California Democrats are considering an unusual mid-decade redraw of the state’s congressional boundaries that would erase five Republican-held seats, raising the party’s projected share of the delegation to 48 of 52 districts, according to a draft plan circulating in Sacramento. The move would require either legislative action or a state-wide ballot measure to sidestep California’s independent redistricting commission, which normally governs the once-a-decade process. The proposal is a direct response to efforts in Texas, where President Donald Trump has urged Governor Greg Abbott and Republican legislators to give the GOP “five more” U.S. House seats through a special redistricting session. Election-law scholars say the Texas plan would break long-standing norms by revising maps adopted only four years ago, intensifying partisan advantages in the state’s 38-seat delegation. Strategists in both parties warn that the dueling initiatives could accelerate a nationwide arms race in gerrymandering before the 2026 midterms. With Republicans holding a narrow 220–212 majority in the House, even a handful of additional safe districts in either state could determine control of the chamber. Lawmakers in New York, Illinois and other blue states are already exploring similar countermeasures, while red-state officials in Florida and Indiana have signaled they may follow Texas’s lead.