Gavin Newsom recently announced a shockingly partisan electoral idea—to consider different “pathways” for California to conduct a mid-decade congressional redistricting to help shore up Democratic majorities. Out of context, this would be an outrageous effort to undermine well-established rules for determining congressional election boundaries.
But within the current context, it’s perhaps politically defensible. The California governor is trying to blunt a similar effort spearheaded by Texas Republicans, as they cave to President Donald Trump’s demand that they redistrict early. Trump said he wants new “maps to create more House seats favorable to his party, part of a broader effort to help the GOP retain control of the chamber in next year’s midterm elections,” per AP. Trump envisions a five-seat GOP pick up.
With a completely straight face, California Republican lawmakers are feigning shock and outrage at Newsom’s plan, even as they maintain their MAGA bona fides. They insist that voters take the Newsom plan out of context. “Gavin Newsom wants to rig elections by eliminating California’s Independent Redistricting Commission,” warned Assembly member Carl DeMaio, the San Diego Republican hardly known for his understatement.
Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher of Yuba City offered a more convoluted rebuttal: “Texas voters didn’t change their constitution to provide for an independent citizen commission to draw their lines. Ours did.” OK, so California voters did in fact shift their redistricting system to a nonpartisan commission in 2010, which just means that the process for changing that system would likely require a vote of the people. It says nothing about the substance of the idea.
We do agree with Gallagher when he adds, “If you think what Texas is doing is wrong you don’t combat it with a grossly partisan gerrymander to encourage the practice further.” That argument would be more persuasive, however, if California Republicans—especially their congressional delegation—publicly blasted the president’s seedy efforts to pressure Texas lawmakers to do the wrong thing. It comes down to that whole context thing.
We adamantly oppose re-jiggering election rules with the transparent purpose of changing outcomes. It’s a key reason we opposed California’s top-two primary system, which was foisted on the state by moderates who were trying to assure that more moderates were elected to office. It hasn’t work as supporters planned, but the only legitimate reason for election-rule changes is to assure that voters’ voices are better heard—not to change partisan or ideological results.
Newsom said he is trying to “fight fire with fire.” It’s defensive. Again, it’s a bad idea out of context, but to the extent it could lead Texas (and other Republican states which also are following the president’s lead), to back down it could serve a useful purpose. To his credit, Newsom supports independent redistricting efforts. But he has point. If California doesn’t push back, then Republicans will have an open field to grab additional seats through these inappropriate redistricting efforts.
We’re not naïve, as politicians will always do whatever they can to advance their aims. Gerrymandering is a longstanding political art form. But mid-term redistricting efforts move our system in the wrong direction. Republicans are the real hypocrites here. If they’re serious about protecting independent redistricting efforts, they should publicly oppose changing the rules in Democratic California and Republican states, too.