Gov. Gavin Newsom says California will redraw its districts to counteract Texas
Aug. 13 (UPI) -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom said his state will redraw its districts to establish more Democratic congressional seats.
Newsom's office said in a post on X signed with his initials that President Donald Trump missed his deadline of Tuesday evening to respond to a letter he sent the White House on Monday.
In the letter, he demanded that Trump stop the mid-decade, partisan redistricting efforts in heavily Republican states, like Texas and Ohio.
"Donald 'TACO' Trump, as many call him, 'missed' the deadline!!!," Newsom said in an all-caps post mimicking Trump's way of posting on social media. "California will now draw new, more 'beautiful maps,' they will be historic as they will end the Trump presidency (Dems take back the House!). Big press conference this week with powerful Dems and Gavin Newsom -- your favorite governor -- that will be devastating for 'MAGA.' Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
The most populous state in the nation, California has 43 Democratic members of the house and nine Republican members.
In late July, Newsom and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker warned that they would take this measure.
"Donald Trump called up [Texas] Governor [Greg] Abbott for one simple reason: to rig the 2026 elections. California's moral high ground means nothing if we're powerless because of it," Newsom said after meeting with Democrats from the Texas House. "This moment requires us to be prepared to fight fire with fire. Whether that's a special election, a ballot initiative, a bill, a fight in court. If they proceed in Texas, we will be ready."
"This is not a bluff. This is real, and trust me, it's more real after listening to these leaders today, how existential this is," Newsom added.
In Monday's letter, also posted on X, Newsom asked Trump to call on Texas and other red states to stop the "hyper-partisan gerrymander to rig the upcoming midterm elections."
"You are playing with fire, risking the destabilization of our democracy, while knowing that California can neutralize any gains you hope to make," the letter said. "This attempt to rig congressional maps to hold onto power before a single vote is cast in the 2026 election is an affront to American democracy."
Ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, Republicans hold a 219-212 advantage in the House with four vacancies -- three Democrats who died and one Republican who resigned.
More than a dozen Texas House members fled to Illinois and California -- two blue states -- in late July to meet with Newsom and Pritzker, during which they revealed their intentions.
But on Tuesday, the Texas Senate voted 19-2 along party lines to approve a congressional redistricting map that is identical to a version in the Texas House.
The measure, Senate Bill 4, redraws the state's U.S. House of Representatives districts.
Trump believes an additional five seats could be created by changing the borders. Of the state's 38 districts, 25 are held by Republicans. Democrats hold seats in big cities of Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, Laredo, McAllen and San Antonio.
Nine of the 11 Democrats in the Texas Senate walked out immediately before the chamber voted to approve the new redistricting map.
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