Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced that he and California legislative leaders will ask voters in November to approve a one-time redrawing of the state’s congressional districts in an effort to add Democratic seats in Congress.
The move is aimed at countering President Donald Trump and Texas Republicans’ plan to add five House seats to the GOP column ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
“It's not about lines, it's about drawing a line, and it's all about elevating a deeper consciousness of the line that Donald Trump continues to cross,” Newsom said. “It's not about him playing by a different set of rules. There are no rules for Donald Trump. This is a serious moment in American history.”
Newsom made the announcement at a news conference, flanked by Texas legislators, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, Senate President pro Tem Mike McGuire, and Rep. Zoe Lofgren, who chairs California's democratic congressional delegation.
The move marks an escalation in Newsom’s long-running feud with Trump over election rules and voting rights. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott and GOP lawmakers — at Trump’s urging — are pursuing mid-decade redistricting to secure a net gain of five Republican-leaning seats, bolstering the party’s chances of holding the House in 2026.
California’s proposed ballot measure would give the Legislature authority to adjust congressional boundaries only for 2026, bypassing the state’s independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, which normally draws maps once every decade. Lawmakers would be required to return control to the commission after the midterms.
“We tried to play by a higher set of standards and rules with our independent redistricting, and we believe in that, and we are not talking about eliminating that commission,” Newsom said. “We are talking about emergency measures to respond to what's happening in Texas, and we will nullify what happens in Texas. We'll pick up five seats with the consent of the people. And that's the difference between the approach we're taking and the approach they're taking. We're doing it on a temporary basis.”