The World Today
The governor defends acting like Republicans in Texas in the face of "another attempt by Trump to manipulate the system."
MADRID, 15 (EUROPA PRESS)
California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced a redistricting plan, asking the state's congressmen to hold a November vote, in response to attempts by the Texas Republican Party to redistrict the electoral map, allowing the party to gain five more seats in the 2026 congressional elections.
"On November 4th in California, you will have the power to stand up to (US President) Donald Trump. We're going to give the people of this state the power to defend democracy," he declared during a press conference where he presented his proposal.
If passed, the so-called "Response to Election Manipulation Act" would pave the way for California Democrats to bypass the independent commission that oversees the state's map-drawing process and approve new congressional lines that would be more favorable to their party, according to NBC.
"We can't stand idly by and watch this democracy disappear district by district across the country, not just in Texas, but also in Missouri, where (Vice President) JD Vance was just a week ago, in Indiana, Ohio. We need to speak out, not just in California, but in other Democratic states as well. We need to be resolute in our resolve," he argued.
Newsom explained that he made this decision "in response to a president of the United States who called a sitting governor of Texas and said, 'Find me five seats,'" warning that the White House resident "is, once again, trying to manipulate the system" ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Along these lines, the Democrat emphasized that Trump "doesn't play by any other rules. He doesn't believe in rules." "Consequently, we must disabuse ourselves of the way things have been done. It's not enough to simply hold hands, hold a candlelight vigil, and talk about what the world should be like. We have to answer fire with fire," he added.
The California governor's announcement comes a month after Texas Governor Greg Abbott, at Trump's request, called the Republican-controlled state legislature into a special session to vote on an unusual redrawing of the electoral map that would give the conservative party five more seats.
This action prompted dozens of Democratic lawmakers to flee Texas to prevent the House from meeting the quorum required for the vote.
