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Gavin Newsom says California will move forward with map redrawing plan in response to Texas effort Gavin Newsom says California will move forward with map redrawing plan in response to Texas effort
(about 1 hour later)
Governor reveals election rigging response act to counter Trump’s push to gain five extra seats in Texas midtermsGovernor reveals election rigging response act to counter Trump’s push to gain five extra seats in Texas midterms
Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, on Thursday said state Democratic lawmakers would move forward with a redistricting plan intended as a direct response to a Republican-led effort in Texas to redraw congressional maps to control of the House majority after the midterm elections. Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, said on Thursday state Democratic lawmakers would move forward with a redistricting plan to counter the Republican-led map-drawing effort in Texas aimed at securing a House majority after the midterm elections.
Newsom, joined by congressional Democrats and legislative leaders, unveiled his plan, known as the election rigging response act, to override the state’s independent map-making commission and approve new congressional lines that would aim to “neuter and neutralize” Texas’s proposal. Newsom, joined by congressional Democrats and legislative leaders, unveiled a plan, known as the election rigging response act, that would override California’s independent redistricting commission and draw new congressional lines – a direct counter to a Texas effort, sought by Donald Trump, to push through mid-cycle maps that could hand Republicans five extra US House seats. The governor vowed the move would “neuter and neutralize” Texas’s proposal.
“Today is liberation day in the state of California,” Newsom said in Los Angeles, formally calling for a 4 November special election that would ask voters to approve a new congressional map. “We can’t stand back and watch this democracy disappear district by district all across the country.” “Today is liberation day in the state of California,” Newsom declared at a rally in Los Angeles, in which he formally called for a 4 November special election to approve a new congressional map. “We can’t stand back and watch this democracy disappear district by district all across the country.”
As he spoke, at the intentionally chosen National Center for the Preservation of Democracy within the Japanese American National museum, federal agents, armed and masked, appeared outside of the building, led by Gregory Bovino, head of the border patrol’s El Centro sector. Local news footage showed one man being led away in handcuffs. As he spoke at the Japanese American National museum’s National Center for the Preservation of Democracy – a venue deliberately chosen for its symbolism – federal agents, armed and masked, fanned out across the complex, led by Gregory Bovino, head of the border patrol’s El Centro sector. Local news footage showed a man being led away in handcuffs.
Speaking to reporters after the rally, Newsom called the presence of border patrol agents “sick and pathetic” and accused Donald Trump of organizing the raid in an attempt to intimidate Democrats. “Wake up, America,” he said. “You will not have a country if he rigs this election.” After the rally, Newsom called the presence of border patrol agents “sick and pathetic” and accused Trump of ordering the operation to intimidate Democrats. “Wake up, America,” Newsom warned. “You will not have a country if he rigs this election.”
Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass argued there was no way the deployment of border patrol agents was “a coincidence” and accused the White House of trying to intimidate elected officials. “The White House just sent federal agents to try to intimidate elected officials at a press conference. The problem for them is Los Angeles doesn’t get scared and Los Angeles doesn’t back down. We never have and we never will,” she said in a social media post. Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat who was not attending the event, arrived on the scene to condemn the raid. In remarks to reporters, she argued that it was not “a coincidence” the raid took place steps from where Newsom was speaking.. “The White House just sent federal agents to try to intimidate elected officials at a press conference,” she said in a social media post. “The problem for them is Los Angeles doesn’t get scared and Los Angeles doesn’t back down. We never have and we never will”.”
The White House did not immediately respond for comment. However, the Department of Homeland Security responded to Bass’s comments, saying she “must be misinformed”. The Department of Homeland Security said Bass “must be misinformed”.
“Our law enforcement operations are about enforcing the law – not about Gavin Newsom. CBP patrols all areas of Los Angeles every day with over 40 teams on the ground to make LA safe,” Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary, said in a post on social media.“Our law enforcement operations are about enforcing the law – not about Gavin Newsom. CBP patrols all areas of Los Angeles every day with over 40 teams on the ground to make LA safe,” Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary, said in a post on social media.
