California governor boosts redistricting effort in growing feud with Trump

Governor Gavin Newsom takes combative stance against Trump, urges different Democratic leaders to ‘punch back’.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has said that the country’s astir populous authorities volition beforehand a partisan redistricting strategy aimed astatine countering arguable Republican-led redistricting efforts successful Texas up of the United States’ 2026 midterm elections.

Speaking astatine a quality league connected Thursday, Newsom took a combative stance against US President Donald Trump and said that Democrats indispensable respond to what helium said were blimpish efforts to politicise the electoral process.

“Today is liberation time successful the authorities of California,” Newsom said, appropriating a word utilized by Trump to notation to the imposition of tariffs connected overseas countries.

Newsom and Trump person often sparred arsenic the US president seeks to exert unit connected Democrat-led states that person pushed backmost against his governmental docket connected issues specified arsenic migration enforcement.

During his remarks, Newsom said that masked migration enforcement agents had gathered astir the venue, which helium depicted arsenic a signifier of intimidation. Trump prompted outrage successful California earlier successful the twelvemonth erstwhile helium deployed the subject and National Guard to Los Angeles during a circular of assertive migration raids, and suggested astatine the clip that Newsom should beryllium arrested.

“Donald Trump, you person poked the bear, and we volition punch back,” said Newsom, who is seen arsenic a imaginable Democratic contender for the presidency successful 2028.

Newsom said that the redistricting scheme, which would favour the Democrats and could nett them 5 further seats successful the 2026 midterm elections, volition spell earlier voters successful a peculiar predetermination connected November 4.

The California politician said the strategy was a nonstop effect to a akin redistricting effort successful the Republican-led authorities of Texas, which would assistance unafraid 5 further apt seats for the Republican Party.

He stressed that, dissimilar successful Texas, it would beryllium up to California voters to o.k. oregon sprout down the caller maps, and that they would lone spell guardant if Texas and different states determination guardant with their ain partisan redistricting efforts.

He added that the planned maps, which are expected to beryllium released connected Friday, would beryllium successful effect until 2030.

Earlier this month, Democrat lawmakers successful Texas fled the authorities to artifact a House ballot connected redistricting efforts that would make an further 5 Republican-leaning districts.

On Thursday, the lawmakers moved person to ending their astir two-week walkout that has blocked the GOP’s redrawing of US House maps and enactment them nether escalating threats by Republicans backmost home.

The Democrats announced they volition instrumentality truthful agelong arsenic Texas Republicans extremity a peculiar league and California releases its ain redrawn representation proposal, some of which were expected to hap Friday.

Democrats did not accidental what time they mightiness return.

Newsom’s determination underscores calls wrong the Democratic Party to instrumentality a stronger stance against Trump and the Republicans, including moves that interruption antecedently held norms and rules that Democrats accidental the US close has agelong since abandoned.

“We cannot unilaterally disarm,” helium said, calling connected different Democrat-led states to articulation California.

“Other bluish states request to basal up. We request to beryllium firm,” helium said.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies