Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced voters in California will have a chance in a special election this fall to greenlight partisan redistricting in response to President Trump’s push to rearrange the congressional maps in Texas.
Mr. Newsom said the “Election Rigging Response Act,” which would clear the way for more Democratic-friendly maps in the deep-blue state, will give voters on Nov. 4 the chance to declare that they do not support a “rigged” system.
“We’re giving the people of this state the power to save democracy, not just in California, but all the United States of America,” Mr. Newsom said at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy in Los Angeles. “I hope we are waking up to this reality. Wake up, America. Wake up to what Donald Trump is doing.”
Mr. Newsom, a possible contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, has been among the most vocal critics of Gov. Greg Abbott and the GOP-led Texas legislature’s push to redraw their maps ahead of next year’s midterm elections. The redrawn map would help Republicans gain five seats in the midterms, improving their odds of keeping the House majority.
“They want to rig these elections, and they want the power that gerrymandering provides because they know what Donald Trump knows: he’s going to lose the midterms,” Mr. Newsom said. “He knows, de facto, his presidency ends in 17 months.”
The November ballot question would shift power away from the independent redistricting commission that has overseen California maps for 15 years, and allow the Democrat-led legislature to carve out new districts ahead of the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections.
Mr. Newsom said that Mr. Trump’s weakness was on display when Border Patrol agents gathered outside the building.
“Do you think it is coincidental?” he said.
Mr. Abbot and Texas Republicans have shown no signs of backing off their efforts to redraw their congressional maps.
Texas Democrats temporarily disrupted their plans by leaving the state, so the legislature lacked the quorum necessary to act on their proposal.
National Democrats have celebrated the efforts of the runaway lawmakers, who have faced fines and have been the subject of lawsuits.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running for the U.S. Senate, sought to expel the 13 House members who fled the state, and has asked a judge to jail Rep. Beto O’Rourke, another possible Senate candidate, for ignoring a temporary court order and continuing to fundraise in support of the fleeing Democrats.
Mr. Abbot announced this week that he would launch a second special session next week to address the redistricting plan, warning the runaway Democrats that their effort is doomed.
The Newsom press conference featured the who’s who of California politics, ranging from its congressional delegation to the heads of powerful labor and pro-choice groups that warned if Texas gets its way, the Trump administration will double down on its efforts to harass immigrant communities, strip away abortion rights and water down the strength of unions.
“You come after our votes in California, and we will fight you tooth and nail,” said Sen. Adam Schiff of California. “Donald Trump, you do not poke the bear, not while we’re around.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.