Former President Obama endorsed California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) redistricting plan in California on Wednesday, calling it a smart and measured approach.
“Over the long term, we shouldn’t have political gerrymandering in America, just a fair fight between Republicans and Democrats based on who’s got better ideas,” Obama wrote in a post on the social platform X.
“But since Texas is taking direction from a partisan White House and gerrymandering in the middle of a decade to try and maintain the House despite their unpopular policies, I have tremendous respect for how Governor Newsom has approached this,” he continued. “He’s put forward a smart, measured approach in California, designed to address a very particular problem at a very particular moment in time.”
Obama’s public statement comes after he praised Newsom’s plan in front of a crowd at a Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., fundraiser on Tuesday.
“We’re only going to do it if and when Texas and/or other Republican states begin to pull these maneuvers. Otherwise, this doesn’t go into effect,” the former president said.
Newsom, who is considered a potential 2028 presidential contender, hit back at Republican redistricting efforts in Texas earlier this month when he called on California lawmakers to come up with ways to skirt the state’s redistricting regulations and produce maps more favorable to Democrats to even the playing field.
The California governor announced plans earlier this month to hold a special election in November for voters to approve a ballot measure that would permit Democrats to pass a new House map ahead of the 2026 midterms in the predominantly blue state.
On Tuesday, California Republicans sued the state in an attempt to block the state Legislature from considering legislation that would allow Newsom to go ahead with a special election.
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