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Samyarup Chowdhury
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California Governor Gavin Newsom is facing resistance from voters over his redistricting proposal. By: ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA
California Governor Gavin Newsom is facing resistance from voters over his redistricting proposal after a new poll showed strong support for the stateβs independent commission. Knewz.com has learned that a Politico/Citrin Center survey found that 64% of California voters prefer to keep the commission in charge of drawing congressional maps, compared with 36% who favor returning that authority to the legislature.
Newsom downplays the results of the poll
Governor Newsomβs office downplayed the survey in a post on X. By: MEGA
Governor Newsomβs office downplayed the survey in a post on X, writing, βYou mean the poll that tested what we are NOT doing (getting rid of the commission!)?? Do not be fooled by so called βexpertsβ who donβt even ask the right questions! There is STRONG support!β A spokesperson for the governor pointed reporters to that statement when asked for comment.
Why Newsom is pushing for redistricting
Governor Newsom urged lawmakers to place a temporary ballot measure allowing mid-decade redistricting on the November ballot. By: MEGA
Governor Newsom urged lawmakers to place a temporary ballot measure allowing mid-decade redistricting on the November ballot. The proposal would not eliminate the independent commission, which voters approved in 2008 and expanded in 2010, but would suspend its authority until the 2030 redistricting cycle. The move comes as Republican-led states are advancing mid-decade redraws. Texas, backed by former President Donald Trump, is moving to cut as many as five Democratic-held House seats. Florida and Missouri are weighing similar efforts. Newsom framed Californiaβs proposal as a defensive step, saying it would counter what he called a Republican βarms raceβ in redistricting. βWe expect that the legislature will move quickly and anticipate by the end of next week that they will complete that work,β Newsom said at a press conference. βThe maps will present themselves in the next few years.β
Support for independent commission broad across party lines
The poll results highlight a challenge for Newsom and Democrats as they consider asking voters to temporarily hand map-drawing powers back to the legislature. BY: Unsplash
The poll results highlight a challenge for Newsom and Democrats as they consider asking voters to temporarily hand map-drawing powers back to the legislature. Support for the independent commission was broad across party lines, as 61% of Democrats, 66% of Republicans, and 72% of independents favored keeping the current system. Pollster Jack Citrin, director of the Citrin Center at UC Berkeley, told Politico the results reflect votersβ established preference for nonpartisan map-drawing. βItβs not surprising, in the sense that California has voted twice for this independent review commission not all that long ago,β he said. Republicans have seized on the findings, as Representative Kevin Kiley, a California Republican, wrote on X, βNewsomβs team helpfully points out that the poll showing overwhelming opposition to his redistricting sham did not include the fraudulent wording he plans to present voters.β
National implications of the redistricting dispute
Republicans currently hold a 219β212 majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. BY: Unsplash
The redistricting dispute has national implications. Republicans currently hold a 219β212 majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Gains from mid-decade redistricting in GOP-led states could help them preserve control in the 2026 elections. Democrats, meanwhile, hope that Trumpβs weak approval ratings will boost their chances of reclaiming the chamber. If states like California can counter Republican redraws with their own maps, it could offset GOP gains. But in California, voter skepticism of legislative redistricting may make it difficult for Democrats to justify the move, even temporarily. Newsom acknowledged the measure would only advance if Republican states proceed. βWe anticipate these maps will completely neuter and neutralize what is happening in Texas,β he said. βThis does not go forward, I want to remind everybody, unless one of these other states move forward. Thereβs still an exit ramp.β
The post Newsom bites back at bad poll results in Trump battle appeared first on Knewz.
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