LOS ANGELES (AP) — The national battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives shifts to California on Tuesday as voters consider a Democratic proposal that could eliminate up to five Republican districts and slow President Donald Trump’s efforts to protect the party’s lock on Washington power.
This result is expected to have an impact on next year’s midterm elections and beyond, with Democrats hoping that this victory will be a stepping stone to regaining the House majority in 2026. A change in the majority would jeopardize Trump’s agenda for the remainder of his term, amid deep partisan divisions over immigration, health care and the future direction of the country.
“God help us if we lose California,” Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said.
Democrats need to win just three seats in the 2026 election to take control of the House.
Democratic-leaning California and its 52 congressional districts are by far the best opportunity for Democrats in an unprecedented state-by-state situation. redistricting battlewhen did it start? Texas Republican lawmakers took note. President Trump has called for the boundaries to be redrawn so Republicans can maintain a majority in the House. Democrats hold 43 of the state seats and hope to increase this to 48 seats.
Mr. Trump is at war not only with the Democratic Party but also with history. Midterm elections typically punish the party in the White House, but four Republican-led states have so far adopted new district maps to pack more Republican voters into key districts.
Bill supported by Newsom and President Obama
California’s Proposition 50 asks voters to suspend House maps drawn by an independent commission and replace them with redrawn districts adopted by the Democratic-controlled Legislature. These new districts will be established for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections.
The redistricting is aimed at weakening the power of Republican voters, in one case by consolidating rural, conservative-leaning areas in California’s far north with Marin County, a well-known liberal coastal stronghold just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.
This measure was led by newsome He cast the weight of his political career as a key test of his mettle in the run-up to the 2028 presidential election. Former President Barack Obama is urged voters to pass In the same way.
Newsom claims the proposal is a total antidote to President Trump and seeks to nationalize his campaign.
“Republicans are trying to rig the next election and steal enough seats to give them two more years of unchecked power,” President Obama said in one ad. “We can stop the Republican movement.”
Critics say two wrongs don’t make a right. They are asking Californians to reject the so-called Democratic power grab, even if they are concerned about Trump’s moves in the Republican-led state.
Among the most prominent critics is movie star and former Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who pushed for the creation of voter-approved independent commissions in 2008 and 2010. There’s no point in pretending to be Mr. Schwarzenegger and fighting Trump. said in septemberargued that the proposal would “take power away from the people.”
After an early flurry of television advertising, opponents of the plan I had a hard time The idea is to raise money in a state with the nation’s most expensive media market. Data compiled last week by ad tracker AdImpact showed that Democrats and other allies have booked more than $5 million in ad buys across broadcast, cable and radio. But while the data didn’t include popular streaming services like Hulu or YouTube or email ads, opponents had virtually no time to spare.
Total amount spent Broadcast and cable advertising totaled more than $100 million, more than two-thirds of which came from supporters. Newsom urged people to stop donating during the final weeks of the race.
Trump lost California overwhelmingly in his three presidential elections, but has largely stayed out of contention. A week before the election, he urged voters not to vote early or by mail in social media posts, contradicting messages from the state’s Republican leaders who urged them to turn in their ballots as soon as possible.
National House maps are in flux
Democrats hope to gain up to five seats in California if voters approve the new boundaries, offsetting the five seats Republicans hope to gain with the new Texas map. Republicans also expect to pick up one new seat each in Missouri and North Carolina, and potentially pick up two more seats in Ohio.
Congressional district lines are typically redrawn every 10 years to reflect population trends as recorded in the census. Redistricting in the middle of this decade is unusual unless there is a court order finding fault with the map preparation.
Five other Republican-led states are also considering new maps: Kansas, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana and Nebraska.
On the Democratic side, Illinois, Maryland, New York and Virginia have proposed redrawing their maps, but major hurdles remain.
The court ordered new boundaries to be drawn in Utah. All four Utah House districts are represented by Republicans, but it remains to be seen whether the state will approve maps that would allow Democrats to win any of them.
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Cooper reported from Phoenix and Nguyen from Sacramento, California.
