Overview
- Newsom unveiled a conditional mid-decade redistricting law to redraw California’s congressional map in a special election aimed at securing five additional Democratic seats in 2026.
- The proposal would bypass the state’s independent redistricting commission until the 2030 cycle and must clear a two-thirds vote in the legislature before going to voters.
- Democratic leaders and the National Redistricting Committee headed by former Attorney General Eric Holder defend the measure as a temporary safeguard against partisan gerrymandering.
- Republican opponents denounce the plan as unconstitutional and warn it will trigger immediate legal challenges over its impact on the California Constitution.
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents patrolled outside Newsom’s press conference, which attendees described as intimidation and have underscored fears of a nationwide mid-decade 'map arms race'.