Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) teased a fight with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) redistricting push in a post on social media Friday as Democrats in the state look to redraw their maps in response to similar moves in Texas.
“I’m getting ready for the gerrymandering battle,” Schwarzenegger wrote, including a photo of him lifting weights. He also wore a shirt that read “F‑‑‑ the politicians” and “terminate gerrymandering.”
California is moving forward with its own plans to redraw the state’s map as it looks to neutralize a proposed House map in Texas that would net the Republicans five seats in the midterms.
“We’re putting maps on the ballot, and we’re giving the power to the people,” Newsom said at a rally Thursday. “This will be the first redistricting that’s ever done that. That’s the difference.”
California is expected to see a special election over the mid-decade redistricting in November; Newsom has noted the state is not looking to eliminate its independent redistricting commission.
But the move has received some criticism, including from those around Schwarzenegger’s team.
Schwarzenegger helped championed California’s independent redistricting commission, which draws the legislative and congressional maps in the state and is seen as a gold standard in fair, redistricting efforts.
“Governor Schwarzenegger has a 20 year history of battling gerrymandering, taking power from the politicians and returning it to the people where it belongs, and he believes gerrymandering is evil no matter who does it. He still stands by the rule we learn in pre-school: two wrongs don’t make a right,” Daniel Ketchell, a spokesperson for the former governor, said in a statement earlier this year.
“He will continue to be on the side of the people and not politicians – from either party – on this issue,” he added.
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