Former President Barack Obama on Thursday joined a virtual meeting with Texas House Democrats who left the state to deny Republicans the ability to pass newly drawn GOP-favorable congressional maps, cheering on their efforts and stressing their work comes at a critical time in the fight against partisan gerrymandering.

We're prepared to bring this battle back to Texas under the right conditions and to take this fight to the courts,” said Caucus Chair Gene Wu of Houston in a statement.

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.