California Pushes Back on Texas Map With Its Own Redistricting Plan

California Democrats have passed a package of bills designed to give themselves five more seats in the US Congress, a move aimed at countering a Trump-backed Republican redistricting plan in Texas.

The legislation, led by Governor Gavin Newsom, was approved Thursday and will now head to the Sacramento statehouse, where it’s expected to be placed on the ballot for a special election on November 4. Newsom is set to sign the measure.

Republicans have already filed lawsuits and called for a federal probe, accusing Democrats of drawing maps “behind closed doors.” But Democrats argue the changes are a temporary “emergency” measure to offset what they call extreme gerrymandering in Texas, where Republicans openly admit their new map is designed to secure five extra seats in the House ahead of the 2026 midterms.

“The decks are stacked against us, so what we need to do is fight back,” said California Senator Lena Gonzalez, one of the bill’s authors.

More than 70 percent of the new California districts mirror maps from the state’s independent redistricting commission, adopted in 2008. But unlike California, Texas’s maps won’t go before voters — they’ll take effect as soon as they clear the Texas Senate and land on Governor Greg Abbott’s desk.

Trump praised the Texas move as a “big win,” while Democrats and civil rights groups say the plan weakens the voting power of Hispanic and Black communities.