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Democrats hope to take control of the U.S. House in next year's midterm elections, and those hopes might rest on California's governor, Democrat Gavin Newsom. He's asked voters there to pass a redistricting plan that would help Democrats win seats in an attempt to counter Texas, which redrew its maps to favor Republicans. KQED's Marisa Lagos has this report.
MARISA LAGOS, BYLINE: Newsom didn't mince words last month as he signed the bill to put his redistricting plan before voters in November. He blamed President Trump's push to change the map in Texas.
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GAVIN NEWSOM: We got here because the president of the United States is struggling.
LAGOS: Newsom has never been shy about picking a fight. In 2004, as San Francisco mayor, he threw open the doors of city hall to same-sex couples and ordered city workers to begin marrying them, despite both state and federal bans on gay marriage. Republican political consultant Mike Madrid traces a straight path from that fight to this battle with Trump.
MIKE MADRID: The culture wars are where the Democrats have gone to run and die. They don't want those fights at all. Gavin's like, give me the sword. I'll go out there. And he wins.
LAGOS: Newsom did try getting along with Trump earlier this year as Los Angeles was consumed by wildfires, but that changed when Trump sent the National Guard into LA over Newsom's objections. Since then, Newsom and his staff have taken an increasingly aggressive and cheeky tone. Where Trump has derided Newsom as Newscum, the governor is mimicking Trump's social media style with all-caps tweets, suggesting Trump has dementia and calling him a loser.
More substantively, Newsom is leading the charge to redraw California's congressional districts, and the governor hopes, flip five GOP-held seats into Democratic hands next fall. Newsom's approach is winning praise from many on the left, including 26-year-old Ellek Linton, (ph), a San Francisco voter who I interviewed after he called into a KQED show.
ELLEK LINTON: In general, like, his demeanor and his approach is really what we need. Like, that's honestly, I believe the only way we're ever going to beat Trump. You got to go to that level.
LAGOS: But the task ahead is tougher than winning on social media. It's convincing voters to support a ballot measure that will sideline the state's popular independent Redistricting Commission. Still, Linton says the times call for it, even if it means adopting the tactic Trump and Texas are using.
LINTON: I don't think anybody agrees with gerrymandering, but at the same time, it's kind of necessary. Like, you know, if one side's going to cheat, we have to kind of cheat back. Like, that's life.
LAGOS: Republicans in California see Newsom's move as a blatant power grab. On the assembly floor last month, assembly Republican leader James Gallagher said Trump was wrong to redistrict and warned that by following the president, Newsom is taking the country down a dangerous path.
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JAMES GALLAGHER: Gavin is fighting fire with fire. So now he's pushing this redistricting plan, this Gavinmander. You move forward, fighting fire with fire. What happens? You burn it all down. And in this case, it affects our most fundamental American principle - representation.
LAGOS: Even members of his own party have criticized Newsom for his ambitions, possibly including a presidential run. But these days, those voices have quieted down. Here's former California state Senator Mark Leno, who has known Newsom for more than two decades.
MARK LENO: Do not think this is all about Gavin and all about Gavin's aspirations. This is about the survival of our nation.
LAGOS: The redistricting campaign is expected to be close and attract money from around the country on both sides. Those close to Newsom say he'll be modeling this fight off his successful 2021 campaign to beat back a recall attempt, which he also focused squarely on Trump and MAGA Republicans.
For NPR News, I'm Marisa Lagos in San Francisco. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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