After Texas Republicans this week released a new congressional map proposal to help the GOP pick up five additional seats in next year’s midterm elections, California Governor Gavin Newsom wants to give President Donald Trump the taste of his own medicine.
Slamming Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott for trying to “rig the election” by shifting district lines in ways that would target Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Newsom said he will counter by a new congressional map for California, which has more congressional seats than other states.
“I’m not going to sit back any longer in a position, a fetal position, in a position of weakness when, in fact, California could demonstrably advance in strength.”
Newsom said he and other Democratic officials will start analyzing the current map to see how new lines could be drawn to further squeeze out Republican seats in the deep blue state.
Unlike other states that give redistricting authorities to lawmakers, California must go through the bipartisan redistricting commission, made up with voters, and determine the map every 10 years when census results are announced.
But to respond to Texas’ map in a timely fashion, Newsom said he will overrule the commission for now and present a new map that will favor Democrats for voters in a statewide special election, possibly in the first week of November this year.
There is no new map in California yet, Newsom assured, as California lawmakers are still on summer recess until Aug. 18, but the governor said the redistricting process will be “transparent.”
“We will go to the people of this state in a transparent way and ask them to consider the new circumstances to consider these new realities,” Newsom said. “This is not going to be done in a back room. This is not going to be done by members of some private group or body.
He also said his plan is not to eliminate the redistricting commission but rather to provide a pathway for new congressional maps in a response to Trump.
“This won’t just happen in Texas. I imagine he’s making similar calls all across the country,” Newsom said. “It’s a big deal. I don’t think it gets much bitter.”
It remains to be seen how creative Newsom and Democratic lawmakers will be in re-drawing the district lines as California’s congressional districts are all Democratic but nine seats in red pockets of the state.
While some the districts, including California’s 1st and 5th congressional districts, have been traditionally represented by Republicans, others, including California’s 40th district that Rep. Young Kim narrowly won in 2024, could become more favorable toward Democrats.
NBC Los Angeles reached out to the California Republican Party for a response.