California Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday sent a bluntly worded letter to President Donald Trump demanding that he call on Texas and other Republican-led states to abandon mid-decade redistricting plans. Newsom warned the president he is "playing with fire" and said California would launch its own map-drawing effort—potentially adding five Democratic seats—if Republicans persist. He offered to drop California’s proposed special election on new districts, scheduled for a possible November ballot, if red states stand down. The ultimatum landed as Texas Republicans prepared to reconvene their Legislature to vote on a congressional map expected to create as many as five additional GOP-leaning U.S. House seats ahead of the 2026 midterms. More than 50 Texas House Democrats remain out of state, denying the chamber a quorum and stalling the vote for a second week. Governor Greg Abbott has vowed to keep calling 30-day special sessions "beyond" the state’s December candidate-filing deadline and has threatened to have absent lawmakers arrested if they return. Should both states proceed, the dueling gerrymanders could reshape the battle for control of the narrowly divided House. Newsom’s proposal would temporarily bypass California’s independent redistricting commission, while the Texas plan is being advanced through the GOP-controlled Legislature. The White House had not responded publicly to Newsom’s letter as of late Monday.