California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday unveiled a partisan redistricting drive that would re-draw the state’s congressional boundaries to give Democrats as many as five additional U.S. House seats in the 2026 midterms. Newsom said the proposal, drafted with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, will be placed before voters in a Nov. 4 special election. The map, released Friday, stretches safe Democratic turf into six Republican-held districts now represented by Doug LaMalfa, Kevin Kiley, David Valadao, Ken Calvert, Young Kim and Darrell Issa. Legislative leaders intend to pass enabling measures by Aug. 22 so the plan, and a temporary suspension of the state’s independent redistricting commission, can appear on the November ballot. If approved, the boundaries would remain in force through the 2030 census unless other states abandon mid-decade remaps first. Newsom cast the move as retaliation for a Republican plan in Texas—championed by President Donald Trump and Governor Greg Abbott—to redraw that state’s map and create up to five new GOP seats. Democrats argue the counter-measure is necessary to preserve their House influence, while Republicans say it escalates a nationwide gerrymandering war. Opposition is mounting inside California. A Politico survey released Friday found 64 % of state voters prefer keeping the independent citizens commission, compared with 36 % who favor returning the power to lawmakers. Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who championed the commission in 2010, pledged to “terminate” the proposal, and the House GOP campaign arm (NRCC) threatened an immediate court fight. The clash underscores a broader mid-decade redistricting surge: Texas is poised to approve its map once Democratic legislators return from a self-imposed walkout, and Missouri Republicans are weighing a special session to redraw their lines. With control of the closely divided House at stake, both parties appear ready to abandon long-standing norms to lock in structural advantages.