After the Texas House of Representatives passed its new redistricting maps that are aimed at giving Republicans five more seats in Congress, California has followed through on its promise to redraw its own congressional boundaries to benefit Democrats. Now, Republicans in the Golden State fear their careers may be over.
That's according to a Thursday report in The Bulwark — a conservative news site opposed to President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement. Bulwark author Joe Perticone wrote that the new California maps, which give Democrats significant new advantages in districts previously viewed as safe Republican seats, have prompted Republicans in the deep-blue state to lash out.
Perticone pointed to Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) as one example, whose district encompasses a mostly rural portion of Northeastern California. The new map, which the California House of Representatives passed on Thursday, redraws his district to include more of liberal-leaning Sacramento and gives a Democrat a much better chance of winning.
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Kiley authored a bill aimed at preventing mid-decade redistricting efforts and called on House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to bring it up for a vote in a recent post to his X account. The California Republican quote-posted a tweet from Johnson condemning California's new maps by telling the speaker that while he appreciated his "nice words," he preferred "action." This comes after Kiley demanded Johnson demonstrate more "leadership" and speak out against mid-decade redistricting.
"You can stop Newsom's Redistricting Sham and save our taxpayers $250 million by bringing my mid-decade redistricting bill to the floor," he wrote.
Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.), who represents a mostly rural district in far Northern California, was also livid about the new maps. In an official statement, he called the new proposed maps in the Golden State "naked politics at its worst." He expressed outrage about the new district boundaries, saying: "How on earth does Modoc County on the Nevada and Oregon Border have any common interest with Marin County and the Golden Gate Bridge?
Should the new maps pass the California Senate and be signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), California voters will have final approval via a ballot initiative this November to have the new maps go into effect prior to the 2026 midterm elections. Newsom has said the maps would be temporary and would be redrawn after the 2030 Census.
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Click here to read Perticone's full article in the Bulwark (subscription required).