Schwarzenegger teases a fight against Newsom over redistricting
'I'm getting ready for the gerrymandering battle,' Schwarzenegger wrote, including a photo of him lifting weights. He also wore a shirt that read 'F*** the politicians' and 'terminate gerrymandering.'
California is moving forward with their own plans to redraw their state's map as it looks to neutralize a proposed House map in Texas that would net the Republicans five seats there.
'We're putting maps on the ballot, and we're giving the power to the people,' Newsom said at a rally on Thursday. 'This will be the first redistricting that's ever done that. That's the difference.'
California is expected to see a special election over the mid-decade redistricting in November; Newsom has noted the state is not looking to eliminate its independent redistricting commission.
But the move has received some criticism, including from those around Schwarzenegger's team.
Schwarzenegger helped championed California's independent redistricting commission, which draws the legislative and congressional maps in the state and is seen as a gold standard in fair, redistricting efforts.
'Governor Schwarzenegger has a 20 year history of battling gerrymandering, taking power from the politicians and returning it to the people where it belongs, and he believes gerrymandering is evil no matter who does it. He still stands by the rule we learn in pre-school: two wrongs don't make a right,' Daniel Ketchell, a spokesman for the former governor, said in a statement earlier this year.
'He will continue to be on the side of the people and not politicians – from either party – on this issue,' he added.
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NBC News
18 minutes ago
- NBC News
Democrats release plan to boost party's California's House seats in fight for Congress
LOS ANGELES — In a display of cutthroat yet calculated politics, Democrats unveiled a proposal Friday that could give California's dominant political party an additional five U.S. House seats in a bid to win the fight to control Congress next year. The plan calls for an unusually timed reshaping of House district lines to greatly strengthen the Democratic advantage in the state ahead of midterm elections, when Republicans will be defending the party's fragile House majority. It amounts to a counterpunch to Texas, where the GOP is trying to add five seats to its House delegation at the urging of President Donald Trump as he tries to avoid losing control of Congress and, with it, prospects for his conservative agenda in the later part of his term. If approved by voters in a November election, the California blueprint could nearly erase Republican House members in the nation's most populous state. The Democratic plan is intended to win the party 48 of its 52 U.S. House seats, up from 43 currently. The proposal was released by the campaign arm of House Democrats, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Democrats in the state Legislature will hold hearings and plan to vote on the new maps next week. 'This is about more than drawing lines on a map. It's about drawing a line in the sand to stop Texas and Trump from rigging the election,' state Senate Democratic leader Mike McGuire said in a statement. New districts have boundaries to boost Democratic edge While a general notion behind drawing districts is to unite what's called communities of interest — neighborhoods and cities that share similar concerns or demographic traits — the proposed remapping would create a jigsaw of oddly shaped districts to maximize Democratic clout. The 1st Congressional District is currently anchored in the state's conservative far northeast corner and is represented by Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a Trump supporter. The district has a nearly 18-point GOP registration edge. Under the proposal Democrats would end up with a 10-point registration advantage in the district after drastic reshaping to include parts of heavily Democratic Sonoma County near the Pacific Coast. In a post on the social platform X, LaMalfa called the proposal 'absolutely ridiculous.' In the battleground 41st District east of Los Angeles, represented by long-serving Republican Rep. Ken Calvert, Democratic and Republican registration is currently split about evenly. But in the redrawn district, Democratic registration would jump to 46%, with GOP registration falling to 26%. Other Republicans whose districts would see major changes intended to favor Democrats include Reps. Kevin Kiley in Northern California, David Valadao in the Central Valley farm belt and Darrell Issa in San Diego County. Also, embattled Democratic incumbents would see their districts padded with additional left-leaning voters. Texas remains at stalemate in push for more GOP seats The release of the plan came the same day that Texas Republicans began a second special session to approve new congressional maps sought by Trump. The GOP's first special session in Texas ended without approving new political maps, thwarted by Democrats who staged a nearly two-week walkout that meant not enough lawmakers were present to pass any legislation. Gov. Greg Abbott then quickly called a second session that started without the necessary quorum to conduct business. Newsom promises fight with Trump Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that his state will hold a Nov. 4 special referendum on the redrawn districts. 'We can't stand back and watch this democracy disappear district by district all across the country,' Newsom said. The announcement marked the first time any state beyond Texas officially waded into Trump's fight, though several governors and legislative leaders from both parties have threatened such moves. Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, who heads the House GOP campaign arm, said Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, is 'shredding California's Constitution and disenfranchising voters.' 