Former President Barack Obama has thrown his considerable political weight behind California Governor Gavin Newsom’s controversial bid to redraw the state’s congressional maps—a move that has ignited fierce debate from coast to coast and could reshape the fight for control of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026.
At a packed fundraiser on Martha’s Vineyard on August 19, 2025, Obama called Newsom’s plan a "responsible approach," emphasizing that it would only go into effect if Texas or other Republican-led states move forward with their own mid-decade redistricting efforts. "We’re not going to try to completely maximize it," Obama said, according to The Associated Press. "We’re only going to do it if and when Texas and/or other Republican states begin to pull these maneuvers. Otherwise, this doesn’t go into effect."
The event, which also featured former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Attorney General Eric Holder, raised $2 million for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee and its affiliates—groups at the forefront of legal battles over gerrymandering nationwide. According to The New York Times, Obama explained his stance further: "I’ve had to wrestle with my preference, which would be that we don’t have political gerrymandering, but what I also know is that if we don’t respond effectively, then this White House and Republican-controlled state governments all across the country, they will not stop, because they do not appear to believe in this idea of an inclusive, expansive democracy."
Newsom’s proposal, unveiled earlier in August, would allow California Democrats to redraw congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterms, potentially flipping five seats currently held by Republicans. The plan is designed as a countermeasure to Republican-led redistricting efforts in Texas, where lawmakers—spurred on by former President Donald Trump and Governor Greg Abbott—are pushing a new congressional map that could add five GOP seats, further cementing Republican power in the House.
"Since Texas is taking direction from a partisan White House and gerrymandering in the middle of a decade to try and maintain the House despite their unpopular policies, I have tremendous respect for how Governor Newsom has approached this," Obama wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on August 20, 2025, as reported by The Hill and Fox News. He added that Newsom had put forward a "smart, measured approach in California, designed to address a very particular problem at a very particular moment in time."
California’s plan is not without precedent, but it is highly unusual. Traditionally, states redraw their congressional maps once every ten years, following the decennial census. But with Republicans in Texas and other states making mid-decade moves to shore up their own positions, Newsom and fellow Democrats argue that a strong response is essential to maintain a level playing field.
Newsom’s blueprint would temporarily bypass the state’s independent redistricting commission—a body created by California voters in 2010 to reduce partisan influence—and instead put a Democrat-drawn map before voters in a special election scheduled for November 4, 2025. If approved, the new map could give Democrats as many as 48 of California’s 52 House seats, up from the current 43, according to The Associated Press. Newsom and Democratic leaders have promised that this move would be temporary, with map-drawing power returning to the commission after the 2030 census—provided that Republican states do not continue with similar redistricting maneuvers.
Not surprisingly, the maneuver has set off a political firestorm. California Republicans have vowed to fight the plan, filing a lawsuit in an attempt to block the Legislature from considering the necessary legislation. At a heated committee hearing on August 19, tempers flared and the debate devolved into a shouting match, but the committee ultimately advanced the new map along party lines. As Fox News reported, California Republicans are determined to prevent what they see as a blatant power grab. Representative Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., made clear the GOP’s stance on the redistricting efforts, warning of the slippery slope of abandoning independent commissions for partisan gain.
Meanwhile, in Texas, the Republican-controlled House resumed special sessions in August 2025 to push through their new congressional map. Texas Democrats, in a dramatic act of protest, fled the state for two weeks, denying the GOP the quorum needed to advance their plan. But after returning, Republicans pressed ahead, passing a bill on August 20 that would add five more GOP seats after the 2026 midterms. Governor Abbott and former President Trump have both been vocal supporters of the effort, framing it as a necessary step to counter what they claim are Democratic attempts to manipulate election outcomes elsewhere.
The escalating tit-for-tat has not gone unnoticed by political observers. Some analysts predict that if both California and Texas succeed in their respective plans, the net effect could be to cancel out each other’s gains, leaving the overall balance of power in the House relatively unchanged. Yet the broader implications are more profound: the moves signal a breakdown in the bipartisan consensus that once governed redistricting and raise questions about the future of independent commissions and the principle of fair representation.
Obama, for his part, acknowledged the uncomfortable position Democrats now find themselves in. "Over the long term, we shouldn’t have political gerrymandering in America, just a fair fight between Republicans and Democrats based on who’s got better ideas," he wrote on X. But, he argued, "if we don’t respond effectively, then this White House and Republican-controlled state governments all across the country, they will not stop." The National Democratic Redistricting Committee echoed Obama’s sentiments, describing Newsom’s plan as "a fair and responsible response to Trump’s unprecedented power grab."
Newsom himself has embraced the national spotlight, thanking Obama for his support in a post on X and dubbing the proposed ballot measure the "Election Rigging Response Act." He has also launched a campaign to raise up to $100 million to promote the measure to voters, with early polling showing mixed results. Newsom’s efforts have drawn attention from other Democratic governors in Illinois and New York, who are reportedly considering similar redistricting moves to offset Republican gains in Texas. On the other side, Republicans in states like Florida, Missouri, and Indiana are weighing their own map changes.
For now, all eyes are on California’s November special election, where voters will decide whether to approve the new congressional map and, by extension, weigh in on the broader battle over gerrymandering and the future of American democracy. The outcome could set a precedent for other states, shaping the contours of partisan competition for years to come.
The stakes are high, and the path forward is uncertain. But as the nation watches, the fight over redistricting in California and Texas may well determine not just the makeup of the next Congress, but the very rules of the game itself.
