In response to Texas drawing 5 extra GOP-leaning congressional seats, Democrats in California formally reveal their plan to redistrict forward of the 2026 midterm elections.
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Democratic leaders within the California legislature say they help Governor Gavin Newsom and his plan to enter the redistricting battle that President Trump has set off throughout the nation. First, Texas Republicans devised a plan to redraw their congressional map to attempt to get 5 extra Republican seats forward of the 2026 midterm elections. And now Governor Newsom desires to counter by mapping out 5 extra Democratic seats in California. Texas Democrats who fled their residence state had been in Sacramento yesterday with California Meeting Speaker Robert Rivas.
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ROBERT RIVAS: We won’t enable Trump’s Republican Occasion to rig this method and take everlasting management of the U.S. Home of Representatives.
SIMON: Man Marzorati, California politics and authorities correspondent at KQED in San Francisco, joins us. Man, thanks for being with us.
GUY MARZORATI, BYLINE: Good morning, Scott.
SIMON: And what did California Democrats announce yesterday?
MARZORATI: Effectively, we heard from Democratic leaders in each the state Senate and the state Meeting that they’re behind Newsom’s redistricting plan, and they are going to take it to the poll in a particular election in November. That is mandatory right here in California as a result of the voters right here have created this nonpartisan fee to attract political traces, so it must return to the voters. It must be voters handy the facility again to the legislature.
So here is sort of the outlines of the plan we heard yesterday from Democratic leaders. They’ll launch a proposed map with new congressional traces subsequent week, after which it is a actually tight dash. The legislature returns to session on August 18. They’ll have just some days to put this on the poll, as August 22 is the deadline. After which there would probably be a separate vote on the precise map, after which additionally establishing a set off the place this California plan solely goes into impact if Texas or different Republican states comply with by with their gerrymanders.
SIMON: Democratic leaders and legislature help the governor. What about rank-and-file Democrats? Are you able to inform?
MARZORATI: Yeah. So I believe it appears to be like like they’re getting in line. Only a couple weeks in the past, I used to be listening to lots of skepticism from some Democrats within the legislature. , they knew this impartial fee was in style. I believe they appreciated lots of its work. And I believe they’re additionally anxious about county employees and sort of having them scramble collectively this election for November 4, as a result of this can be a tighter timeline than we’re used to seeing for a statewide election. However I believe finally, sort of nationwide considerations received the day. Los Angeles meeting member Isaac Bryan spoke yesterday. And he mentioned, look, California cannot stand by if Republican states are pursuing these gerrymandered districts.
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ISAAC BRYAN: This isn’t a turn-the-other-cheek second whereas they proceed to ship blow after blow to the foundations of democracy. The place I am from in Los Angeles, after they go low, we squabble up.
MARZORATI: And this has sort of been Newsom’s idea right here all alongside – proper? – that Democratic voters need to see extra battle from their elected leaders, and that management of Congress at this second is extra vital than, , quote-unquote good authorities practices. That is sort of been Newsom’s argument, and that argument seems to have received over state lawmakers.
SIMON: What is the response of California Republicans?
MARZORATI: They don’t seem to be supportive of transferring ahead in direction of this plan that is going to favor Democrats, however they do not have the facility to cease it right here in California. Democrats have a supermajority within the state Senate and the state Meeting. In Washington, in Congress, we did see California Republican Congress member Kevin Kiley introduce laws, and that will have stopped all mid-decade redistricting nationwide.
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KEVIN KILEY: We must always have voters selecting our representatives. We should not have representatives selecting their voters.
MARZORATI: And we additionally heard Kiley name out Home Speaker Mike Johnson, sort of ask him to step in, cease this escalation of gerrymandering that we’re seeing throughout the nation. Unclear the place these efforts will go. And I believe it is also value saying, Scott, Kiley’s one of many Republicans in California who I believe is seen as significantly weak in a possible map redraw, so he has quite a bit to lose right here.
SIMON: Man, do you will have any sense of how California voters really feel about setting apart an impartial fee – one thing that the state was pleased with?
MARZORATI: Yeah, arduous to say. I imply, impartial redistricting has been in style in California. And I believe the thought of, , politicians going to the voters, asking for them for this gerrymander – which may flip a section of the voters off. There’s additionally, , the work of this impartial fee has succeeded in lots of methods. There’s communities that had been beforehand cut up into a number of districts which have now been positioned collectively in these new maps. You will have much more aggressive seats right here, races in California, than states like Texas and Florida, when you simply have a look at the Home outcomes during the last two years. However that is occurring on this bigger image of a partisan battle. And I believe the extent to which Newsom could make this about crimson versus blue, Democrats versus Republicans – I believe you possibly can see a transparent path for his marketing campaign to succeed right here.
SIMON: Man Marzorati from KQED in San Francisco. Thanks a lot for being on the job for us.
MARZORATI: Thanks for having me.
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