JD Vance Cooks Gavin Newsom to a Crisp Over His ‘Outrageous’ Gerrymandering
Vice President J.D. Vance is firing back at California Governor Gavin Newsom over a controversial proposal to overhaul the state’s congressional map — a move Vance calls a blatant attempt to rig elections and wipe out Republican representation in the Golden State.
The controversy centers on Newsom’s plan to hold a special statewide election that would dismantle California’s independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, the nonpartisan body tasked with drawing congressional districts every ten years. Established by voters in 2008, the commission’s mission is to draw fair district boundaries insulated from political interference.
Newsom’s proposal, reported by Breitbart News, would allow the Democratic-controlled state government to bypass the commission and redraw the map on its own ahead of the 2026 election cycle. The governor justifies this drastic move by citing the need to respond to what he describes as Republican-led gerrymandering in Texas, where the Department of Justice has ordered revisions to certain districts for violating constitutional protections.
But Vice President Vance sees Newsom’s plan for what it is: an “outrageous” political power grab designed to further marginalize California’s already underrepresented Republicans.
“This is nothing more than an effort to gerrymander California to further eliminate GOP districts,” Vance declared. “Republicans are already underrepresented in California, and this would make it even worse.”
The California GOP currently holds only a fraction of the state’s congressional seats despite a significant base of Republican voters. Newsom’s effort, critics say, would cement Democratic dominance by enabling state lawmakers to draw districts favoring their party.
Newsom’s proposal would require voter approval in a special statewide ballot measure — an election expected to cost taxpayers up to $250 million, according to California Assemblyman Carl DeMaio, a Republican representing San Diego. No official date has been set for the election, and procedural hurdles remain before the measure could appear on the ballot.
The plan has stirred fierce debate in California political circles and beyond. The state’s Citizens Redistricting Commission is composed of an equal number of Democrats, Republicans, and independents. It draws district lines based on census data, legal criteria, and nonpartisan principles.
By sidelining this commission, Newsom would effectively place control of the redistricting process in the hands of Democratic legislators — raising concerns about fair representation and the future balance of power.
The spat between Vance and Newsom is hardly new. Earlier this summer, Vance visited Disneyland in Anaheim with his family. Newsom seized the opportunity to criticize the Trump administration’s immigration policies, attempting to link Vance’s visit to broader political controversies.
Vance did not engage with Newsom’s comments directly but later told reporters that his family had enjoyed their time at the theme park.
The political tug-of-war over California’s congressional map highlights a larger national conversation about gerrymandering, electoral fairness, and political accountability. With control of the House of Representatives potentially at stake, every district map redraw carries high stakes.
As the battle lines are drawn, California remains firmly in Democratic hands, but Republicans are warning that this latest maneuver will push their voters even further into the political shadows.
“It’s an attempt to game the system and silence voices that don’t align with the Democratic Party’s agenda,” Vance said. “The American people deserve better than political manipulation and backroom power grabs.”
With the proposed special election looming, the controversy is far from over — and the fight over California’s political future is only heating up.
