Gov. Newsom's Gerrymandering Stunt Part Of Plans For Presidential Run

California Governor Gavin Newsom certainly has never met a camera he did not like, and he has once again taken the national spotlight. That due to his redistricting stunt he is pulling in California, claiming it is to combat some authoritarian move by Texas in its own redistricting efforts. Mind you, California is already gerrymandered beyond belief, and his new plan actually aids Democrats more than the proposed Texas maps would help Republicans.

Nevermind the fact that Californian districts are grossly misrepresentative of the state as a whole. The state went 38 percent for Donald Trump in the 2024 election. Sure, that is not enough to win the state. But Kamala Harris only won the Democrat stronghold by three million votes. There are plenty of conservatives in California, all grossly misrepresented by heavily gerrymandered districts.

But none of this matters to Gov. Newsom, because in reality, he does not care about the redistricting itself. It is all a pompous stunt as Newsom prepares for a presidential run in 2028. After all, he is being termed out as governor next year.

Chuck Devore of the Texas Public Policy Foundation says this effort is purely self-preservation.

"He was in fifth or sixth place in most Democratic polls...now, having grabbed the national spotlight, he has risen to number one in most polls...so it is working," he says.

Newsom has long had eyes on a presidential run, and this effort keeps him in the news for weeks to come. Mostly because California, unlike Texas, has a unique amendment in their constitution. In 2010, state voters in California approved that redistricting can only be done once every ten years, and if it is done between, it needs voter approval.

That is the case the state finds themselves in now, as any new maps will have to be approved by voters this November in a special election. An election that will cost California taxpayers about $250 million. But that means nothing to Newsom.

"I frankly do not think he cares...he wants the attention because he is running for President," says Devore.

Newsom does face a large field in the Democrat primary, albeit not a super challenging one. The Democrat primaries will likely be a three-horse race between Newsom, Kamala Harris and possibly Pete Buttigieg.

He has soft launched his intentions a bit this year but has already managed to upset his radical liberal base. This redistricting stunt is a way to possible gather back the favor of the farthest part of the left, which he needs to get the nomination.

"He made a premature move this year, saying there probably should not be men in women's sports...which goes against the progressive ideology...he took some hits for that among progressives," Devore says. "This redistricting fight allows him to kind of claw back that support, so he can nail down the nomination."

As is usually the case though with Democrats, this redistricting battle is not about fairness or actual policy. It is all a move to benefit Newsom himself.