Texas lawmakers are considering a mid-cycle redistricting plan, requested by Trump, that would help secure five additional Republican House seats. The state’s Democrats, who have stalled a vote on the measure by fleeing the state, announced on Thursday that they intended to end their walkout when California releases its redrawn map proposal, expected on Friday. The California map would only take effect if Texas – or any other Republican-led state – advanced a a partisan redistricting plan. Newsom said he preferred all states adopt independent commission, as California does, and had previously said in a letter to Trump that he would “happily” stand down if Texas abandoned its effort.
The California map would only take effect if Texas – or any other Republican state – moved ahead with a partisan redistricting plan. Newsom emphasized that he preferred for all states to adopt an independent commission as California did and urged Trump in a letter to stand down. But with Texas vowing to act swiftly, Newsom said, California – a state with a population larger than the 21 smallest states combined – would not “unilaterally disarm”. Earlier on Thursday, a group of Texas Democrats, who had blocked a vote on the measure by fleeing the state, said they were prepared to end their two-week walkout when California releases its redrawn map proposal. Their return to the state legislature would allow Republicans to plow ahead. Accepting that reality, Newsom said California – with a population larger than the 21 smallest states combined – would not “unilaterally disarm”.
“It’s not complicated,” Newsom said. “We’re doing this in reaction to a president of the United States that called a sitting governor of the state of Texas and said, ‘Find me five seats.’” “It’s not complicated,” he said. “We’re doing this in reaction to a president of the United States that called a sitting governor of the state of Texas and said, ‘Find me five seats.’”
Newsom said the new map would remain in effect through the 2030 elections, at which point, he said, the state would return mapmaking power to its independent redistricting commission, approved by voters more than a decade ago. In a recent interview, Trump claimed that Republicans were “entitled to five more seats” in Texas because he won the state overwhelmingly in the 2024 presidential election.
The Democratic-led state legislature would formally unveil legislation to launch the effort on Monday, Newsom said, expressing confidence that the initiative would receive the necessary support. The new map, Newsom said, would remain in place through the 2030 elections, after which mapmaking power would return to the independent redistricting commission, approved by voters more than a decade ago. The Democratic-led state legislature will introduce legislation on Monday, he added, expressing confidence the initiative would pass and ultimately prevail at the ballot box in November.
“We anticipate the legislature will move quickly and by the end of next week they will complete that work,” he told reporters. If it’s approved, the map would then be put on the ballot for voters to decide. California has 52 House seats – 43 held by Democrats – and several of the nation’s most competitive races, including a handful that helped Republicans claim the majority in 2024.
California has 52 House seats – 43 of which are held by Democrats. But it is home to several of the most competitive races in the country, including a handful that helped secure the Republican majority in 2024. How California voters will respond is uncertain: polls have found deep support for the state’s independent redistricting commission, suggesting Democrats will have to work quickly over the next three months to persuade voters to support their plan.
It remains unclear how California voters would respond to the ballot initiative. Polls have found deep support for the state’s independent redistricting commission, suggesting Democrats will have to work quickly over the next three months to persuade voters to support their plan. Sara Sadhwani, a Democrat who served on California’s 2020 independent redistricting commission, said she wanted partisan gerrymandering banned nationwide. But in Los Angeles on Thursday, Sadhwani stood side by side with Newsom, lawmakers, labor leaders and advocates in support of tearing up the maps she helped draw. “Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures,” she said.
Common Cause, a good government group that has long opposed partisan map-making, said in a statement this week that it would “not pre-emptively” oppose the effort by California to redraw its maps in response to partisan redistricting in Texas.Common Cause, a good government group that has long opposed partisan map-making, said in a statement this week that it would “not pre-emptively” oppose the effort by California to redraw its maps in response to partisan redistricting in Texas.
“A blanket condemnation at this moment would be sitting on the sidelines in the face of authoritarianism,” the group said in a statement. “A blanket condemnation at this moment would be sitting on the sidelines in the face of authoritarianism,” the group stated.
