California moving forward with partisan redistricting effort to counter Texas’ move
LOS ANGELES (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom stood with other prominent Democratic leaders Thursday to announce that the state will move forward with a partisan plan to redraw congressional maps in an effort to help his party win five more U.S. House seats in 2026.
The move is a direct response to a Republican-led effort in Texas, pushed by President Donald Trump as his party seeks to maintain its slim House majority after the midterm elections. Texas lawmakers are considering a new map that would help them send five more Republicans to Washington, but Democrats have so far halted a vote by leaving the state to prevent their GOP colleagues from meeting Trump’s demands.
Newsom, who is seen as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, urged Trump in a letter earlier this week to abandon his scheme, telling the president he is “playing with fire” and “risking the destabilization of our democracy.”
On Thursday, Newsom called for a Nov. 4 special election on new U.S. House maps designed to win more Democratic seats. He released a campaign ad on social media as Democrats kicked off a press conference where Newsom stood with a coalition of union leaders and U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla.
