California Governor Gavin Newsom Threatens Redistricting Push

The redistricting of U.S. House seats is supposed to be a once-a-decade event. But growing Voting Rights Act litigation, voter polarization, and the tight partisan margins in the House have broken that mold. Right now, Republicans have a 219-to-212 majority, with four vacancies.

That means states where one party dominates are now tempted to redraw their congressional maps years before the next census. This week, a special session of the Texas legislature called by Governor Greg Abbott will debate passing a new map that should create more GOP seats from the Lone Star State. Republicans now hold 25 of the 38 congressional districts.

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John Fund

John Fund is National Review’s national-affairs reporter.

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Gavin Newsom

The redistricting of U.S. House seats is supposed to be a once-a-decade event. But growing Voting Rights Act litigation, voter polarization, and the tight partisan margins in the House have broken that mold. Right now, Republicans have a 219-to-212 majority, with four vacancies.

That means states where one party dominates are now tempted to redraw their congressional maps years before the next census. This week, a special session of the Texas legislature called by Governor Greg Abbott will debate passing a new map that should create more GOP seats from the Lone Star State. Republicans now hold 25 of the 38 congressional districts.