California lawmakers on Thursday approved a sweeping plan to elect more Democrats by redrawing congressional districts, delivering an immediate counterpunch to the gerrymandered map that Republicans in Texas are passing at the request of President Trump.
The Democratic-controlled Legislature in California sent a package of redistricting bills to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who intends to sign them on Thursday afternoon. The governor is also expected to declare a special election on Nov. 4 that will ask voters to grant final approval to the newly drawn congressional districts.
The moves will immediately thrust California into a feverish campaign with national implications as Democrats and Republicans vie for control of the House of Representatives through an extraordinary effort to redraw political maps in the middle of a decade. They will also put Mr. Newsom, a potential presidential candidate, at the forefront of a partisan fight against President Trump heading into the midterm election cycle.
Democrats see winning the House in 2026 as a critical way to check Mr. Trump’s authority in the second half of his term. Mr. Trump and Republican lawmakers believe House control is key to furthering his agenda and avoiding a flurry of Democratic-led investigations.
Redistricting in the middle of the decade has been rare in modern politics. States normally adjust congressional districts after each census to reflect population changes, but President Trump’s request that Republicans draw mid-decade maps in Texas has upended redistricting protocols. It has precipitated a remarkable showdown between the two most populous states, which have become ideological rivals in a polarized nation.
“We don’t want this fight, and we didn’t choose this fight, but with our democracy on the line, we cannot and will not run away from this fight,” Marc Berman, a Democratic assemblyman in California, said as he presented the legislation in the State Capitol on Thursday.
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