Why Gavin Newsom's wild plans for mid-decade congressional redistricting may blow up in his face
The ambitious governor of California says he is trying to end the presidency of Donald Trump two years early with a plan to elect more Democrats to the House of Representatives, offsetting a mid-decade redistricting in Texas. Newsom wants to call a special election to throw out the congressional maps drawn by the independent Citizens Redistricting Commission that voters established using the initiative power.
The initiative power in California goes back to 1911, when Republican Gov. Hiram Johnson said the people needed a way to deal with an indolent and corrupt legislature. He was half-governor, half-psychic.
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In 2008, a majority of California voters were disgusted with incumbent politicians in Sacramento drawing self-serving district maps to guarantee their own re-election. Using the initiative power, voters revoked the legislature's map-drawing authority for state offices in 2008 and for congressional districts in 2010. The two ballot measures, Propositions 11 and 20, empowered a California Citizens Redistricting Commission to draw the district lines free from the control of politicians and lobbyists.
3 California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to call a special election to throw out the congressional maps drawn by the independent Citizens Redistricting Commission that voters established using the initiative power.
JOHN G MABANGLO/EPA/Shutterstock
One drawback to excluding everyone in politics from serving on the Citizens Redistricting Commission is that the 14-member panel is advised by consultants who work closely with everyone in politics. The new system may not have protected incumbents but it seems to have tilted the playing field toward an ever-more-extreme Democratic party.
Voters in California are nowhere near as wild-eyed leftist as the government they've elected. President Trump received 6 million votes in the 2024 election, a little more than 38% of the total vote, but Republicans hold just 17% of the congressional seats, 24% of the California Assembly and 25% of the state Senate.
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Even Democratic voters in California are more conservative than the Democrats who control the government. Last year a tougher-on-crime initiative opposed by Newsom passed with more than 68% approval statewide, and a measure that would have made it easier for local governments to borrow money and raise property taxes went down to defeat by 10 points.
3 Texas Gov. Greg Abbott added redistricting to the agenda of a special session of the legislature after Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon told him that some of the state's congressional districts now violate the law.
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Now Newsom is planning to ask voters to give more power to the leftist-Democrat legislature so it can draw congressional district maps that will give more power to leftist Democrats in Washington. Don't count on it.
In Republican-controlled Texas, redistricting is happening because of changes to the federal courts' interpretation of the Voting Rights Act. On July 7, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon sent a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott informing him that some of the state's congressional districts now violate the law. Abbott added redistricting to the agenda of a special session of the legislature.
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On July 15, Trump spoke with Texas Republicans and encouraged them to draw the new district lines in a way that would give the GOP five more seats in Congress. Before the new maps could be approved by the Texas House in a scheduled Monday vote, dozens of Democratic members of the legislature bolted for other states, preventing the quorum needed to conduct legislative business.
3 In Republican-controlled Texas, redistricting is happening at the Capitol because of changes to the federal courts' interpretation of the Voting Rights Act.
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'This is what fighting for democracy looks like,' Newsom wrote in an online post.
And this is what craven ambition looks like: Newsom proposing a snap election to discard the citizen-drawn congressional maps and substitute maps drawn by politicians, with no transparency to the public, for the next three election cycles.
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There is significant and high-profile opposition.
'Any attempt to undermine the nonpartisan California Redistricting Commission will be strongly opposed in the courts and at the ballot box,' wrote Charles Munger, Jr., in an online post on July 16. Munger personally spent more than $12 million in support of Proposition 20. A website is already up at VotersFirstAct.org.
Also threatening a lawsuit is GOP candidate for governor Steve Hilton, a well-known Fox News contributor. And Politico reported that former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will be back to defend the citizen redistricting he championed.
Roughly a dozen other states, including New York, are considering mid-decade redistricting. Gov. Hochul has said she'll 'fight fire with fire,' but as in California, overriding the state's redistricting commission will require voter approval of a constitutional amendment.
It's 2024 all over again. Voters are the main obstacle to Democrats' plans to 'save democracy.'
Susan Shelley is a columnist for the Southern California News Group and VP of communications for the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.
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