California’s vow to oppose Republicans’ mid-decade redistricting ambitions in Texas is supported by former President Barack Obama.
During a National Democratic Redistricting Committee fundraising luncheon on Tuesday, Obama stated that the party must “respond effectively” to Republican gerrymandering efforts.
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Obama stated at the event, which included former Attorney General Eric Holder and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. “I have had to wrestle with my preference, which is that we don’t have political gerrymandering, but I also know that if we don’t respond effectively, then this White House and Republican-controlled state governments all across the country will not stop, because they don’t appear to believe in this idea of an inclusive, expansive democracy,” he said.
His comments were made the day before Texas House Republicans approved a bill to redraw congressional boundaries, which would give the GOP five extra seats in Congress during the midterm elections the following year.
In reaction to fresh redistricting plans in Republican-led states like Texas, California Governor Gavin Newsom this week urged state lawmakers to support a ballot proposal to redraw congressional borders.
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It is uncommon for states to submit maps between decennial census counts, while it is not forbidden.
Obama mentioned Newsom’s plan on Tuesday, stating that he has “tremendous respect” for it since it would permit Democratic-leaning redistricting.
According to Obama, Texas is following the lead of a partisan White House that is essentially advocating gerrymandering for political reasons in order to keep the House in spite of its unpopular policies.
Therefore, I think Governor Newsom’s strategy is a responsible one. This will be accountable, he stressed. We will not attempt to fully utilize it. He went on to say, “We will only take this action if and when Texas and/or other Republican states start using these tactics.”
In a social media statement Wednesday evening, the National Democratic Redistricting Committee reiterated Obama’s endorsement, referring to Newsom’s proposal as “a fair and responsible response to Trump’s unprecedented power grab.”
Ryan Chandler, Ben Kamisar, and Jesse Rodriguez all made contributions.
