Former President Barack Obama has offered his approval to Democrats’ mid-decade redistricting attempts, praising Gov. Gavin Newsom’s bid to reapportion California’s House districts as a “responsible approach.”
Speaking on Tuesday at a fund-raiser on Martha’s Vineyard, in Massachusetts, Mr. Obama said he had “tremendous respect” for Mr. Newsom’s decision to tie his efforts to substantially alter five districts held by Republicans to a similar, Republican-led redistricting plan in Texas, and for the governor’s insistence that he was reluctant to gerrymander his state.
“He said this is going to be responsible,” Mr. Obama said at the fund-raiser, referring to Mr. Newsom. “We’re not going to try to completely maximize it. We’re only going to do it if and when Texas and/or other Republican states begin to pull these maneuvers.”
He added, “I think that approach is a smart, measured approach, designed to address a very particular problem in a very particular moment in time.”
Mr. Newsom is seeking to circumvent his state’s independent redistricting commission by asking voters to approve a Democratic-drawn map this fall that would make it easier for Democrats to oust the five Republicans in next year’s midterm elections. His plan would be enacted only if Texas redraws its maps to imperil five Democratic House members there, which state Republicans have vowed to do.
The fund-raiser, which former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the attorney general under Mr. Obama, Eric H. Holder Jr., also attended, raised $2 million for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, a Democratic-aligned group that, in fact, works to fight gerrymandering. In this case, however, Mr. Obama suggested that because Texas was “taking direction from a partisan White House that is effectively saying gerrymander for partisan purposes so we can maintain the House despite our unpopular policies,” Democrats needed to respond in kind.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The post Obama Endorses Newsom’s Redistricting Proposal as a ‘Responsible Approach’ appeared first on New York Times.
