California Gov. Gavin Newsom hopes that Florida’s redistricting plan brings with it the end of the “saga” that has led states across the country to try to find untapped partisan advantages in redrawn congressional boundries.
“It’s a predictable outcome, but hopefully it’ll be the end of this era and this saga,” Newsom told Fox News Digital.
“Trump got beat at his own game. It was a terrible mistake he made for the Republican Party. A lot of good Republicans are going to be districted out,” Newsom continued. “They’re going to serve as collateral damage.”
His comments underscore confidence from Democrats that the redistricting push will play into their hands come the November midterms — despite a numbers game that would tip the scales towards Republicans if Florida carries out proposed changes of its own.
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A Republican National Committee spokesperson fired back at Newsom’s comments, telling Fox News Digital that “Gavin Newsom is attempting to spin fantasies about a ‘blue wave’ after Democrats dumped tens of millions into a gerrymandering scheme to barely crawl across the finish line with a three-point margin in a state Abigail Spanberger won by 15.”
“Meanwhile, California voters are fed up and fleeing in droves due to Gavin Newsom’s deranged quest to drive his state into the ground by sending taxpayer dollars to give sex change surgeries to illegal aliens,” RNC National Press Secretary, Kiersten Pels, continued.
Newsom’s confidence was echoed by Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin.
“Republicans decided to start this and we’re going to finish this for them, right?” Martin said, referring to the first redistricting effort in 2025, spearheaded by Republicans in Texas.
“We’re going to meet them every step of the way. We’re not bringing a pencil to a knife fight anymore,” Martin said.
So far, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas, Utah, Ohio and Virginia have adopted new congressional maps, electing to re-shuffle districts ahead of the 2030 census — the time at which state lawmakers would normally reevaluate areas of representation.
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Republicans expect to gain up to nine seats across redistricting efforts in Ohio, North Carolina, Missouri and Texas.
Democrats hope to net nine of their own from changes in California, Virginia and Utah.
Florida is looking to change the calculus by creating as many as four additional Republican-leaning districts by stretching historically Democratic areas over Republican strongholds.
The change would require the support of Florida’s state legislature, which currently holds a Republican majority in the state House and Senate.
Newsom believes Republicans are creating a liability for themselves by stretching their support too thin in some areas.
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“They’re going to put a lot at risk, and I think it’s going to be a big blue wave election,” Newsom said. “So, you know, this thing could be — I’m not here to give DeSantis advice on this — it could be a bad mistake.”
Lawmakers are expected to consider the maps in a special session that begins on Tuesday.
