Northern California to decide on redistricting, potentially benefiting Democrats : NPR

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In just over a week, California voters will face a question that could determine who controls Congress after the 2026 midterm elections. They are deciding whether the state should redistrict, giving Democrats an advantage to win five additional seats in the closely divided House of Representatives. Now, this vote comes in response to President Trump encouraging Texas to redraw the lines in favor of Republicans. CapRadio’s Laura Fitzgerald reports on a part of California where Republicans could lose out.

LAURA FITZGERALD, BYLINE: Loomis, California, is a suburban city of about 7,000 people outside of Sacramento. It is a red zone, represented by a Republican in Congress. But according to the redistricting map on the Nov. 4 election ballot, voters would be divided and allocated into districts likely to elect Democrats. Amanda Cortez is a Republican city council member who is organizing the opposition.

AMANDA CORTEZ: We want our communities to stay together, right? And so if we get pulled into Sacramento or, you know, somewhere, we don’t share the same needs, right?

CORTEZ: This area has many single-family homes on either side of a major highway and faces suburban problems, like traffic in and out, rapid development and high gas prices. Mike Murray (ph) also lives in the area and is involved in his county’s Republican club. He is voting no on the measure, called Prop 50, because he says his future votes in Congress will be overwhelmed by Democratic votes in neighboring Sacramento.

MIKE MURRAY: If we wanted to live in an urban community with the problems and benefits of an urban community, we would. But we choose to live here. And when we choose to live here, we hope that someone will represent us and our way of life.

FITZGERALD: Usually, states redistrict at the beginning of the decade, when the census is released, but California Republicans could end up paying the price for the redistricting battle that President Trump has sparked across the country. Murray says that, for him, this isn’t about national politics or redistricting in other states.

MURRAY: My concern has always been about our community and our representation. When things are bad elsewhere, doing things badly here is not the right path. Hey, this is something you teach your kids. Two wrongs are not enough.

FITZGERALD: But Trump was able to convince Texas to write a new map that could give five additional seats to Republican candidates. Democratic leaders in California therefore say they have drawn their map to give five seats to Democrats and counter Texas. Eric Schickler is co-director of the Institute for Government Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. He says opponents of California redistricting fear it will marginalize the state’s independent Redistricting Commission, which has helped give a voice to their communities.

ERIC SCHICKLER: The basic argument made by opponents of Proposition 50 is that the nonpartisan process, you know, has worked well for the state. This resulted in more competitive elections.

FITZGERALD: But for supporters, mainly Democrats, it’s about Congress and the Trump administration.

SCHICKLER: To the extent that voters want to have control over President Trump – well, you need a Democratic House to do that, that’s the argument Democrats are making.

FITZGERALD: In the town of Truckee, a blue dot in the same red Congressional district as Loomis, Democrats were wrapping up a meeting to organize Proposition 50. Cyan Samone sees redistricting as a chance to thwart Trump’s immigration crackdown.

(CROSSTALK)

CYAN SAMONE: I have many friends who are immigrants from different countries who left authoritarian regimes. And you see the patterns, and you just don’t want that to happen here. And I don’t want to see people who fled terrible situations have to flee again.

FITZGERALD: Her husband, Ben Woodard (ph), says redistricting could mean Democrats can elect a representative who will pay more attention to the needs of his community.

BEN WOODARD: I think the Democratic Party representative would do that and look at our interests, like, you know, the Medicare cuts have definitely had an impact on rural health care.

FITZGERALD: The partisans seem to have the upper hand as the November 4 election approaches. This is a state where most voters are Democrats and who view this election as part of a national struggle.

For NPR News, I’m Laura Fitzgerald in Sacramento.

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