California’s Democratic leaders are circulating a draft congressional map that would eliminate five Republican-held U.S. House districts and bolster several vulnerable Democratic seats, according to people briefed on the proposal. If adopted, the plan would lift the party’s projected advantage in the state to 48 of 52 seats, up from 43, by shaving conservative voters from districts held by Reps. Ken Calvert, Darrell Issa, Kevin Kiley, David Valadao and Doug LaMalfa. Governor Gavin Newsom has said he will ask lawmakers to place the map on a special-election ballot in early November, a step required to override the state’s independent redistricting commission. Democrats say the move is a direct response to a mid-cycle effort in Texas, where Republicans—backed by President Donald Trump—are pushing a map designed to flip five Democratic seats ahead of the 2026 midterms. Texas House Democrats fled the state this week to deny the chamber a quorum, prompting Governor Greg Abbott to threaten arrests and replacement elections. The standoff has triggered a broader partisan escalation. Florida’s Republican-controlled House on Thursday created a committee to study redrawing its map and is weighing scenarios that could dislodge up to five Democratic incumbents. GOP officials in Missouri, Indiana and other states have signaled similar interest, while Democratic governors in New York, Illinois and Maryland have warned they may redraw their own lines if Republican states proceed. Population shifts expected in the 2030 census add to the stakes: preliminary forecasts show California losing three seats while Texas and Florida each gain four. With Republicans holding a narrow 219-212 edge in the current House, strategists in both parties say the emerging tit-for-tat gerrymandering could determine control of Congress for the remainder of Trump’s term.