Former President Obama endorsed California Democrats’ plans to redraw congressional districts if Texas or one other Republican-led state does so to extend the GOP’s possibilities of sustaining management of Congress after subsequent 12 months’s midterm election.
Obama mentioned that whereas he opposes partisan gerrymandering, Republicans in Texas performing at President Trump’s behest have pressured Democrats’ hand.
If Democrats “don’t reply successfully, then this White Home and Republican-controlled state governments all throughout the nation, they won’t cease, as a result of they don’t seem to imagine on this concept of an inclusive, expansive democracy,” he mentioned at a fundraiser Tuesday in Martha’s Winery that was first reported by the Related Press on Wednesday.
“I needed only a truthful battle between Republicans and Democrats based mostly on who’s obtained higher concepts, and take it to the voters and see what occurs,” Obama mentioned, “… however we can’t unilaterally enable one of many two main events to rig the sport. And California is without doubt one of the states that has the capability to offset a big state like Texas.”
Redistricting usually solely happens as soon as a decade, after the census, to account for inhabitants shifts. In 2010, Californians voted to create an impartial redistricting fee to finish partisan gerrymandering. California’s 52 congressional districts had been final redrawn in 2021.
Earlier this summer time, Trump urged Texas leaders to redraw its congressional boundaries to extend the variety of Republicans in Congress. Led by Gov. Gavin Newsom, California Democrats responded and proposed redrawing the state’s district strains and placing the matter earlier than voters in a particular election in November.
The problem got here to a head this week, with Texas lawmakers anticipated to vote on their new districts on Wednesday, and California legislators anticipated to vote on Thursday to name the particular election.
Obama known as Newsom’s method “accountable,” as a result of the matter will in the end be determined by voters, and if accredited, would solely go into impact if Texas or one other state embarks on a mid-decade redistricting, and line-drawing would revert to the impartial fee after the 2030 census.
“I feel that method is a brilliant, measured method, designed to deal with a really specific downside in a really specific second in time,” Obama mentioned.
