California Democrats, led by Gov. Gavin Newsom, are gearing up to nullify Texas' new congressional map with their own.
Lawmakers in the Golden State are expected to pass a trio of bills that would allow voters to decide whether to overturn the preexisting congressional maps and the state's independent redistricting commission, and usher in a new one with a more partisan bent.
Indeed, Newsom's push for a special session and new map is a call and response to President Donald Trump, Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Republicans, who crafted their own fresh map that passed the Texas House on Wednesday that gives the GOP five new, Republican-leaning districts.
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California's proposal would turn five Republican districts into Democratic-leaning districts in an effort to cancel out the changes made in Texas. Both states are engaging in a broader battle to gain control of the House pushed by Trump, who wants to buck the pendulum swing trend during off-cycle elections and maintain control of the lower chamber.
"This is about taking back our country," Newsom told reporters on a press call Wednesday. "This is about the Democratic Party now punching back forcefully and very intentionally."
Thursday's legislative session comes on the heels of the California GOP's attempt to halt the process by charging that they did not have their constitutionally granted 30 days to review the legislation, which was shot down by the California Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Ahead of the opening of the legislature, California Republicans gathered outside of the state house to slam Democrats' move to change the maps.
"The governor says they're fighting fire with fire," Republican Leader James Gallagher said. "Well, the problem when you fight fire with fire is you burn it all down. And that's what we've got going on right now."
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During Thursday's session, California lawmakers will consider three bills, one to pay for the special session, one containing the new map and another teeing up a constitutional amendment to be considered by voters in November.
The state House passed the constitutional amendment carrying the map Thursday afternoon, but it still awaits a vote in the Senate.
Prior to passage on the House floor, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Calif., accused Trump of not believing in democracy, being "terrified of losing, and he will do whatever it takes to cling on to power."
"We will not let our political system be hijacked by authoritarianism, and today, we give every Californian the power to say 'no,' to say 'no' to Donald Trump's power grab and 'yes' to our people, to our state and to our democracy," he said.
The proposed map would likely affect five California Republicans' districts represented by Reps. Doug LaMalfa, David Valadao, Darrell Issa, Ken Calvert and Kevin Kiley. Earlier this month, Kiley introduced legislation to halt the nationwide redistricting push until after the 2030 census.
Like the Texas map, it's not guaranteed that Democrats will win the seats, but Newsom and his supermajority in the state legislature are angling to give them a better shot.
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But Trump's desire to maintain the GOP's trifecta in Washington has spurred other states to consider a redistricting effort, too.
"Big WIN for the Great State of Texas!!! Everything Passed, on our way to FIVE more Congressional seats and saving your Rights, your Freedoms, and your Country, itself," he said on his social media platform, Truth Social. "Texas never lets us down. Florida, Indiana, and others are looking to do the same thing."
While Trump and his allies continue to prod for more changes to state maps, Newsom has found an ally in his own push: former President Barack Obama.
He argued that Newsom was taking a "responsible approach," but noted that mid-decade redistricting, particularly of the hyperpartisan nature that Newsom and Republicans were engaged in, was not his preference.
"I've had to wrestle with my preference, which would be that we don't have political gerrymandering," Obama said on Tuesday at an event in Martha's Vineyard. "But what I also know is that if we don't respond effectively, then this White House and Republican-controlled state governments all across the country, they will not stop."
