Former President Barack Obama waded into the debate over redistricting in a zoom call with Texas House Democrats on Thursday, warning of a “systematic assault on democracy” spurred by Republican efforts to redraw congressional maps in Texas.

As Texas hurtles toward a flashpoint on a GOP effort to redraw congressional districts, California Democrats are about to answer with a plan of their own.

Lawmakers are now framing their ability to prevent new maps from passing during one special legislative session as a victory. But Republicans are poised to call another.