Democrats release plan to boost party's California US House seats in
fight for Congress
[August 16, 2025]
By MICHAEL R. BLOOD, TRÂN NGUYỄN, NADIA LATHAN and BILL
BARROW
LOS ANGELES (AP) — In a display of cutthroat yet calculated politics,
Democrats unveiled a proposal Friday that could give California’s
dominant political party an additional five U.S. House seats in a bid to
win the fight to control of Congress next year.
The plan calls for an unusually timed reshaping of House district lines
to greatly strengthen the Democratic advantage in the state ahead of
midterm elections, when Republicans will be defending a fragile
majority.
It amounts to a counterpunch to Texas, where the GOP is trying to add
five seats to its House delegation at the urging of President Donald
Trump as he tries to avoid losing control of Congress and, with it,
prospects for his conservative agenda in the later part of his term.
If approved by voters in November, the California blueprint could nearly
erase Republican House members in the nation’s most populous state. The
Democratic plan is intended to win the party 48 of its 52 U.S. House
seats, up from 43.
The campaign arm of House Democrats, the Democratic Congressional
Campaign Committee, released the maps Friday, and the Democratic-led
Legislature later posted them online. State lawmakers plan to hold
hearings and vote on the new maps next week.
“This is about more than drawing lines on a map. It’s about drawing a
line in the sand to stop Texas and Trump from rigging the election,”
state Senate Democratic leader Mike McGuire said in a statement.
New districts have boundaries to boost Democratic edge
While a general notion behind drawing districts is to unite what’s
called communities of interest — neighborhoods and cities that share
similar concerns or demographic traits — the proposed remapping would
create a jigsaw of oddly shaped districts to maximize Democratic clout.
The 1st Congressional District is currently anchored in the state's
conservative far northeast corner and is represented by Republican Rep.
Doug LaMalfa, a Trump supporter. The district has a nearly 18-point GOP
registration edge.
Under the proposal, Democrats would end up with a 10-point registration
advantage there after drastic reshaping to include parts of heavily
Democratic Sonoma County near the Pacific Coast.
In a post on the social platform X, LaMalfa called the proposal
“absolutely ridiculous.”
In the battleground 41st District east of Los Angeles, home to
long-serving Republican Rep. Ken Calvert, Democratic and Republican
registration is currently split about evenly.
But in the redrawn district, Democratic registration would jump to 46%
with GOP registration falling to 26%.
Other Republicans whose districts would see major changes intended to
favor Democrats include Reps. Kevin Kiley in Northern California, David
Valadao in the Central Valley farm belt and Darrell Issa in San Diego
County. Also, embattled Democratic incumbents would see their districts
padded with additional left-leaning voters.
Newsom promises fight with Trump
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that his state
will hold a Nov. 4 special referendum on the redrawn districts.
“We can’t stand back and watch this democracy disappear district by
district all across the country,” Newsom said.
The announcement marked the first time any state beyond Texas officially
waded into Trump’s fight, though several governors and legislative
leaders from both parties have threatened such moves.
Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, who heads the House GOP campaign
arm, accused Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, of
“shredding California’s Constitution and disenfranchising voters.”
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House Speaker Dustin Borrow, R - Lubbock, gavels Sine Die, ending
the special session after failing to reach a quorum, Friday, Aug.
15, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Rodolfo Gonzalez)
“Californians oppose Newsom’s stunt because they won’t let a
self-serving politician rig the system to further his career,” said
Hudson, who heads the National Republican Congressional Committee.
The looming question: How will voters react?
A big risk for Democrats is whether voters will be open to setting
aside district boundaries crafted by an independent commission for
ones shaped for partisan advantage.
Some people already have said they would sue over the effort.
Republican former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a longtime opponent of
partisan redistricting, signaled that he will not side with
Democrats even after talking to Newsom. He posted a photo of himself
Friday at the gym wearing a T-shirt that said, “Terminate
gerrymandering.”
“I’m getting ready for the gerrymandering battle,” Schwarzenegger
said.
What's next in Texas?
The release of the plan came the same day that Texas Republicans
began a second special session to approve new congressional maps
sought by Trump.
The first special session ended without approving new maps, thwarted
by Democrats who staged a nearly two-week walkout that meant not
enough lawmakers were present to pass any legislation. Gov. Greg
Abbott then called a second session that started without the
necessary quorum to conduct business.
Absent lawmakers have said they will return to Austin once
California Democrats take more formal steps on their own
redistricting plan.
Trump is trying to avoid a repeat of the 2018 midterms, when the GOP
yielded control during his first presidency to a Democratic majority
that stymied his agenda and twice impeached him. The nation’s two
most populous states have been at the forefront of the resulting
battle, which has reached into multiple courtrooms and statehouses
controlled by both parties.
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows chided colleagues who left
Austin, accusing them of “following Gov. Newsom's lead instead of
the will of Texans.” The speaker said, however, that he has “been
told” to expect a quorum Monday.
House control could come down to a few seats in 2026
On a national level, the partisan makeup of existing district lines
puts Democrats within three seats of a majority. Of the 435 total
seats, only several dozen districts are competitive. So even slight
changes in a few states could affect which party wins control.
New maps are typically drawn once a decade after the census — the
last being in 2020. Many states, including Texas, give legislators
the power to draw maps. California is among those that empower
independent commissions with the task.
___
Nguyễn reported from Sacramento, Blood from Los Angeles and Barrow
from Atlanta. Associated Press writer David Lieb in Jefferson City,
Missouri, contributed.
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