California Gov. Gavin Newsom is moving ahead with an aggressive plan to redraw the state's congressional maps in response to Republican-led redistricting in Texas, setting up a high-profile fight with a well-funded bipartisan coalition determined to stop him.
The push comes after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Republican legislators advanced proposals to create as many as five new GOP-leaning districts, a move Democrats say could tilt control of the U.S. House in Republicans' favor in 2026. "We're going to fight fire with fire," Mr. Newsom said on his podcast Wednesday, vowing to "neutralize whatever Abbott does next week or whenever they move forward the next special session."
Unlike Texas, California's constitution requires changes to redistricting to be approved through a statewide ballot measure. Legislative leaders are set to return Monday to consider a resolution that needs a two-thirds majority in both chambers before going to voters in November. Newsom has scheduled a Thursday press conference to detail his plan.
The proposal faces steep opposition. Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who championed the 2010 ballot initiative creating California's independent citizens redistricting commission, has joined forces with Charles Munger Jr., the League of Women Voters, state and federal Republican lawmakers, and other critics. Munger, who spent $12.4 million to pass Proposition 20, will "vigorously defend the reforms he helped pass," spokesperson Amy Thoma Tan said, pledging "the resources necessary to make our coalition heard."
The League of Women Voters' California chapter warned in a letter to Democratic leaders that even temporary changes could cause "long-term damage" to democratic reforms. "The way to fight is not to abandon one of California's greatest democratic reforms," wrote Dora Rose, the group's deputy director.
One potential setback for opponents came this week when Common Cause's national leadership softened its position on mid-cycle redistricting, saying it would not "automatically condemn" such efforts if they meet certain fairness criteria. Common Cause President Virginia Kase Solomón said it was "too soon to say" if California's proposal would qualify but stressed that "Governor Newsom will be held to the same standards and criteria as any other state."
California Democrats have discussed the possibility of gaining up to five new Democratic-leaning seats, according to Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D., Calif.), who said there is "tremendous unity on the Democratic side." Republicans currently hold just nine of California's 52 House seats, but flipping even a few could counter Texas' changes and help Democrats retake the House.
Republicans in California are preparing their own counteroffensive. Steve Hilton, a GOP candidate for governor in 2026, said he would sue to block the measure if it reaches the ballot, arguing that population shifts after the pandemic make accurate map drawing impossible. Rep. Kevin Kiley (R., Calif.) has introduced federal legislation to ban mid-cycle redistricting nationwide, though the bill is unlikely to advance with President Donald Trump's backing for GOP-led redistricting efforts.
