California Gov. Gavin Newsom is set to hold a news conference to discuss plans to redraw the state's congressional maps. CBS News political director Fin Gomez has more.

Sacramento

California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced plans to initiate a redrawing of the state's congressional maps. This action is presented as a direct response to Republican-led efforts in states such as Texas to redraw districts in ways that favor the GOP. Newsom's proposal would temporarily suspend California's independent redistricting commission, despite a recent poll indicating strong voter support for the commission's current structure.

The governor's plan, backed by prominent Democrats including Nancy Pelosi and Senator Alex Padilla, aims to potentially flip several Republican-held seats and offset Republican gains in other states. The proposed new maps are expected to be unveiled soon and may be put to a public vote. Newsom frames the move as a necessary countermeasure to national Republican strategies ahead of the midterm elections.

Why Newsom is planning to redraw California's congressional maps

Today, California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom is promising his own liberation day. He is scheduled to hold a news conference in just a few hours in response to President Trump's push for Texas and other red states to redraw congressional maps that favor the GOP. Newsom wrote on social media that today will mark a, quote, huge historic event and that Democrats will destroy Texas. Governor Greg Abbott's, quote, totally rigged maps. CBS News political director, Finn Gomez, joins us now from our DC bureau to break this all down. So, Finn, it looks like they've got some new people in the social media department in the governor's office. They're using that all-cap bowl language, also ending the tweets by saying, thank you for your attention to this matter, which is, you know, very Trumpian, exactly. Explain the strategy. Have we had any sort of statements from the governor's office about this strategy? And what do we more seriously expect from this news conference? Yeah, I mean, in terms of the strategy, it's really an effort to, like, tweak the president. You know, Newsom, of course, is eyeing a 2020 White House bid of his own. But it's also an effort to really mobilize and galvanize Democrats on this issue. And at that news conference that you're talking about, it's going to be at 2.30 p.m. Eastern. Governor Newsom is set to launch his reciprocal efforts to gerrymander California in response to Texas Republicans' own efforts to withdraw and add seats to benefit Republicans there and improve their chances of retaining the House during next year's midterms. California currently has 52 congressional seats. Democrats hold 43. Republicans hold nine. Vlad Newsom and Democratic leaders believe they could flip potentially five Republican-held seats and potentially increasing their margin and countering Republican gains in other states. The proposed new map in California are expected to be unveiled by the end of the week before the state legislature there. And they will act potentially next week. And then, eventually, the issue could be placed before voters in November, Vlad. Voters will be voting on this, potentially. A new poll, however, commissioned by Politico, shows that Newsom may have some obstacles in his path with California voters, who, according to the survey, support the current independent redistricting commission structure by nearly a 2-to-1 margin—64 percent of California voters supported it, according to this poll. But so, what Newsom is proposing here would temporarily suspend that committee to implement his plan. He's framing this as a resistance against Trump-style tactics. You know, prominent California Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi and Senator Alex Padilla, support the effort. But his strategy is simple. He says that he's fighting fire with fire to counter President Trump and Republicans. And he can make the argument that he is the one leading the fight on redistricting for Democrats on a national scale. Important to note, again, that Newsom is eyeing a potential run for 1600 Pennsylvania. So all of this has a veneer of politics bigger than just the current redraw fight. Vlad? And so, ultimately, this push in California, if they're able to get it done, are we looking at a cascading effect, where we see other states trying to attempt the same? In all likelihood, yes. And just a reminder, I mean, this is all about the midterms, Vlad. You know, all 435 seats are on the line in 2026. Even small changes in California could swing the national balance. Right now, of course, Republicans have the majority in both the House and Senate. If California succeeds, other Democratic-led states, like Illinois, could follow suit. And Republicans, as we have reported, are looking to expand congressional districts in other states, including potentially Florida and Missouri. You know, and just—if you recall, Vlad, this was all initiated by President Trump and his Republican allies. Historically, whichever party controls the White House has lost seats in Congress during the midterm elections. And this was essentially initiated to stave off those historical headwinds. Vlad. Very interesting. All right. Finn Gomez, thank you very much, my friend. Appreciate it. Thank you, sir.

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