NATIONAL NEWS – California approves redistricting plan; will vote on redrawn congressional map in November

Ananya Roy, News Writer

California voters will weigh in this November on a new congressional map designed to give Democrats five additional U.S. House seats, a direct response to Texas Republicans’ mid-decade redistricting effort championed by former President Donald Trump. Govenor Gavin Newsom signed the legislation within hours of its passage on Thursday, framing it as a necessary “fight fire with fire” move to counter GOP efforts to expand their slim majority in Congress ahead of the 2026 midterms. Republicans blasted the plan as partisan overreach, with Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher warning the tit-for-tat approach could “burn it all down.”

The rare mid-decade redistricting measure would last until 2030, when California’s independent commission resumes authority. Backed by former President Barack Obama, the proposal underscores how national control of the House has become a state-level battlefield, with Democrats in Maryland and New York also considering reopening maps. Republicans, meanwhile, are advancing new partisan maps in Texas, Indiana, Missouri, and Ohio. With Democrats just three seats shy of a majority, both parties are betting heavily that reshaping districts could decide control of the House in 2026.