A Nationwide ‘Redistricting War’ Is Brewing. This Bill Seeks To Stop It.

A House Republican is set to introduce a bill to prevent states from enacting mid-decade redistricting plans that could reshape the balance of power in Congress.

The offering from Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) comes as Texas lawmakers consider a GOP-led redistricting plan that could turn five Democratic seats in the House red ahead of the 2026 elections, a move that prompted California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom to warn that his state might redraw its maps in retaliation before the midterms.

While the legislation seeks to stop all states from redrawing their maps before the 2030 census, Kiley is particularly focused on California.

Kiley’s office said Newsom is looking to overturn a decades-long California Supreme Court precedent banning mid-decade redistricting and bypass the voter-approved Independent Citizens Commission. Should the Democrat governor go through with such a plan, it could threaten several Republican-held seats — including the one held by Kiley, who represents a district around Sacramento and Lake Tahoe.

“Gavin Newsom is trying to subvert the will of voters and do lasting damage to democracy in California,” Kiley declared in a statement. “Fortunately, Congress has the ability to protect California voters using its authority under the Elections Clause of the U.S. Constitution. This will also stop a damaging redistricting war from breaking out across the country.”

President Donald Trump has been pushing Texas and other states to draw their congressional maps with the expectation that Republicans would gain seats. However, the president also indicated that his administration would sue California if it tried to create more Democratic-leaning districts.

“We’ll fight them. You know, they’re so corrupt in California,” Trump said last month. “You never know what’s going to happen, but we’ve done pretty well in the courts in California, as you see. We’re batting about 1,000, ultimately. We start off a little slow, and then we get a lot of hits.”

Newsom fired back at Republicans in response to a GOP proposal for redrawing districts in Texas that would ostensibly eliminate five Democratic seats.

“Donald Trump asks for 5 seats and Greg Abbott automatically bends the knee. The 2026 election is being rigged. California won’t sit back and watch this happen,” Newsom said.

The battle over redistricting is heating up as dozens of Democratic lawmakers fled Texas to deny the quorum needed to advance that state’s redistricting proposal. Texas GOP Governor Greg Abbott has threatened a bid to have the AWOL Democrats removed from office if they do not return by Monday afternoon, in addition to potential charges.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul, another Democrat, has signaled interest in redrawing state congressional maps, too, if Republicans proceed with mid-decade redistricting in states they control.