'Californians oppose Newsom's stunt because they won't let a self-serving politician rig the system to further his career,' said Hudson, who heads the National Republican Congressional Committee. The looming question: How will voters react? A big risk for Democrats is whether voters will be open to setting aside district boundaries crafted by an independent commission for ones shaped for partisan advantage. Some people already have said they would sue over the effort. Republican former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a longtime opponent of partisan redistricting, signaled that he will not side with Democrats even after talking to Newsom. He posted a photo of himself Friday at the gym wearing a T-shirt that said, 'Terminate gerrymandering,' with a reference to an obscenity and politicians. 'I'm getting ready for the gerrymandering battle,' Schwarzenegger said. What's next in Texas? Absent lawmakers have said they will return to Austin once California Democrats take more formal steps on their own redistricting plan. Trump is trying to avoid a repeat of the 2018 midterms, when the GOP yielded control during his first presidency to a Democratic majority that stymied his agenda and twice impeached him. The nation's two most populous states have been at the forefront of the resulting battle, which has reached into multiple courtrooms and statehouses controlled by both parties. Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows chided colleagues who left Austin, accusing them of 'following Gov. Newsom's lead instead of the will of Texans.' The speaker said, however, that he has 'been told' to expect a quorum Monday. 'Let's be ready to work,' Burrows said, ticking through a litany of issues without mentioning the president or redistricting. The fight goes national Trump has urged other Republican-run states to redraw maps, even dispatching Vice President JD Vance to Indiana to pressure officials there. In Missouri, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press, the state Senate received a $46,000 invoice to activate six redistricting software licenses and provide training for up to 10 staff members. Newsom encouraged other Democratic-led states to 'stand up — not just California.' House control could come down to a few seats in 2026 On a national level, the partisan makeup of existing district lines puts Democrats within three seats of a majority. Of the 435 total seats, only several dozen districts are competitive. So even slight changes in a few states could affect which party wins control. New maps are typically drawn once a decade after the census — the last being in 2020. Many states, including Texas, give legislators the power to draw maps. California is among those that empowers independent commissions with the task. If approved, a new California map would take effect only if a Republican state does its own redistricting. It would remain through the 2030 elections. After that, Democrats say, they would return mapmaking power to the independent commission voters approved in 2008.
CBS News
18 minutes ago
- CBS News
Democrats unveil maps of California's redistricting proposal
Democrats unveiled a proposal Friday that could give California's dominant political party an additional five U.S. House seats in a bid to win the fight to control Congress next year. The plan calls for an unusually timed reshaping of House district lines to greatly strengthen the Democratic advantage in the state ahead of midterm elections, when Republicans will be defending the party's fragile House majority. It amounts to a counterpunch to the Texas Republicans' plan to take five Democratically held seats and redraw them to favor the GOP at the urging of President Trump as he tries to avoid losing control of Congress and, with it, prospects for his conservative agenda in the later part of his term. The California effort seeks to take five of the state's nine GOP districts and make them more favorable to Democrats. Just like in Texas, however, it is by no means a guarantee that Democrats would win all five of these seats if a new California map becomes law. Making the shift would likely require an amendment to California's state Constitution. Overhauling the current map that is in law would need to be passed by a two-thirds vote in both the state Assembly and state Senate, and then be approved by California voters in an election. California lawmakers are scheduled to return to Sacramento on Aug. 18 amid the redistricting talk. The California State Legislature will have a short time span to move forward. If approved by voters in a special election this November, the California blueprint could nearly erase Republican House members in the nation's most populous state. The Democratic plan is intended to win the party 48 of its 52 U.S. House seats, up from 43 currently. The proposal was released by the campaign arm of House Democrats, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Democrats in the state Legislature will hold hearings and plan to vote on the new maps next week. "This is about more than drawing lines on a map. It's about drawing a line in the sand to stop Texas and Trump from rigging the election," state Senate Democratic leader Mike McGuire said in a statement. While a general notion behind drawing districts is to unite what's called communities of interest — neighborhoods and cities that share similar concerns or demographic traits — the proposed remapping would create a jigsaw of oddly shaped districts to maximize Democratic clout. The 1st Congressional District is currently anchored in the state's conservative far northeast corner and is represented by Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a Trump supporter. The district has a nearly 18-point GOP registration edge. Under the proposal, Democrats would end up with a 10-point registration advantage in the district after drastic reshaping to include parts of heavily Democratic Sonoma County near the Pacific Coast. In a post on the social platform X, LaMalfa called the proposal "absolutely ridiculous." LaMalfa's first congressional district would include parts of Santa Rosa under the proposed maps, an area that is in Democratic Rep. Mike Thompson's district. In the battleground 41st District east of Los Angeles, represented by long-serving Republican Rep. Ken Calvert, Democratic and Republican registration is currently split about evenly. But in the redrawn