitter.com/1f6J2SnIlX
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) August 22, 2019
According to reports, Obama was driving the organization’s efforts in his home state of Illinois.
Illinois Democrats, with full control of the redistricting process, proposed a congressional map in October 2021 that aimed to secure 14 of the state’s 17 House seats for Democrats, despite Republicans arguing it was a “shameless gerrymander.”
An alternative map proposed by Democrats at the time was even more aggressive, potentially limiting Republicans to just two seats.
All on the Line supported these efforts by mobilizing activists trained through “Redistricting U” to advocate for maps that amplified Democratic-leaning districts.
Thankfully, the non-partisan group from the Princeton Gerrymandering Project concluded that the Illinois map received an “F” grade for its partisan bias, pointing to a “significant Democratic advantage.”
But don’t tell Obama that!