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5d ago

Texas GOP Launches Mid-Decade Redistricting as Newsom Vows Reprisal in California

Newsom’s team is weighing a statewide ballot measure to suspend California’s independent commission alongside a legal analysis of whether the Legislature can redraw congressional maps without voter approval

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FILE - New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks at a news conference, Feb. 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
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Overview

  • The Texas Legislature opened public hearings in a special session called by Gov. Greg Abbott at President Trump’s urging to redraw congressional districts to favor Republicans.
  • Gov. Gavin Newsom labeled the GOP plan a “five-alarm fire for democracy” and declared “this is not a bluff” on his commitment to retaliatory mapping.
  • California’s independent Citizens Redistricting Commission requires voter approval to alter, so Newsom is exploring a ballot measure alongside a legal analysis to let the Legislature redraw maps without going to the voters.
  • Seven Texas House Democrats visited Sacramento to enlist Newsom’s support and are set to meet Gov. JB Pritzker in Chicago to coordinate resistance against Republican-led redistricting.
  • Redistricting experts estimate that partisan map changes in rival states could flip at least five GOP-held seats in California and trigger a perpetual cycle of counter-rewrites nationally.