❓WHAT HAPPENED: Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom’s plan to transfer redistricting authority from an independent commission to the Democrat-dominated state legislature faces significant public opposition, according to a recent poll.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Governor Gavin Newsom, California voters, and the state legislature.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Poll conducted between July 28 and August 12, 2025, across California.
💬KEY QUOTE: “If the other states call off their redistricting efforts, we will do the same. And American democracy will be better for it.” – Gavin Newsom
🎯IMPACT: The move could lead to intensified political battles over congressional maps and potential retaliation from other states.
A plan to further gerrymander California’s congressional districts, pushed by Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA), is being widely panned by Golden State voters. According to a new Politico–Citrin Center–Possibility Lab poll, Newsom’s gerrymander proposal, seeking to shift redistricting authority from California’s independent commission—enshrined in the state constitution—to the California legislature, is opposed by nearly two-thirds of respondents. Notably, the change would require voter approval through a statewide referendum, scheduled for November.
The survey, conducted between July 28 and August 12 among 1,445 registered voters in California, revealed that Californians overwhelmingly favor the independent panel. Only 36 percent of respondents support Newsom‘s plan, including a mere 39 percent of Democrats and 34 percent of Republicans.
Newsom has framed his redistricting effort as a countermeasure to Republican-led initiatives in states like Texas, where GOP lawmakers are pursuing new congressional maps that could secure up to five additional House seats for Republicans. In response, Newsom stated, “If the other states call off their redistricting efforts, we will do the same. And American democracy will be better for it.”
Critics, including Vice President J.D. Vance, have questioned the impartiality of California’s current congressional maps, which some argue already favor Democrats. The Princeton University Gerrymandering Project rated California’s map a “B” overall but gave it an “F” for competitiveness. Republicans currently hold just 17 percent of the state’s congressional seats, despite Donald Trump securing 38.3 percent of the vote in the 2024 presidential election.
The redistricting debate comes as other Democrat-led states, such as Illinois and Maryland—two of the most heavily gerrymandered states in the country—signal their willingness to redraw their maps in response to Republican efforts.
Meanwhile, Texas House Democrats recently returned home after fleeing the state to block a GOP redistricting proposal; however, another special session on the matter is expected to be called soon.
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