California lawmakers approved a set of redistricting bills Thursday, one day after Republicans in the Texas House advanced new maps of their own.
The package, championed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, asks voters to adopt new congressional maps designed to give Democrats five additional U.S. House seats.
Democrats in Sacramento framed their move as a counter to Texas, where Republican lawmakers are advancing new district lines with the backing of President Donald Trump. The Texas Senate could approve those maps as early as Friday, potentially adding five more GOP seats to the U.S. House.
“We’re giving the American people a fair chance,” Newsom said at Thursday’s signing ceremony. “Because when all things are equal, we’re all playing by the same set of rules, there’s no question that the Republican party will be the minority party in the House of Representatives next year.”
Unlike Texas, where the new maps will take effect once signed into law, California’s proposal still requires voter approval.
The plan sets a November 4 special election, where voters will decide whether to override the state’s independent redistricting commission. That commission was created by voters in 2010 to take the map-drawing power away from legislators.
Republicans and anti-gerrymandering groups are already mobilizing to defeat the measure, known as Proposition 50. At the same time, Democrats at both the state and national level are preparing to defend it.
Initially, Democrats included a “trigger clause” that would have activated the plan only if another state pursued mid-decade redistricting. That provision was removed Thursday after the Texas House passed its new GOP maps.
Nick Miller, communications director for Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, said in a statement: “Because Texas Republicans have voted, the trigger language is no longer necessary.”
In Texas, the House approved new congressional maps Wednesday night by an 88–52 party-line vote. The move came just days after Democrats who had fled the state to block the session returned to Austin, allowing the chamber to regain quorum.
The Texas Senate was expected to pass the plan Thursday but delayed its vote until Friday morning.
While Democrats aim for five new seats in California, Republicans are seeking the same gain in Texas.
On Wednesday, California’s Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit from state Republicans who argued voters hadn’t received enough notice of the proposed maps.
Republicans have also criticized the cost of holding a special election, which legislative analysts estimated could reach “the low hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Democrats defended the expense, comparing it to the price of the GOP’s unsuccessful 2021 attempt to recall Newsom.
“The costs are going to be just as much as the failed recall that your party placed on Governor Newsom,” said state Sen. Sabrina Cervantes. “The cost this election is going to cost, is as much as the new ballroom that President Trump is going to build at the White House. Is that fiscally responsible?”
In Texas, Senate approval of the maps would send them to Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature. GOP leaders have hailed the move as a unifying moment, while Democrats have vowed to challenge the plan in court.
“This fight is far from over,” said state Rep. Gene Wu, the House Democratic leader. “Our best shot is in the courts.”
Abbott has also added legislation to the session agenda that would penalize lawmakers who intentionally leave the state to block quorum in the future.
Nationally, Democrats are positioning California’s plan as part of their broader fight against Trump and GOP-led states.
Former President Barack Obama voiced support for Newsom’s proposal at a Democratic redistricting event Tuesday night. While saying he opposes gerrymandering in principle, Obama argued that Republicans’ aggressive use of redistricting requires Democrats to respond in kind.
“I’ve had to wrestle with my preference, which would be that we don’t have political gerrymandering,” Obama said, according to remarks shared with CNN. “But what I also know is that if we don’t respond effectively, then this White House and Republican-controlled state governments all across the country, they will not stop.”
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin praised Newsom’s approach on a Wednesday press call.
“Gov. Newsom didn’t care whether folks would clutch their pearls when he decided to fight fire with fire and level the playing field against this craven, power-hungry White House,” Martin said. “His fight is a game changer, a national moment for Democrats to show up for all voters.”
