Amid the backdrop of leftists’ freakout over Republican-led redistricting efforts, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is making plans to usurp a citizen-enacted independent redistricting commission to further gerrymander the state in Democrats’ favor.
Seemingly desperate to boost his nationwide profile ahead of a potential 2028 presidential run, the Golden State Democrat telegraphed earlier this week his intent to support a scheme to redraw California’s congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterms. The prospective move is aimed at helping his party offset any potential GOP gains resulting from Texas and other red states‘ redistricting efforts.
“[Republicans have] triggered this response. And we’re not going to roll over and we’re going to fight fire with fire, but we’re going to do so not just punching with the weight of the fourth largest economy, the most populous state in our union, the size of 21 state populations combined,” Newsom said during a Monday news conference. “But we also will punch above our weight in terms of the impact of what we’re doing, and I think that should be absorbed by those in the Texas delegation, whatever they are doing, will be neutered here in the state of California, and they will pay that price.”
Democrats currently hold 43 of the state’s congressional seats, while Republicans hold nine.
[RELATED: Texas Dems Whine About Redistricting From Illinois, The Most Gerrymandered State In The Country]
Contrary to the picture he paints, a mid-decade redrawing of California’s congressional districts is not as simple as Newsom wants his radical Democrat base to believe.
In 2008 and 2010, California voters approved ballot measures that amended the state’s founding document by giving redistricting powers to an independent commission, with the latter amendment giving the body control over congressional redistricting. According to Ballotpedia, the commission is required to be comprised of “five Republicans, five Democrats, and four unaffiliated with either party.”
A competing 2010 ballot measure that aimed to repeal the 2008 amendment establishing the commission was rejected by voters, with nearly 60 percent voting in opposition.
According to CalMatters, one of the Newsom-backed proposals being floated is for the Democrat-run legislature to pass a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in a special election this fall. As described by the outlet, “Newsom said … [the] plan that would temporarily set aside California’s independent redistricting commission and bring an alternative map” — one more favorable to Democrats — “directly to the public for approval.”
The state would then “go back in 2030 to original form with our independent redistricting [commission] intact,” Newsom claimed.
In other words, the proposed plan would sidestep the independent redistricting commission by presenting voters with what will likely be a heavily gerrymandered map aimed at helping Democrats secure more congressional seats ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Should the California Legislature move forward with such a proposal, it would require at least two-thirds of state lawmakers in both houses to send the prospective measure to voters for consideration. Democrats currently hold supermajorities in both chambers.
For more election news and updates, visit electionbriefing.com.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
