Texas struck first. Don’t tell California to turn the other cheek | Opinion
Let’s be clear about what our president is doing — or rather, what he’s trying to get away with doing.
Donald Trump is attempting to steal an election by demanding that the state of Texas gerrymander Congressional districts to give Republicans an edge in the midterms. He claims Texas is “entitled” to five more seats in the House of Representatives. That’s hogwash, since reapportionment won’t happen again until 2030.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, meanwhile, is attempting to stop the steal by asking California voters to approve a new Congressional map in a November special election. The redistricting would turn several red districts blue, to neutralize what Texas is doing.
A special election would occur only if Texas goes ahead with redistricting. That’s up in the air at this point, since Democratic lawmakers have fled Texas in order to deny the Legislature a quorom.
But now the FBI has been dispactched to find the “runaway” lawmakers. And if that’s not heavy-handed enough, Trump is also trying to cajole other Republican states to gerrymander as well.
So here’s where we’re at: What Trump is attempting is shocking — one news outlet called it “Trumpmandering” — yet many are treating Newsom like the moral pariah. And it’s just not the MAGA crowd piling it on.
Democratic Assemblymember Alex Lee, the head of the Progressive Caucus, is against the plan: “Trying to save democracy by destroying democracy is dangerous and foolish,” he said.
California columist Dan Walters sermonized against it: “...there’s nothing funny about trampling — in the lust for partisan political power — the quaintly democratic notion that congressional districts should fairly represent the characteristics and values of their constituents.”
And former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who advocated for independent redistricting when he was in office, condemned gerrymandering as “evil no matter who does it.”
“He still stands by the rule we learn in pre-school: Two wrongs don’t make a right,” Schwarzenegger’s spokesperson said in a statement.
‘Gives Democrats an unfair advantage’
The fight over redistricting has spilled over to the governor’s race; Republican candidate Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, says he will sue Newsom if redistricting advances to an election.
“This is about equal representation,” he said. “Redrawing the maps now – before a new census – gives Democrats an unfair advantage and violates the law.”
In other words, it’s OK for Texas Republicans to give themselves an “unfair advantage,” but not OK for California.
Hilton also claims Newsom has an ulterior motive: to further his own political ambitions.
Except this isn’t solely up to Newsom. If it winds up on the ballot, California voters get to decide whether to adopt a gerrymandered map. Newsom could just as easily go down in flames if voters to don’t go along.
And is it so shocking that politicians would be motivated by self-interest? Isn’t that exactly what Hilton is doing by broadcasting his plan to sue Newsom?
Besides, if Hilton is so offended by gerrymandering, why not go to Texas and have a few words with the governor? Or even better, take his concerns to the White House, where this “evil” plot originated?
Democratic qualms
Even Democrats who recognize the need to stand up to Trump are almost embarassed to admit they support Newsom’s plan. They typically drop a platitude or two before reluctantly agreeing that, in this case, maybe gerrymandering is a necessary evil.
Democrats need to get over their qualms and get in the fight. California should not have to apologize for standing up to a president who grows more dictatorial by the day.
Rewriting history. Ignoring judicial orders. Pardoning traitors. Strong-arming universities into paying vast sums of money. Imposing huge tariffs on nations if he doesn’t approve of their politics. Ordering investigations of his political enemies. Firing federal officials if he doesn’t like the facts they present. Arresting immigrants and shipping them off to inhumane detention centers.
None of this is normal, and now Trump is trying to manipulate an election to ensure he can continue his rule by executive order, undeterred by Congress.
That cannot happen. Mid-term elections are the most effective way for voters to influence what happens during the back half of a presidential term. If Trump suceeds in subverting a process that is so fundamental to our system of government, there’s no telling what he will try next.
Under these extreme circumstances, what Newsom is requesting is a reasonable course of action. So please, no more talk about turning the other cheek or two wrongs not making a right.
Here is a more appropriate response: Desperate times call for desperate measures.
This story was originally published August 7, 2025 at 9:31 AM with the headline "Texas struck first. Don’t tell California to turn the other cheek | Opinion."
