California Democrats are gearing up to retaliate against Texas if Republicans in the state enact a new congressional district map, but they’re emphasizing that their willingness to engage in the redistricting battle is conditioned on Texas making the first move.
Democrats and Republicans are currently in a standoff as Texas Democratic lawmakers have fled to other states to deny state GOP lawmakers the quorum they need to approve a new map. But several blue states, including California, are positioning themselves to reciprocate.
“Californians shouldn’t be disadvantaged by partisan maneuvers in other states. I’m reassured that our proposal is only triggered if Texas actually follows through on its changes,” California state Sen. Catherine Blakespear, the former chair of the state Senate committee with jurisdiction over elections, wrote to NOTUS in a statement. “If they go low, we have no choice but to respond in kind. California didn’t start this fight, but we must fight back.”
Democratic leaders in the state are preparing a redistricting proposal for later this month that would be presented to California voters in a special election on Nov. 4, though what the map will look like is unclear.
“It’s cause and effect. It’s triggered on the basis of what occurs or doesn’t occur in Texas. I hope they do the right thing, and if they do the right thing, then there’ll be no cause for us to move forward,” Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters at a press conference Monday. “But again, we’re working with the legislature on a trigger that if they do move forward, California will not sit by idly and watch this democracy waste away.”
The governor’s office told NOTUS that the measure proposed by the state Assembly would include a trigger provision directly tied to Texas enacting its new maps. California’s redistricting plans, Newsom’s office added, would not move forward if Texas Republicans stand down.
The office of California’s secretary of state told NOTUS in a statement that “no special statewide election has been called” and details of this election will depend on the state Assembly’s proposal.
The specifics of this redistricting proposal are still in the early drafting stages, one source with knowledge of the matter told NOTUS, but they added that California Democrats in the Assembly are standing by to take their cues from Newsom.
Meanwhile, Democratic members of Congress are currently home for their August recess, and they are urging their state colleagues to push back on Republican power grabs. They’ve highlighted that California is only acting in response to Texas Republicans and President Donald Trump.
“At the urging of Donald Trump, the Texas legislature is rigging the system to make it harder for Democrats to flip the House and hold the Trump Administration accountable,” Rep. Pete Aguilar, a Californian and chair of the House Democratic Caucus, told NOTUS in a statement. “Other Republican-led states are making plans to do the same. We have a responsibility to fight back and California can lead the way.”
“If we don’t act, the harm the Trump administration is inflicting on our communities and our state is guaranteed to go unchecked as long as he is President,” Aguilar added.
Support for mid-decade redistricting is a change for California Democrats, who have long opposed partisan gerrymandering. In 2008, California voters approved a proposal to delegate the authority over congressional maps to an independent, nonpartisan commission. The proposal that the state Assembly is planning to put in front of voters this November would temporarily sidestep this commission, The Sacramento Bee reported.
“I support a temporary redistricting in California that is triggered by Texas’s desperate actions to redistrict in the middle of the decade. If Texas is going to play dirty, then California should as well,” Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove told NOTUS in a statement.
California Democrats see Republicans’ attempted power grab as unprecedented — and don’t want to allow themselves to get squeezed out of power.
“California shouldn’t be expected to play by one set of rules while Texas Republicans rig the game in their favor,” Rep. Jimmy Gomez said in a statement. “If Texas moves forward with a mid-cycle power grab that undermines fair representation, California has every right to respond.”
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This story was produced as part of a partnership between NOTUS and NewsWell, home of Times of San Diego, Santa Barbara News-Press and Stocktonia.