(Los Angeles) On the one hand, Texas supported by Donald Trump. On the other, the Democratic California of Gavin Newsom: the two states advanced Thursday towards the redistribution of their electoral cards, with the aim of gleaning as many seats in the congress during the November 2026 legislative elections.
These elections will be crucial for the second half of Donald Trump’s mandate, who seeks to consolidate the current short republican majority in the House of Representatives to continue to implement his political program.
To achieve this, the American president undertook to redraw the electoral districts of the Republican States in favor of conservative candidates and to the detriment of the Democrats.
Texas launched the offensive. After its adoption in the local lower house on Wednesday, then its visit to committee on Thursday, the new card must be approved on Friday morning by the Senate of this South State, with a republican majority.
This vote is expected as a formality, as is the promulgation in the process by the republican governor Greg Abbott.
Photo Sergio Flores, Reuters archives
The Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott
To redraw its electoral card, Texas uses an old recipe for electoral charcuting, called “Gerrymandering”, which aims to dilute the opposing voices. From this process was born a new sketch, with disparate forms, which should allow the Republicans to glean up to five additional seats in the Congress.
“Authoritarianism”
In California, the most populous state in the country in front of Texas, the Democrats decided to respond with the same strategy, that is to “fight fire by fire”, according to the expression of Governor Gavin Newsom.
The elected representative of 57 -year -old, who claims to be the role of opponent number one to Donald Trump, proposed a Californian card which could offer his party five other elected officials in the Congress, thus making it possible to compensate for the losses in Texas.
“We retaliate to what happened for us in Texas,” Gavin Newsom said on Thursday in an interview with progressive broom David Pakman.
“What additional proof do you need?” “, He then launched.
Photo Godofredo A. Vásquez, Associated Press Archives
The Governor of California, Gavin Newsom
“These guys do not play (…), people have to wake up and open their eyes,” added the governor, denouncing a Donald Trump who does not “respect any rule”.
The Californian Parliament thus adopted a resolution on Thursday which organizes a referendum in November, and which, in the event of approval, would restore elected officials the power to redraw the constituencies, in place of an independent commission as is the case since 2010.
An “intelligent and measured” response to Donald Trump, said former Democratic president Barack Obama (2009-2017).
Safeguard
Beyond Texas, Donald Trump would like to rediscover the cards of Indiana, Ohio or Missouri.
For the Democratic Governor of New York State Kathy Hochul, this is the “last upheaval of a desperate party that clings to power”. She warned President Trump in a statement that she “would face him on the same ground and would beat him in his own game”, like California.
But unlike Texas, where the legislative process allows this relatively easily redistribution, democratic states have more safeguards, for some of a constitutional order, which limit their margin of action.
In Texas, elected Democrats estimated that the division strategy was a “clear violation of Voting Rights Act and the American constitution.
Major law on civil rights adopted in 1965, the Voting Rights Act was aimed at preventing former southern segregationists from depriving African-Americans from the right to vote.
Minority in the Texan Parliament, Democrats believe that local Republicans want to “silence the voters of minorities by racist” gerrymandering “, judging that the new electoral card will dilute the voices of the African-American and Hispanic electorates which, traditionally, vote in the majority of democrat.
