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Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., dismissed former First Lady Michelle Obama’s famous “when they go low, we go high” mantra on Saturday, instead threatening to “bury” Republicans “below the Capitol” during a redistricting fight.
On “CNN Newsroom,” host Omar Jimenez brought up Obama’s old mantra after asking the congressman whether there were concerns that “fighting fire with fire” in redrawing congressional maps could backfire on the Democratic Party.
“No, when they go low, we‘re going to bury them below the Capitol,” Swalwell said. “That‘s what we‘re going to do, because this is about protecting democracy. And right now, as you see, D.C. has been militarized, and we were weak as Democrats.”
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Representative Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., defended Democratic efforts to redraw congressional maps in response to Texas Republicans’ redistricting efforts. (John Lamparski)
Swalwell called recent efforts by Texas Republicans to redraw the state’s congressional districts a “grab for power” by President Donald Trump to make sure Democrats lose in the upcoming midterm elections. He argued that fighting fire with fire was the only way “to protect the most vulnerable” and defend democracy.
“We have paid the price for our weakness in the past, and we can‘t be so weak next time we have power,” Swalwell said. “Gavin Newsom is making Donald Trump react to him with the lawsuits with this new map to match what‘s happening in Texas. And the way I see it is, either we‘re on our heels, and the most vulnerable are on their heels reacting to Donald Trump, or he‘s on his heels reacting to us.”
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Newsom has proposed a controversial initiative that would allow for mid-decade redistricting, aiming to eliminate five Republican-held seats in response to GOP-led map changes in Texas. However, such changes are currently prohibited by the California state constitution, which mandates nonpartisan redistricting through an independent commission. Newsom and California Democrats are pushing for a special election later this year to obtain voter approval to bypass the constitution.
Swalwell didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Swalwell is the latest in a long line of Democrats who have appeared to abandon the “when they go low, we go high” mantra in favor of harsher and sometimes violent rhetoric. Michelle Obama also amended the phrase in a 2020 DNC speech.
“Let’s be clear: going high does not mean putting on a smile and saying nice things when confronted by viciousness and cruelty,” Obama said in 2020. “Going high means taking the harder path. It means scraping and clawing our way to that mountain top. Going high means standing fierce against hatred while remembering that we are one nation under God, and if we want to survive, we’ve got to find a way to live together and work together across our differences.”
