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4d ago

Newsom Unveils California Redistricting Drive to Offset Texas GOP Maps

He must call a special election by Aug. 22 to put a constitutional amendment before voters that would temporarily return map-drawing to legislators.

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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 13: Texas State Representative Jon Rosenthal (D-TX) wears Texas House and LGBTQIA flag pins on his lapel during a press conference at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Marquette Park on August 13, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. The Texas Democrats recently traveled to Illinois to deny quorum and block a vote on a new congressional district map during a special legislative session in Texas. (Photo by Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Texas Republicans advanced mid-decade congressional maps aiming for up to five new GOP seats but are blocked by fleeing Democrats and threatened lawsuits.
  • Gov. Gavin Newsom officially announced his California redistricting effort in Los Angeles as a proportional response to Texas’ push.
  • He must secure a two-thirds legislative vote before Aug. 22 to call a Nov. 4 special election on a constitutional amendment for legislative map-drawing in the 2026-2030 cycles.
  • Common Cause said it will evaluate counter-redistricting measures against six fairness criteria rather than automatically condemning them.
  • Polling shows 64 percent of Californians back keeping the independent commission and a coalition led by Schwarzenegger, Charles Munger Jr. and the League of Women Voters has formed to oppose Newsom’s plan.