Former President Obama backs California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D)’s plan to redraw California’s congressional districts if it helps offset new maps in Texas that are more favorable to Republicans.
“I believe that Gov. Newsom’s approach is a responsible approach,” Obama told a Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., fundraiser crowd Tuesday, according to excerpts shared with reporters. “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.”
Newsom, who is considered a contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, has been leading Democrats as they battle against the GOP’s efforts to maintain control of the House in the 2026 midterms.
President Trump set off a political arms race for more right-tilted and left-tilted House districts in states where one party holds control. Trump pushed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to call state lawmakers into a special session to approve new maps to boost the number of reliably Republican seats, setting off a fight with Democrats in Texas and elsewhere.
Newsom responded by calling 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 score.
Obama said he personally believes that redistricting should be strictly nonpartisan, but he doesn’t fault Democrats for engaging in the tit for tat.
“I’ve had to wrestle with my preference, which would be that we don’t have political gerrymandering, but what I also know is that if we don’t respond effectively, then this White House and Republican-controlled state governments all across the country, they will not stop, because they do not appear to believe in this idea of an inclusive, expansive democracy,” he told the crowd. “They want to restrict it, and they’re not that shy about saying so.”
“That is not my preference, but we cannot unilaterally allow one of the two major parties to rig the game, and California is one of the states that has the capacity to offset a large state like Texas,” he added.
Obama was speaking at an event for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee and its affiliates that raised $2 million. Former Attorney General Eric Holder and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also attended.
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