The plan calls for an unusually timed reshaping of House district lines to greatly strengthen the Democratic advantage in the state ahead of midterm elections, when Republicans will be defending the party's fragile House majority.
The California effort seeks to take five of the state's nine GOP districts and make them more favorable to Democrats. Just like in Texas, however, it is by no means a guarantee that Democrats would win all five of these seats if a new California map becomes law.
California lawmakers are scheduled to return to Sacramento on Aug. 18 amid the redistricting talk. The California State Legislature will have a short time span to move forward.
The proposal was released by the campaign arm of House Democrats, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Democrats in the state Legislature will hold hearings and plan to vote on the new maps next week.
New districts have boundaries to boost Democratic edge
While a general notion behind drawing districts is to unite what's called communities of interest — neighborhoods and cities that share similar concerns or demographic traits — the proposed remapping would create a jigsaw of oddly shaped districts to maximize Democratic clout.
Under the proposal, Democrats would end up with a 10-point registration advantage in the district after drastic reshaping to include parts of heavily Democratic Sonoma County near the Pacific Coast.
A graphic of the proposed redistricting map in California. Democratic Congressional Campaign CommitteeIn the battleground 41st District east of Los Angeles, represented by long-serving Republican Rep. Ken Calvert, Democratic and Republican registration is currently split about evenly.
Other Republicans whose districts would see major changes intended to favor Democrats include Rep. Kevin Kiley in Northern California, Rep. Ken Calvert in Riverside County, Rep. David Valadao in the Central Valley farm belt and Rep. Darrell Issa in San Diego County. Also, embattled Democratic incumbents would see their districts padded with additional left-leaning voters.
Kiley's current district covers suburbs, small towns and mountain communities from the Sacramento region to the Eastern California border.
The GOP's first special session in Texas ended without approving new political maps, thwarted by Democrats who staged a nearly two-week walkout that meant not enough lawmakers were present to pass any legislation. Gov. Greg Abbott then quickly called a second session that started without the necessary quorum to conduct business.
"We can't stand back and watch this democracy disappear district by district all across the country," Newsom said.
Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, who heads the House GOP campaign arm, said Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, is "shredding California's Constitution and disenfranchising voters."
Under current law, California has an independent redistricting commission that was approved by voters earlier this century. Newsom has emphasized that the ballot effort would not get rid of the commission, though it would essentially suspend it. If the measure passes, the commission would then resume being able to write maps after the 2030 census.
Some people already have said they would sue over the effort. Republican former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a longtime opponent of partisan redistricting, signaled that he will not side with Democrats even after talking to Newsom. He posted a photo of himself Friday at the gym wearing a T-shirt that said, "Terminate gerrymandering," with a reference to an obscenity and politicians.
House control could come down to a few seats in 2026
On a national level, the partisan makeup of existing district lines puts Democrats within three seats of a majority. Of the 435 total seats, only several dozen districts are competitive. So even slight changes in a few states could affect which party wins control.
If approved, a new California map would take effect only if a Republican state does its own redistricting. It would remain through the 2030 elections. After that, Democrats say, they would return mapmaking power to the independent commission voters approved in 2008.
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