California Democrats will release proposed congressional maps next week as part of an effort to counter Texas’ plan to create more Republican-held House seats, Governor Gavin Newsom announced Friday.
Speaking in Sacramento alongside Texas Democrats and California state and federal legislative leaders, Newsom presented the move as a united front behind his proposal to bring new maps before voters in a November special election.
The ballot measure has advanced unusually quickly for a statewide initiative, which often takes years to develop. Newsom floated the idea less than a month ago after Texas lawmakers began redrawing maps to benefit Republicans. He said last week that he intends to put the plan before voters this November.
Newsom has framed Texas Republicans’ redistricting as a direct threat, arguing Democrats must regain the U.S. House in 2026 to protect American democracy. Republican leaders’ decision to redraw maps signals concern about losing control in the midterms, but multiple Republican-controlled states altering their maps could help the GOP maintain its majority.
In recent weeks, leaders from both parties across the country have said they plan to secure additional seats for their side, though rules for drawing districts vary by state. In most states, legislatures control the process, but California voters removed that power from lawmakers in 2010, assigning it to an independent commission split evenly between Republicans and Democrats.
Newsom’s plan requires voter approval to bypass the commission, and he faces a tight deadline to put the measure on the ballot. Lawmakers returning from summer recess later this month would need to act immediately for election officials to organize a special election.
“Maps will be available next week,” Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, told reporters. “Once these maps are released, voters will have the opportunity to digest these maps, review them for weeks and months leading to this election.”
Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, D-Geyserville, voiced support as well. “If the Legislature puts a redistricting initiative on the ballot I believe the people of the Golden State will do the right thing,” he said. “This is not a fight that California picked. But it’s also not a fight that we are going to run from.”
With only two weeks to secure the necessary two-thirds majority in the Legislature, Newsom has gained momentum through backing from Rivas and McGuire. The bigger challenge may be persuading voters.
Some pro-democracy groups oppose the measure. “We oppose all attempts to gerrymander congressional lines on a partisan basis,” said Dora Rose, deputy director of the League of Women Voters of California. “California’s independent redistricting commission is the gold standard — a national model for fair elections, community input, and transparency. We understand the threat authoritarianism poses, but the way to fight it is not by breaking our own democratic safeguards.”
Newsom and his allies dispute that the proposal undermines democracy. “We are trying to defend democracy,” he said. “We will nullify what happens in Texas. We will pick up five seats with the consent of the people, and that’s the difference between the approach we’re taking and the approach they’re taking.”
