When Arnold Schwarzenegger, then the governor of California, urged voters to “terminate gerrymandering” 15 years ago, most welcomed the chance to take some power away from politicians.
In 2010, more than 60 percent of voters approved a measure that put the job of drawing California’s congressional map in the hands of an independent commission instead of with partisan lawmakers.
Now one of Mr. Schwarzenegger’s successors, Gov. Gavin Newsom, is threatening to blow up California’s system for a partisan purpose.
As Texas considers an extraordinary middecade redrawing of its maps to help Republicans win more seats in Congress and to satisfy President Trump, Mr. Newsom has said California should counter with a similar move to help Democrats.
Never mind that legal scholars have described his proposals as far-fetched. The longest of long shots. A path that would require political gymnastics and subvert California’s high-minded approach.
Mr. Newsom, in suggesting that California play hardball politics, seems determined to show that he is a Democratic warrior trying to beat Republicans at their own game.
“We can act holier than thou,” Mr. Newsom said during a news conference in Los Angeles on Wednesday. “We can sit on the sidelines, talk about the way the world should be. Or, we can recognize the existential nature that is this moment.”
A likely presidential contender in 2028, Mr. Newsom was fresh off a trip to South Carolina last week when he began to float the idea of changing California’s redistricting system as a response to Texas’ maneuvering. He first mentioned it in an interview over beers with a journalist from a progressive news site in Tennessee. He then repeated the idea on social media and in a conversation with the hosts of “Pod Save America,” one of the most popular podcasts among liberal voters.
