Topline
Former President Barack Obama approved of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to combat a Texas redistricting plan that could add five GOP seats in the U.S. House with California’s own redistricting, according to the Associated Press, calling the move “responsible” even though gerrymandering is not his “preference.”
Obama made the comments during a Tuesday fundraiser on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Obama made the comments during a Tuesday fundraiser on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, the Associated Press reported, noting Obama said Newsom’s redistricting plan, which would erase GOP gains made by Texas’ new congressional map, was a “responsible approach.”
Newsom thanked Obama for the support in a tweet, saying California “will redraw our maps and neutralize any attempts Donald Trump makes to steal Congressional seats.”
“We’re not going to try to completely maximize it,” Obama added, saying the California redistricting proposal would only be used “if and when Texas and/or other Republican states begin to pull these maneuvers.”
The former president said “political gerrymandering” was not his “preference,” according to the Associated Press, but said if Democrats do not respond to the GOP’s redistricting efforts, then the White House and other Republican state governments “will not stop, because they do not appear to believe in this idea of an inclusive, expansive democracy.”
Forbes has reached out to the Office of Barack and Michelle Obama for comment.
What To Watch For
California’s redistricting proposal will require voter approval to override the state’s independent redistricting commission, though state Democratic leaders indicate they support map-drawing power going back to the commission after the 2030 census. Obama lauded Newsom’s decision, saying “I think that approach is a smart, measured approach, designed to address a very particular problem in a very particular moment in time.” However, California’s process is not as simple as Texas’, as the red state’s legislature determines congressional boundaries.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.