Former US President Barack Obama has thrown his weight behind California Governor Gavin Newsom’s push to redraw House districts, calling the plan a “responsible” way to counter Republican efforts in Texas.Speaking at a Martha’s Vineyard fundraiser on Tuesday, Obama said he admired Newsom’s decision to link California’s proposed changes to Republican-led redistricting elsewhere. “He said this is going to be responsible. We’re not going to try to completely maximise it. We’re only going to do it if and when Texas and/or other Republican states begin to pull these manoeuvres,” Obama remarked, according to the New York Times.The former president, who raised $2 million for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee at the event, added that while he disliked gerrymandering, Democrats could not “unilaterally allow one of the two major parties to rig the game.” He warned, “If we don’t respond effectively, then this White House and Republican-controlled state governments all across the country, they will not stop, because they do not appear to believe in this idea of an inclusive, expansive democracy.”Newsom has proposed a November ballot measure, labelled Proposition 50, that would allow Democrats to bypass California’s independent redistricting commission and enact a party-drawn map. The plan, which he nicknamed the “Election Rigging Response Act,” would only be triggered if Texas or another Republican state pushes through mid-decade changes. If passed, it could reshape five districts currently held by Republicans, boosting Democrats in the 2026 midterms.Obama reinforced that his support was conditional. “Over the long term, we shouldn’t have political gerrymandering in America, just a fair fight between Republicans and Democrats based on who’s got better ideas,” he wrote separately on X on Wednesday. “But since Texas is taking direction from a partisan White House and gerrymandering in the middle of a decade to try and maintain the House despite their unpopular policies, I have tremendous respect for how Governor Newsom has approached this”, he further wrote.Newsom, widely seen as a possible 2028 presidential contender, thanked the former president on Wednesday. “Thank you President Obama for backing Proposition 50 and standing up for America’s democracy,” he posted on X.The redistricting clash has intensified since US President Donald Trump urged Texas leaders to redraw maps in a way that could eliminate five Democratic-held seats. Republican lawmakers in Texas approved the redrawn maps on Wednesday, intensifying the battle over control of the House. In response, Democrats in California, Illinois and New York are weighing counter-moves. Reacting to the Texas bill, Newsom posted on X: “It’s on. See you in November.”According to the LA Times, California lawmakers are expected to vote soon on whether to call the special election.Obama acknowledged the tension between his long-standing opposition to gerrymandering and his present stance. “I wanted just a fair fight … but California is one of the states that has the capacity to offset a large state like Texas,” he told donors, describing Newsom’s approach as a “smart, measured” solution tailored to “a very particular problem in a very particular moment in time.”
