Putin Fueling Independence Plans in California, Texas: Republican

Ron Nehring, a Republican political adviser, has criticized “Russian government-backed” initiatives for California and Texas to secede from the United States and become independent countries.

Newsweek contacted Nehring for comment via a form on his website, and CalExit and the Texas Nationalist Movement, the main secessionist movements in their states—via email.

Why It Matters

The push for states such as California and Texas to secede from the U.S. has gained traction in recent years, fueled in part by Russian-backed efforts to destabilize American politics.

As the states with the largest gross domestic products, their secession would cause significant disruption to the U.S. economy. While a state seceding is both highly improbable and unconstitutional, the growing debate could fuel national divisions.

What To Know

On Thursday, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber approved a campaign to gather signatures petitioning for a vote on whether the state should leave the U.S.

In a Sunday op-ed for Flash Report, a blog covering California political news, Nehring said the Kremlin was likely cheering on the latest push to get a secession referendum included on the Golden State’s 2028 ballot.

Nehring, who served as chair of the California Republican Party from 2007 to 2011 and was a spokesperson for Texas Senator Ted Cruz‘s 2016 presidential campaign, said the idea of California seceding was again gaining traction.

“Yes, the most delusional, impractical, and Kremlin-cheered pipe dream of our time has returned, despite its repeated failures and universal ridicule,” he wrote, adding, “While its proponents insist the movement is homegrown, the idea has been gleefully boosted by Russian government-backed media and trolls looking to destabilize our country.”

The Republican continued: “Putin and his propaganda machine aren’t aiming for an actual breakup of the U.S. (they know that’s a fantasy). Instead, they want to make secession an acceptable topic, a plausible option to enough people that it festers and spreads.”

A similar secessionist effort exists in Texas, referred to as “Texit” and led by the Texas Nationalist Movement.

According to researchers at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a think tank in Washington, D.C., these secessionist movements have gained support from Russian accounts on social media. Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president and prime minister, has also joked about supporting the movement.

Secessionist leaders have previously rejected the idea that Russian propaganda has driven support for their movements or that they are linked to the Russian government.

What People Are Saying

In an emailed response to Newsweek, Nehring said: “While the current ‘leader’ of CalExit may publicly disavow connections to Russia, the idea itself has been promoted, amplified, and encouraged by Russian government-linked entities, which sought to use it as a destabilization tool. That has been extensively documented for over eight years by media outlets, intelligence agencies, and cybersecurity firms like Graphika.

“Disavowals do not erase the extensive evidence of Russian involvement in advancing this issue for their own anti-American strategic benefit.”

Marcus Evans, who is running the campaign for an independence vote in California, told CBS News: “We believe that now is the best time to Calexit—NOW we are better situated to make Calexit happen than in 2016.”

Daniel Miller, who leads the Texas Nationalist Movement, told Newsweek: “Ron Nehring’s claim that TEXIT is ‘Kremlin-cheered’ is both ridiculous and revealing.

“TEXIT is about Texans reclaiming their right to self-governance, a right Nehring seems incapable of understanding. Instead of addressing the legitimate concerns behind the movement, he throws out tired conspiracy theories, hoping to stay relevant in a conversation that’s way out of his depth.”

What Happens Next

If the petition in California receives the necessary 546,651 signatures by July 22, 2025, it will put this question on the November 2028 ballot: “Should California leave the United States and become a free and independent country?”

It would also require California to create a commission to study the state’s viability as an independent country.

However, even if the ballot measure passed, it would not trigger any legal changes to California’s status and would simply be seen as a “vote of no confidence in the United States of America.”

The U.S. Constitution does not allow for state secession, an issue a Supreme Court ruling settled in 1869 following the Civil War.

Update 1/28/25, 12:12 p.m. ET: This article has updated with a comment Daniel Miller.

Correction 1/28/25, 7:11 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to remove reference to Yes California, which no longer backs secession.