Opinion: I support redistricting because we must fight fire with fire

Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom called for a special election this November in California. Our state isn’t supposed to have another statewide election until 2026, but Newsom recognizes the urgency of this moment.

Why? Because Donald Trump and Texas Republicans are making an unprecedented power grab to steal congressional seats and rig the 2026 election before a single vote is cast. 

Trump knows that if the midterms are a fair fight, he and his friends in Congress will lose. The start of Trump’s second term has been an unmitigated disaster. He has imposed sweeping tariffs that have hurt California families and businesses, denied much-needed disaster aid to fire victims, and ordered inhumane immigration raids that have left families torn apart and businesses without a workforce. Across the board, his approval ratings are tanking. And he knows that if House Democrats retake the majority, we’ll put an end to his disastrous agenda.

So what did he do? Trump went to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and ordered him to redraw the Texas congressional maps — mid-decade, without a new census — twisting an already gerrymandered map to secure five more Republican House seats and all but guaranteeing another Republican House majority in 2026 and beyond. As expected, Abbott has done Trump’s bidding.

So, this month, the California Assembly and Senate will vote on new maps, too — ones that give Democrats five more seats in California — paving the way for the special election Newsom proposed. This isn’t about giving Democrats an unfair advantage in the election — it’s about leveling the playing field. Most importantly, if Texas calls off its plans, so will California. 

If we can’t all play by the right rules, then we should at least all be playing by the same rules.

I am currently serving my third term in Congress. If the new maps take effect and I win my bid for re-election in 2026, I will have represented three different districts in just four terms. It’s not an ideal scenario. But this isn’t politics as usual — it’s an emergency for our democracy.

I think every state should have independent redistricting like we have here in California. In fact, House Democrats actually passed legislation in March 2021 that would require every state to use nonpartisan, independent redistricting commissions to draw their congressional maps — but Senate Republicans refused to even consider it. 

At every turn, we tried to avoid this new reality. Since early July, when Abbott first announced he would call a special session to redraw Texas’ congressional maps, my House Democratic colleagues and I have engaged with our Republican colleagues — encouraging them to talk to Trump and Abbott, and trying to build support for a ban on mid-decade redistricting nationwide. At the same time, dozens of Texas House Democrats left the state, denying Abbott the quorum needed for the special session. But after weeks away from home, amid daily fines and threats of arrest, most have since returned.

We can’t just roll over in the face of Trump’s and the Republican Party’s schemes and power grabs. We need to fight for our democracy. We need to do everything we can to make sure everyone in our country is represented. 

Since January, national Democrats have been told to do more, to fight harder against Trump and Republicans in the House and Senate. Those calls are well-placed — we absolutely need to meet the urgency of this moment, and Democrats should fight with every tool we have. In the triple minority, we don’t have standing to sue the Trump administration, we can’t control what legislation is voted on, we don’t have subpoena power or the ability to call hearings, and we’ve seen the Trump administration go after members of Congress conducting constitutionally mandated oversight. But this effort is something very real that we can all get behind.

With this special election, every Californian has real power to change things. On Nov. 4, California voters will have the opportunity to stand up to Trump and say that if he and Texas Republicans are going to change the maps to tilt the balance of power, we’ll fight fire with fire.

We stand united against this Trump-led power grab. And we’re ready for the fight. 

Jacobs is a Democrat from San Diego who represents California’s 51st District in the U.S. House of Representatives.