Newsom weighs options to respond to red state redistricting
California Governor Gavin Newsom is considering various responses to Texas Republicans’ efforts to redraw congressional district lines in a way that could benefit the GOP in upcoming elections. Speaking at a press conference with Texas lawmakers, Newsom outlined several potential approaches for California, including using legislative action or direct voter input through ballot measures or special elections to counteract the Texas redistricting. He emphasized that Democrats may need to abandon traditional notions of fairness, stating that Republicans “play by a different set of rules” and that Democrats must take assertive action to protect democracy.
California’s current redistricting process is managed by an independent commission established by voter-approved law, so changing district boundaries for partisan advantage would require legal changes. Some experts suggest California could gain multiple Democratic seats if it adopts a redistricting strategy similar to Texas. Newsom warned that the Trump administration’s involvement in redistricting marks a significant escalation,calling the situation a “five-alarm fire for democracy.” The issue is being taken seriously by Democrats as it could influence party control in the 2026 midterm elections and shape the political landscape ahead of the 2028 presidential race.
Newsom weighs California’s options to respond to red state redistricting
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) said he would consider multiple options in California to combat Texas’s redistricting efforts in a press conference with Texas state lawmakers Friday.
Texas Republicans are working to redraw their state’s congressional lines, potentially helping the GOP squeeze multiple House flips. Newsom and California’s Democrat-dominated legislature have suggested they could do the same.
He suggested California could consider redistricting an issue that voters could help resolve as a ballot measure, in a special election, or a legislative option.
“We’re looking at three or four different pathways,” Newsom said of California’s options to respond. “As it relates to the when and the how … it’s not just the legislative pathway, it’s which legislative pathway? It’s not just direct democracy as it relates to a special election and a ballot, but it’s what you put on the ballot and what’s considered, what’s not considered.”
Newsom: This is a critical moment and so look, we’re looking at 3 or 4 different pathways . As it relates to the when and the how. And I say 3 or 4, it’s not just the legislative pathway, it’s which legislative pathway? It’s not just direct democracy as it relates to a special… pic.twitter.com/wyIghxaOe2
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 25, 2025
Newsom also suggested that Democrats shouldn’t play fair in response to the Republican redistricting effort, which comes as the second Trump administration looks to involve itself in the 2026 midterm elections.
“They play by a different set of rules,” Newsom concluded. “And we can sit back and act as if we have some moral superiority and watch this almost 250-year experiment be washed away. We are not going to allow that to happen. We have agency. We can shape the future.”
Paul Mitchell, a Democratic strategist and redistricting expert, told the New York Times that Democrats could gain as many as five or six new Democratic seats if California redistricted. However, unlike Texas, which uses its legislature to draw congressional lines, the Golden State uses an independent commission. California would need to change the state law that was approved by voters in 2010 to draw partisan lines.
President Donald Trump has said the Texas redistricting effort is easy.
“Very simple redrawing. We pick up five seats,” Trump said recently. The remark sparked an uproar from Democrats such as Newsom, who have suggested they would retaliate.
One Texas state lawmaker said the move would “cause great harm, not only to the people that we represent, to the voters of the state of Texas, but also potentially to all Americans,” and would potentially silence the minority voters in the state.
Additional seats in Texas would only help Republicans maintain or build their House majority for the 2026 midterm elections.
Democrats like Newsom, who is jockeying to put himself atop the party for the 2028 presidential election, are taking the issue seriously.
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Newsom, referencing Trump’s order to Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) to redraw the state’s congressional lines, said that the “game has changed.”
“[The Trump administration doesn’t] even want to play by the same set of rules, in fact, they just want to throw the entire board … they want to throw it all out,” Newsom added, pausing before the final phrase to allow the sound of a screeching fire truck to dissipate, then pointing to the sound to say, “It is a five-alarm fire for democracy.”
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