High-stakes redistricting battles unfold in Texas and California as Republicans and Democrats push new congressional maps ahead of 2026 midterm elections.

Gavin Newsom formally kicked off his push Thursday to redraw California’s congressional maps in response to a Republican-led effort in Texas, setting up the next stage of his fight against both the Trump administration and a coalition of gerrymandering opponents within the state.

California Democrats released a new gerrymandered House map on Friday night that, if implemented, would steal GOP seats held for decades.

The new, partisan maps come on the heels of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s launch of California’s redistricting campaign on Thursday, an effort he touted as meant to favor Democrats in California in the upcoming midterm elections as a counter to similar efforts in Republican-led states elsewhere in the country.

As Texas hurtles toward a flashpoint on a GOP effort to redraw congressional districts, California Democrats are answering with a plan of their own.

The measure, which would appear on the ballot in the state in November if lawmakers approve it, is a response to Texas Republicans' mid-decade redistricting push.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he is moving forward with putting proposed new congressional maps for the state on the ballot in a Nov. 4 special election in an attempt to counter mid-decade redistricting being pushed by Republicans in Texas.

The actor-turned-governor helped overhaul how California draws political maps. In an interview with The New York Times, he said he would fight to preserve that legacy.

Kern County Board of Education President Mary Little said her board's resolution to keep males out of girls sports was a response to Gavin Newsom's "illegal" actions.

New betting odds show the California governor's chances of beating the New York representative are increasing.