“Legally, we can do it. Politically, we must do it,” said former Biden cabinet member and gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra.
California Democrats are weighing a nakedly-partisan proposal that could upend the state’s decade-old redistricting rules and allow for mid-cycle changes to congressional boundaries. The move, which would require voter approval, comes as national fights over political maps intensify—namely in Texas and New York.
Last week, California Governor Gavin Newsom acknowledged that Democratic leaders are considering placing the measure on the ballot, depending on developments in Texas. Last Monday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul voiced support for “every option” to revise her state’s maps while standing alongside Texas Democrats who had traveled north to protest Republican-led districting plans.
The proposal’s political implications are obvious. Democrats hold a commanding supermajority in California, and redrawing district lines mid-decade could further cement that advantage.
“[The plan] could result in as many as five new blue seats and Democrats holding all but four of California’s 52 congressional districts, according to a slide presented to members of Congress and viewed by POLITICO,” write correspondents Jeremy White, Melanie Mason and Nicholas Wu. “That analysis tracks with the presentation to Democrats in Sacramento, which envisioned forcing out GOP incumbents including Reps. David Valadao, Kevin Kiley and Darrell Issa.”
National Republicans have taken notice. Vice President J.D. Vance criticized Democratic redistricting efforts, arguing that they distort representation: “The democratic system in this country is broken because who you vote for doesn’t necessarily get reflected in who your representatives are.”
Vance also raised concerns about the inclusion of illegal immigrants in the population counts used to apportion congressional seats.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott echoed Vance’s concerns and likened the situation to an uneven fight: “The fact of the matter is that they are bringing a gun to a gunfight, but they have no bullets because they lost their bullets when they engaged in redistricting and gerrymandering over the past decade.”
The Democrat argument can effectively be boiled down to “Republicans started it.”
“We’re going to fight fire with fire,” said Newsom. “We also will punch above our weight in terms of the impact of what we’re doing, and I think that should be absorbed by those in the Texas delegation. Whatever they are doing will be neutered here in the state of California.”
California’s current system was created in 2008 and 2010, when voters approved ballot measures establishing an independent redistricting commission. The reforms—championed by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger—were designed to remove partisan influence from the process. Schwarzenegger’s spokesperson reiterated his opposition to any return of political control over district maps:
“Governor Schwarzenegger has a 20-year history of battling gerrymandering, taking power from the politicians and returning it to the people where it belongs. He believes gerrymandering is wrong no matter who does it… He will continue to be on the side of the people and not politicians—from either party—on this issue.”
Schwarzenegger’s involvement is notable given his complex history with California Republicans. He has often clashed with the party’s base, especially over his sharp criticisms of Donald Trump, and some conservatives have long viewed him as too conciliatory toward Democrats. As a result, few expected him to step back into the political fray to oppose Democratic redistricting efforts. Nevertheless, the former governor has made clear he is prepared to campaign against the proposal; and though he condemns both parties, he’s effectively aligning with Republican leaders—at least in California.
California’s redistricting system was sold to voters as a safeguard against exactly this kind of partisan maneuvering, but now the party in control is looking to take that power back and use it against its opponents. The goal is to cut GOP influence down to the smallest possible footprint and make sure the odds of challenging the one-party totality are insurmountable.
That’s not an unfounded theory or lazy editorializing. Former Biden Cabinet member and current gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra said as much bluntly: “Legally, we can do it. Politically, we must do it.”
