SCOOP: Gavin Newsom plots to gerrymander up to six House Republicans out of office

THE LOWDOWN:

• Gov. Gavin Newsom (D., Calif.) is under fire for working to “disenfranchise California voters and overturn [the state’s] independent redistricting commission.”

• Nevertheless, Newsom was joined by House Democrats from out of state as he mulls what experts explain could be a complicated push to draw as many as six House Republicans out of office in next year’s midterms.

• Newsom justified his plans in apocalyptic terms. “If we don’t put a stake into the heart of this administration, there may not be another election in 2028,” he said.

• Amidst Newsom’s mulling, a group of civic groups in California wrote to Sacramento lawmakers of both parties to defend the state’s current map, which “enforces strict conflict-of-interest rules, ensures diverse and balanced representation, and mandates public input at every stage.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D., Calif.) is under fire for working to “disenfranchise California voters and overturn [the state’s] independent redistricting commission.”

Should Newsom proceed with his plan to force through a mid-decade gerrymander, he would need to circumvent his state’s Citizens Redistricting Commission, which the state’s Republican delegation noted has “the sole authority of drawing California’s congressional districts.”

Nevertheless, Newsom was joined by House Democrats from out of state as he mulls what experts explain could be a complicated push to draw as many as six House Republicans out of office in next year’s midterms.

Newsom justified his plans in apocalyptic terms.

“If we don’t put a stake into the heart of this administration, there may not be another election in 2028,” he said.

The 2028 election remains scheduled as planned. California Republicans explained that even under the current congressional maps, they are already drastically underrepresented.

“As it stands, Republicans only hold nine congressional seats out of 52 despite winning 38% of the vote statewide,” the Golden State GOP said.

The state’s current map is already viewed by many as being “Democrat-friendly.”

But 17.3 percent representation in Congress might be too much red for Newsom, whose planned gerrymander would cost up to $200 million for a statewide special election, the Republicans calculated.

Amidst Newsom’s mulling, a group of civic groups in California wrote to Sacramento lawmakers of both parties to defend the state’s current map, which “enforces strict conflict-of-interest rules, ensures diverse and balanced representation, and mandates public input at every stage.”

“That reform — approved by the people — deserves protection, not political re-engineering,” the groups wrote.

The letter, obtained by the Washington Reporter, “urge[s] California’s leaders to reject this short-sighted and cynical maneuver, which would lead to an unnecessary and costly special election.”

“Now is the time to defend and recommit to a democracy that puts voters, not politicians, first,” the letter reads.