California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in a Monday letter is urging President Trump to call off the map-drawing arms race, saying he should end a redistricting war that is sparking battles across the country.
Newsom warned that GOP pushes to draw more favorable maps ahead of the midterms were “playing with fire” and pledged that California would stand down if red states did the same.
“This attempt to rig congressional maps to hold onto power before a single vote is cast in the 2026 election is an affront to American democracy,” wrote Newsom, who has launched a redistricting effort in his state to counter efforts in other states that could increase GOP seats in the House.
Trump, having doubled down on the redistricting push last week by calling for a new census, is unlikely to listen to Newsom, a prominent blue-state governor, 2028 presidential hopeful and self-positioned foil to the president.
But Newsom’s letter sends a signal to Democrats that positions the California governor as a leading opponent of Trump.
“We’re not going to sit back and watch you light democracy on fire. We will fight fire with fire,” Newsom said in a video posted to social media.
Newsom said Friday that he would seek a statewide ballot measure to temporarily bypass the state’s independent redistricting commission and allow voters to weigh in directly on a map that would remain in place until the 2030 census.
Many elected California Democrats have fallen in line with the governor’s effort. The party could gain at least five seats in its redistricting effort. In response, Rep. Kevin Kiley, a House Republican who could be vulnerable if California’s districts are redrawn, has proposed federal legislation that would prohibit mid-decade redistricting nationwide.
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