California Governor Gavin Newsom has unveiled a sweeping plan to redraw his state’s congressional districts in an effort to counter a Donald Trump-backed Republican push in Texas that could net the GOP five additional House seats. The move, dubbed the “Election Rigging Response Act,” would temporarily override California’s independent redistricting commission for the 2026, 2028, and 2030 elections, returning the power to draw maps to the Democrat-controlled legislature before restoring the commission after the 2030 census.
How the Plan Works
Under Newsom’s proposal, California would hold a special election on November 4 to let voters decide whether to approve the new maps. The new boundaries would only take effect if Texas or other Republican-led states implement partisan redistricting first. If GOP states stand down, California’s current commission-drawn maps would remain in place.
The governor says the maps are being drawn now and will be released in the coming days. While exact numbers are not yet public, political analysts suggest the changes could flip as many as five Republican-held seats in California to the Democrats, neutralizing projected GOP gains in Texas.
Potential Seat Losses and Targets
Although Newsom has not named which districts would be reshaped, several Republican members of Congress could be at risk. Representative Kevin Kiley’s seat has been singled out as one that could be transformed into a Democratic-leaning district. Others representing competitive areas in Orange County, the Central Valley, and the suburbs outside Los Angeles are also likely targets.
The strategy mirrors the Republican approach in Texas, where Governor Greg Abbott and state legislators, at Trump’s urging, are working to redraw maps mid-decade to strengthen GOP control. Texas Democrats have temporarily blocked that plan by leaving the state, but their return could allow Republicans to pass it.
Can Newsom Pull This Off?
Newsom frames his proposal as a direct response to Trump’s alleged request to “find me five seats” in Texas. “We can’t stand back and watch this democracy disappear district by district,” he told supporters in Los Angeles. The governor argues that fighting “fire with fire” is necessary when Republican-led states are abandoning political norms.
Democratic allies say the plan is designed to ensure that Republicans cannot expand their slim House majority through aggressive gerrymandering. Newsom has encouraged other blue states to follow suit, warning that states like Missouri, Indiana, and Florida are also considering mid-decade redistricting.
For the plan to advance, two-thirds of the California legislature must vote to put the constitutional amendment and maps on the ballot. With Democrats holding a commanding majority, party leaders are confident they have the votes. Still, public opinion presents a challenge. Polls show many Californians strongly support the state’s independent redistricting commission and are wary of changing it, even temporarily.
The campaign will be costly. Newsom’s team hopes to raise as much as $100 million for a statewide advertising push. Supporters say the effort is about protecting democracy, but critics argue it is a partisan power grab.
Reactions from Supporters and Critics
Newsom’s allies, including former Attorney General Eric Holder and Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, say extraordinary measures are justified to defend against “extreme and unjustified” gerrymanders in Republican states. “You take away our freedoms, we’ll take away your seats,” said Planned Parenthood’s Jodi Hicks.
Republicans, however, are united in opposition. The National Republican Congressional Committee calls the plan an “attack on democracy” and a stunt to advance Newsom’s rumored 2028 presidential ambitions. Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who championed the independent commission in 2008 and 2010, opposes the move, warning against dismantling nonpartisan map-drawing.
Good-government groups are split. Common Cause, which helped create California’s independent commission, says it will not oppose the plan if it meets fairness criteria. Others, like GOP donor Charles Munger, argue that “two wrongs do not make a right” and warn California should not “stoop to the same tactics as Texas.”
Newsom’s redistricting push underscores a growing tit-for-tat battle between Democrats and Republicans over congressional maps. If successful, California could blunt GOP gains in Texas and reshape the political landscape heading into the 2026 midterms. But it also risks alienating voters who see the move as undermining reforms designed to keep politicians from manipulating district lines.
As Newsom put it, “It’s not good enough to just hold hands and have a candlelight vigil. We have got to recognize the cards we have been dealt, and we have got to meet fire with fire.” Whether Californians agree will be decided in November’s special election.
NP Editor: Gerrymandering used to have a least a facade of legitimacy, states attempted to at least have the appearance of being fair in districting.
But it is indeed a political process. And now we begin to descend into the third world practice of assigning resources to whatever tribe is in power, depriving those resources from non-tribespeople.
