Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom is attempting to redraw California’s House map but he and other Democrats face roadblocks in gerrymandering blue states to counteract Texas Republicans’ mid-decade redistricting push.
Newsom said Thursday that he wants to hold a special election in November in hopes California voters pass a new district map designed by the Democratic-dominated state legislature — effectively overruling the state’s redistricting commission in an effort to create more Democratic seats in the Golden State. The proposal came hours after Republicans in Texas announced a new map that will likely cause the GOP to gain five House seats in the Lone Star State during the 2026 midterms.
“I’m not going to sit back any longer in the fetal position, a position of weakness, when in fact, California can demonstrably advance strength,” Newsom told reporters on Thursday during a press conference with Cal Fire.
Democrats, who have in the past pursued implementing extremely lopsided district maps of blue states to swing House seats in their favor, accused Republicans of gerrymandering the Lone Star State in an attempt to “rig” the 2026 midterms.
However, redistricting for Democrats is not as easy as it is for Republicans as some blue states have entrusted the responsibility of redrawing their congressional boundaries to redistricting commissions.
California voters overwhelmingly approved its Citizens Redistricting Commission in 2010. Texas’ Republican-controlled legislature on the other hand, has retained their redistricting control.
Outside of California, Democrats have considered redrawing lines in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Oregon and Illinois, but face significant roadblocks in each state.
New Jersey is similar to California in that their state constitution requires redistricting be done by a commission. The Garden State, which will hold its gubernatorial and legislative elections in November, could then also present voters with a constitutional amendment to allow the state legislature to design a new district map instead — but with Election Day 2025 three months away this is unlikely.
New York’s legislature is unique in that it can reject the commission’s map in favor of one that benefits Democrats. Under full Democrat-control, the state legislature did this ahead of the 2024 election, rejecting a bipartisan map from their commission in favor of one designed to make swing seats more Democratic.
The Empire State is also the only one that requires a court order to redraw lines mid-decade due to a provision in the state’s constitution preventing mid-decade redistricting, unless it is ordered by a court, as was the case in 2024. Democrats could file a lawsuit to redo the state’s district lines, but courts have halted New York Democrats’ redistricting efforts before.
Maryland’s state court struck down a map proposed by the state’s Democratic-controlled General Assembly ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, deeming the map to be unconstitutional. The map would have drawn the state’s lone Republican House lawmaker, Maryland Rep. Andy Harris — a high-profile conservative and the chair of the House Freedom Caucus — into a Democratic-leaning seat.
While Democrats have slammed Texas’ new map, many blue states with Democratic trifectas have even more lopsided House delegations than the one likely to be elected in the Lone Star State.
California, although a commission state, has a delegation that heavily favors Democrats, with Republicans holding only nine seats — 17% — out of the state’s total of 52. In contrast, the new Texas map would most likely result in eight Democratic seats — 21% — and 30 Republican ones.
Furthermore, Republicans only hold three of Illinois’ House seats out of its total of 17, 18% of the state’s House delegation, while Maryland only has one Republican seat — the one held by Harris — out of its eight. Oregon also only has one red seat out of its six Congressional districts.
President Donald Trump first pushed for a “simple redrawing” of districts in Texas in early July, stating at the time that anywhere from three to five seats could be gained from the state’s redistricting. Republicans are also reportedly considering redistricting Missouri, Ohio and Florida — states that all have Republican trifectas.
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