Surrounded by community leaders and Democratic politicians, California Governor Gavin Newsom Aug. 14 announced the ‘Election Rigging Response Act,’ which would allow legislators in the state to redraw Congressional district maps, bypassing the independent Citizens’ Redistricting Commission.
Newsom has proposed a special election Nov. 4 that would allow voters to approve the new maps, which aim to get 5 more Democratic Congressional seats. 43 of 52 Congress members for the state are currently Democratic.
ICE enforcement agents were positioned outside the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, where Newsom’s press conference was held. LA Mayor Karen Bass denounced the action and several speakers called it a further sign of authoritarianism now governing America.
Redistricting maps are typically drawn after every Census. Currently, Republicans have a slim majority in the House, by a margin of 219-212. Newsom stated that Trump “knows he is a failed president,” with policies that have wrecked the economy, the labor market, health care, and social structure, but needs to keep his majority in the House to continue his draconian agenda.
Texas Battle
The move comes as the Texas state Legislature attempts to gerrymander its Congressional district maps to gain 5 more Republican seats before the 2026 mid-term elections. Backed by President Donald Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott, the measure handily passed the Texas Senate on a 19-2 vote. The proposal then moved to the House. 50 Texas House Democrats fled the state two weeks ago to block a quorum in the House, but announced Aug. 14 they would return next week.
“What they’re trying to do is rewrite the rules in the middle of the game because they know that they’re going to lose,” said Texas state Rep. Gene Wu earlier in the day at a press briefing organized by American Community Media/Houston Community Media. “And they know they’re going to lose because everything that’s happening is so incredibly unpopular, not just what President Trump is doing, but also what Republicans are doing in Congress.”
“Trump’s big, beautiful bill, it makes massive cuts to communities all across Texas, not just in liberal cities, but also in rural communities. It also affects farmers, also affects workers, affects everybody. And people are starting to wake up to that and they know this. Republicans know this and they know that people are gonna blame them for going along with Trump. And so they’re trying to cut it off preemptively,” said Wu.
”This is a ‘break the glass’ moment for our democracy,” said Newsom. “If he manages to rig the mid-terms, we’ll have an authoritarian president running for a third term.”
The proposed “trigger maps” will take effect if any Republican-majority state attempts to gerrymander its maps. Florida, Indiana, Missouri, and Ohio are also considering gerrymandered maps. Newsom said the state Legislature would convene next week to draft a series of bills related to redistricting.
‘Chaos’
Several state leaders noted the President had tried the move before, as he lost the 2020 election, by calling Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffsenperger to “find 11,780 votes,” and overturn that state’s election results. Raffsenperger, a Republican, did not capitulate.
Veteran Congresswoman Maxine Waters, a Democrat from Los Angeles, stated that Trump’s aim is to “shut down the voices of Black and Brown people who he hates.”
Waters noted the presence of the National Guard and the US Marines who were ordered to her city earlier this year. “The nation is upset about this chaos. ICE cannot continue to come into our grocery stores, schools, places of work and worship to try to identify people who should be deported.”
Earlier this week, Trump announced the deployment of the National Guard to patrol streets in Washington, DC, a move — he said — was to combat a wave of violent crime.
‘Horror in Our Streets’
Trade union leader David Huerta, President of the Service Employees International Union California, echoed Waters’ remarks. “There is horror on our streets. ICE agents are picking up fathers, mothers, aunts, and uncles.”
”We must defend our democracy. We cannot allow voters to be disenfranchised. California voters are at the frontlines of a fight against authoritarianism,” he said.
The three-part measure announced by Newsom:
- Retains California’s Citizens Redistricting Commission and declares state policy supporting the use of fair, nonpartisan redistricting commissions nationwide.
- Temporarily adopts new California congressional districts for use in congressional elections through 2030.
- Preserves California’s current congressional maps if Texas or other states also keep their original maps.
Newsom told reporters he is confident that he has the votes in the state Legislature to get the measures passed.
