Newsom announces California will hold special election on redistricting in November

California's Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced that he is moving forward with plans to hold a special election on whether the state should redraw its congressional maps in November. 

The special election will allow voters to weigh in on the possibility amid Democratic panic over Texas' redistricting push. The Texas state legislature is attempting to approve its newly redrawn congressional map, but the state's Democrats have fled Texas to avoid giving Republicans the quorum it needs to approve it.

Newsom said that he did not want to eliminate the independent commission already in charge of drawing congressional maps, but that this would be an emergency move that is directly in response to the situation in Texas.

"With the leadership behind me, they will get this on the ballot," Newsom said in a news conference. "We’re calling for a special election that will be the first week of November. We are talking about emergency measures to respond to what’s happening in Texas, and we will nullify what happens in Texas."

The governor first suggested the idea on Monday and the new map would redraw five Republican-held districts in California into Democratic districts ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Other Democratic governors have also toyed with the idea of redistricting in response to Texas, with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul stating that her party needs to "fight fire with fire."

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.