Today's News: California Enacts Redistricting Effort to Counter Texas’s GOP-Drawn Maps
Both states aim to gain five additional U.S. House seats for their respective parties ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, intensifying a national battle for control of Congress.
Photo: Philip Cheung for The New York Times
Overview
Date: August 21, 2025
Topic: California Enacts Redistricting Effort to Counter Texas’s GOP-Drawn Maps
Summary: California Governor Gavin Newsom signed bills on August 21, 2025, to implement a Democratic-drawn congressional redistricting plan. This move, which will be put to California voters in a special election on November 4, 2025, is a direct response to a similar mid-decade redistricting effort by Texas Republicans, initiated at President Donald Trump’s request. Both states aim to gain five additional U.S. House seats for their respective parties ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, intensifying a national battle for control of Congress. California’s plan requires voter approval to temporarily bypass its independent redistricting commission, a process unique to the state.
Sources
The New York Times - Newsom Signs California Redistricting Plan to Counter Texas Republicans
NBC News - California voters will decide whether to adopt a new Democratic-drawn congressional map
Fox News - California Democrats approve Newsom-backed redistricting map to counter Texas
The Washington Post - Newsom signs bills for redrawing voting maps as parties fight for control
Key Points
All articles highlight California’s redistricting as a direct counter-response to Texas Republicans' mid-decade redrawing of congressional maps, which was initiated at the request of President Donald Trump.
The primary motivation for both California’s and Texas’s actions is to gain an advantage in the fierce partisan battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections.
Both California Democrats and Texas Republicans are aiming to secure approximately five additional U.S. House seats for their respective parties through these new maps.
California’s proposed maps require voter approval in a special election on November 4, 2025 (known as Proposition 50), to temporarily override the state’s existing independent redistricting commission.
Governor Newsom and other California Democrats explicitly frame their actions as “fighting fire with fire” to level the playing field against what they perceive as Republican “election rigging” or “power grabs.”
Republican leaders in California, such as James Gallagher, criticize the practice of mid-decade redistricting and warn of its negative consequences for democracy, even while acknowledging the partisan motivations on both sides.
Republicans in California unsuccessfully attempted to halt the legislative process through a challenge to the State Supreme Court, while Texas Democrats have vowed legal battles against their state’s new maps.
Former President Barack Obama endorsed Governor Newsom’s effort, stating that while he generally opposes gerrymandering, he views Newsom’s approach as “responsible” given the actions of the White House and Republican-controlled state governments.
Unique Highlights
The New York Times details specific examples of how districts would be redrawn in California, such as combining conservative Shasta County with liberal Marin County. It also highlights actions by the Trump administration in California earlier in the summer (National Guard deployment, reversing an environmental law, threatening disaster aid) that Newsom is likely to emphasize in his campaign. The article names Charles Munger Jr. as a key funder of the original independent commission ballot measures, vowing to defend the system.
CNN notes that the initial California plan included a “trigger” provision that would only take effect if another state engaged in mid-decade redistricting, but this was removed on Thursday after Texas acted. It also highlights Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s addition of an item to the agenda for penalties against legislators who willfully absent themselves during a session, following the Texas Democrats' walkout.
NBC News identifies four Republican Representatives (Doug LaMalfa, Darrell Issa, Ken Calvert, and David Valadao) whose seats could be endangered by the proposed California map. It also provides specific figures for campaign donations supporting the Newsom-backed ballot measure: $2 million from the governor’s political committee and $3 million from national Democrats' super PAC focused on House races.
Fox News directly quotes Governor Newsom’s X (formerly Twitter) post, where he states, “Time to fight fire with fire. Direct democracy that gives us a fighting chance to STOP Donald Trump’s election rigging.” It also mentions that Republican Representative Kevin Kiley, one of the targeted incumbents, introduced legislation to halt the nationwide redistricting push until after the 2030 census.
The Washington Post provides details on the expected ferocity and funding of California’s 11-week campaign, estimating up to $100 million for each side and noting Newsom raised over $6 million from small donors in the first week. It lists other states (Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Florida for Republicans; Illinois for Democrats) that are also considering altering their maps. The article also points out that one Assembly Democrat, Jasmeet Bains, voted against the amendment because her own seat would be altered to favor Democrats.
Contrasting Details
Justification for Trump’s Actions: While The New York Times reports that Republican leader James Gallagher believed President Trump asked Texas to act only in response to Democratic gerrymandering that occurred after the last census in Massachusetts and Illinois, The Washington Post and Fox News describe Trump initiating the national battle or spurring other states without providing this specific justification from Trump or his allies regarding prior Democratic actions.
Transparency of Map Drawing: The Washington Post highlights that Republican leaders in the California legislature argued that Democrats controlling the process allowed little transparency, even shrouding the identities of the lawmakers involved in drawing the new district lines. This specific accusation regarding lack of transparency in California’s map-drawing process is not addressed in the other provided articles.
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