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Full video: Gov. Gavin Newsom, plus California and Texas speak on re-districting
California Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke from the Governor's Mansion in Sacramento on Friday on the state's re-districting plan. He was joined by other state leaders, Democratic lawmakers from Texas.
OAKLAND, Calif. - In a letter, California Gov. Gavin Newsom urged President Donald Trump to stand down and stop his bid for the Texas state Legislature to redraw congressional districts.
Trump's plan
Big picture view:
Trump wants the GOP majority in Texas to redraw districts so that five more Republicans can be elected. Trump is pushing other Republican-controlled legislatures to follow suit as he tries to avoid a repeat of the 2018 midterms. Those elections during Trump’s first presidency yielded a new Democratic majority in the U.S. House that stymied his agenda and twice impeached him. Existing maps nationally put Democrats within three seats of a House majority at a time when there are only several dozen competitive districts out of 435.
‘Playing with fire’
What they're saying:
The president has spurred Democratic governors, including Newsom, to pledge retaliatory redistricting efforts in their states — setting up the possibility of an extended standoff that could upend the 2026 midterm elections.
"You are playing with fire, risking the destabilization of our democracy, while knowing that California can neutralize any gains you hope to make. This attempt to rig congressional maps to hold onto power before a single vote is cast in the 2026 election is an affront to American democracy," Newsom wrote to Trump.
To offset Trump and the Texas GOP's push, Newsom and other California Democrats are considering new boundaries to yield a five-seat shift toward Democrats. That would require, however, getting California voters to set aside existing maps drawn by an independent commission. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker have promised similar efforts.
Gov. Newsom, Texas and California Democrats not backing down on redistricting
Texas Democrats, who are breaking quorum to avoid voting on redrawing Congressional maps in their home state, were welcomed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom in Sacramento on Friday.
Newsom said he prefers that independent bodies draw political districts rather than partisan legislatures, as is done in Texas and most GOP-controlled states. But, he wrote, "California cannot stand idly by as this power grab unfolds."
If Texas and "the other states call off their redistricting efforts," the governor added, "we will happily do the same. And American democracy will be better for it."
Dozens of Texas Democratic lawmakers are staying in Illinois, New York and elsewhere, and said they have no intentions of returning as long as Republicans are intent on mollifying Trump.
"Democrats, especially in Texas, are standing firm," said Rep. Rhetta Bowers at a gathering of Texas lawmakers Monday in Illinois.
The minority caucus intends to run out the clock on the current special session, which cannot extend beyond Aug. 19. But Gov. Greg Abbott said he’ll call lawmakers back to the Statehouse again and again until enough Democrats show up to reach the 100-member threshold required to vote on the bill.
The Source: Letter from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Associated Press