And on Thursday, Eric Holder, a former attorney general and chair of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, said he supported “responsible and responsive” actions to Trump’s “demand for extreme and unjustified mid-decade gerrymanders in Texas and beyond”. Eric Holder, a former attorney general and chair of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, said on Thursday that he backed “responsible and responsive” countermeasures to Trump’s “extreme and unjustified mid-decade gerrymanders in Texas and beyond”.
“Our democracy is under attack,” he said. “We have no choice but to defend it.”“Our democracy is under attack,” he said. “We have no choice but to defend it.”
Sara Sadhwani, a Democratic member of the California independent redistricting commission in 2020, said she wants to see partisan gerrymandering banned nationwide. But in Los Angeles on Thursday, Sadhwani stood side by side with Newsomand others in a show of unity in support of tearing up the maps she helped to painstakingly draw. Republicans have denounced the California proposal: “Gavin Newsom’s latest stunt has nothing to do with Californians and everything to do with consolidating radical Democrat power,” Christian Martinez, the National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson, said in a statement, accusing the governor of trampling the will of California voters to serve a “pathetic 2028 presidential pipe dream”.
“Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures,” she said. At the rally in Los Angeles, there was little sympathy for the nearly half-dozen California Republicans who could be out of job if the redistricting plan succeeds. Speaking before the governor, Jodi Hicks, the president and chief executive of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, had a message for the nine Republicans who backed legislation rolling back reproductive rights: “You take away our freedoms, we’ll take away your seats.”
California Republicans have denounced the plan, including the members targeted by the redistricting effort. Texas’s pursuit of new maps has kicked off a redistricting “arms race” that has spread to state legislatures across the country. Leaders in Florida and Missouri – and in blue state like New York and Illinois – are weighing similar moves. “Other blue states need to stand up,” Newsom said.
“Gavin Newsom’s latest stunt has nothing to do with Californians and everything to do with consolidating radical Democrat power, silencing California voters, and propping up his pathetic 2028 presidential pipe dream,” Christian Martinez, the National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson, said in a statement. The campaign, with a freshly launched website, will be enormously costly and is expected to draw national attention and donors eager for a high-stakes, off-year political brawl. Former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican who championed independent redistricting, has already voiced opposition. Newsom said he had spoken to Schwarzenegger and shared his disdain for gerrymandering, but argued that this was about preserving American democracy.
“Newsom’s made it clear: he’ll shred California’s constitution and trample over democracy – running a cynical, self-serving playbook where Californians are an afterthought and power is the only priority.” “It’s not good enough to just hold hands, have a candlelight vigil and talk about the way the world should be,” Newsom said on Thursday. “We have got to recognize the cards that have been dealt. And we have got to meet fire with fire.”
There was little sympathy at the rally in Los Angeles for the nearly half-dozen California Republicans who may be out of job if the redistricting effort succeeds.
Speaking before the governor, Jodi Hicks, the president and chief executive of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, assailed the nine California Republicans who have voted for legislation rolling back reproductive rights: “You take away our freedoms, we’ll take away your seats.”
Texas’s plan to advance new maps kicked off a redistricting “arms race” that has spread to state legislatures across the country. Now, red state leaders in Florida and Missouri and blue state leaders in New York and Illinois are weighing whether they too can redraw their maps.
“Other blue states need to stand up,” Newsom said.
Newsom acknowledged the campaign, with a newly unveiled website, was an enormously expensive undertaking that would likely draw national attention and donors eager for a high-stakes, off-year political brawl.
Former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican who championed independent redistricting, has already expressed opposition to the plan. Newsom said he had spoken to Schwarzenegger and shared his disdain for gerrymandering, but argued that this was a fight for the preservation of American democracy.
“It’s not good enough to just hold hands, have a candlelight vigil and talk about the way the world should be,” Newsom said in his remarks. We have got to recognize the cards that have been dealt. And we have got to meet fire with fire.”