district, Democratic registration would jump to 46%, with GOP registration falling to 26%. Other Republicans whose districts would see major changes intended to favor Democrats include Rep. Kevin Kiley in Northern California, Rep. Ken Calvert in Riverside County, Rep. David Valadao in the Central Valley farm belt and Rep. Darrell Issa in San Diego County. Also, embattled Democratic incumbents would see their districts padded with additional left-leaning voters. "Well, obviously, Newsom's entire goal was to revert to the era of drawing lines based upon partisan political factors, as politicians draw their lines," Kiley told CBS Sacramento earlier Friday. Kiley's current district covers suburbs, small towns and mountain communities from the Sacramento region to the Eastern California border. The release of the plan came the same day that Texas Republicans began a second special session to approve new congressional maps sought by Trump. The GOP's first special session in Texas ended without approving new political maps, thwarted by Democrats who staged a nearly two-week walkout that meant not enough lawmakers were present to pass any legislation. Gov. Greg Abbott then quickly called a second session that started without the necessary quorum to conduct business. Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that his state will hold a Nov. 4 special referendum on the redrawn districts. "We can't stand back and watch this democracy disappear district by district all across the country," Newsom said. The announcement marked the first time any state beyond Texas officially waded into Trump's fight, though several governors and legislative leaders from both parties have threatened such moves. Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, who heads the House GOP campaign arm, said Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, is "shredding California's Constitution and disenfranchising voters." "Californians oppose Newsom's stunt because they won't let a self-serving politician rig the system to further his career," said Hudson, who heads the National Republican Congressional Committee. Under current law, California has an independent redistricting commission that was approved by voters earlier this century. Newsom has emphasized that the ballot effort would not get rid of the commission, though it would essentially suspend it. If the measure passes, the commission would then resume being able to write maps after the 2030 census. A big risk for Democrats is whether voters will be open to setting aside district boundaries crafted by the independent commission for ones shaped for partisan advantage. Some people already have said they would sue over the effort. Republican former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a longtime opponent of partisan redistricting, signaled that he will not side with Democrats even after talking to Newsom. He posted a photo of himself Friday at the gym wearing a T-shirt that said, "Terminate gerrymandering," with a reference to an obscenity and politicians. "I'm getting ready for the gerrymandering battle," Schwarzenegger said. On a national level, the partisan makeup of existing district lines puts Democrats within three seats of a majority. Of the 435 total seats, only several dozen districts are competitive. So even slight changes in a few states could affect which party wins control. New maps are typically drawn once a decade after the census — the last being in 2020. Many states, including Texas, give legislators the power to draw maps. California is among those that empowers independent commissions with the task. If approved, a new California map would take effect only if a Republican state does its own redistricting. It would remain through the 2030 elections. After that, Democrats say, they would return mapmaking power to the independent commission voters approved in Woodall and Nidia Cavazos contributed to this report.
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Obama praises Texas Democrats amid redistricting furor
Former President Barack Obama met Thursday with Texas House Democrats to praise them for leaving the state to stop a GOP-backed redistricting effort. Obama also pointed to the response by California — which launched its own redistricting retaliation on Thursday — as a result of the Texas Democrats' own protest, which he views as a temporary offset. He told them he prefers congressional maps to be drawn by independent commissions rather than politicians, but recognized the need for a Democratic response. 'He acknowledged what Texas is doing is wrong, and you have to be able to stand up in this moment,' state Rep. Ann Johnson, who attended the meeting, told POLITICO. 'He was very clear: If we are all playing to our higher angels as politicians, we should want the people determining our lines,' she said. 'We should be brave enough to let the voters pick our lines and compete on fair ideas. And that's what he wants. That's what all of us want.' Obama was joined on call by former Attorney General Eric Holder, chair of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. The meeting comes as Obama will headline a fundraiser for the NDRC next week in Martha's Vineyard in response to Republicans' redistricting efforts. The meeting was first reported by ABC. The group of Texas Democrats have been in Illinois for nearly two weeks to deny Republicans the ability to pass a new map carving out five more seats at the request of President Donald Trump. The final day of the special session, ordered by Gov. Greg Abbott, is Friday. Democrats indicated on Thursday they are willing to return home if the session ends on Friday, and if California Democrats introduce their own map adding more seats in retaliation. That process is already in motion in California: Gov. Gavin Newsom formally launched his campaign for a new House map on Thursday. During the 30-minute call, Obama heard directly from Texas Democratic Reps. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins and Rep. Christian Manuel, and he praised the lawmakers for standing up to the attacks they've faced since decamping earlier this month, including bomb threats and lawsuits.
