California Democrats on Friday released their redistricting proposal, aiming to produce up to five additional Democratic seats in the US House in response to Texas Republicans’ mid-decade redrawing of lines at the behest of President Donald Trump.
The release comes ahead of the California legislature meeting Monday, with final passage possible later next week. Unlike in Texas, where the GOP can pass new US House maps as soon as enough Democrats return from a nearly two-week absence denying them quorum, Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Democrats will need voters to approve new maps in a November referendum.
The extraordinary battle between the nation’s two most populous states plays out as Trump has pushed Republican-led states to redraw their lines ahead of next year’s midterms. That’s led to outraged Democrats in blue states seeking to retaliate.
“Trump sparked this national crisis when he called Texas to rig the election. California is fighting back,” California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas said in a statement. “Democrats are empowering voters to protect working families and our democracy — with the most transparent process in the nation. Voters will see the maps and have the final say. The stakes couldn’t be higher, but I’m confident we’ll defeat this assault on our democracy and end Trump’s attacks on California.”
There are at least five seats in California that could flip from red to blue, according to a chart depicting the potential partisan makeup of districts. The chart was shown to California legislators this week and shared with CNN ahead of the maps’ formal release.
Four districts held by Republicans may flip from “safe Republican” to “safe Democratic” or “lean Democratic” based on the chart’s ratings under the new lines: California’s 1st, 3rd and 41st districts, represented by GOP Reps. Doug LaMalfa, Kevin Kiley and Ken Calvert, shift to “safe Democratic”, while the 48th district, held by Darrell Issa, shifts to “lean Democratic.”
California’s 13th District in the San Joaquin Valley, which Democratic Rep. Adam Gray flipped in a razor-thin race against former Rep. John Duarte in 2024, will be modified from “lean Republican” to “safe Democratic.”
The map could add more Democratic voters to the 22nd District represented by GOP Rep. David Valadao, which includes parts of Bakersfield and stretches north, but it’s unclear whether the changes could flip the battleground district to unseat him.
Calvert’s district would see the biggest change. The current 41st District would be divided up between neighboring districts, and Democrats would create a new one in Los Angeles County.
“I’m committed to defeating Newsom’s power grab in this special election,” Calvert wrote Friday on X. “The gerrymandered maps released today are exactly why voters don’t trust Sacramento politicians. I will fight to keep redistricting power with our citizens.”
This story has been updated with additional details.
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