WASHINGTON

California Gov. Gavin Newsom urged state lawmakers on Friday to consider changes to its redistricting process, possibly giving Democrats a further advantage in the upcoming 2026 midterm congressional elections.

Speaking alongside a visiting delegation of Democratic lawmakers from the state of Texas, Newsom said California, a Democratic stronghold and the state with the largest congressional representation, may ask voters to return redistricting power to the state legislature, reversing a 2008 decision that transferred the task to an independent citizens’ commission.

“This is a break-the-glass moment,” Newsom told reporters at the governor’s mansion in Sacramento. “Everything is on the line.”

The Democratic governor said his stance had shifted after US President Donald Trump called Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to press for five additional Republican congressional seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Texas has since moved to redraw its maps through a special legislative session.

Newsom accused Republicans of abandoning democratic norms, citing what he described as efforts to change the rules of redistricting in their favor. “They don't even want to play by the same set of rules. … They just want to throw the entire board,” he said.

Newsom warned that the next presidential election could be at risk if Democrats do not respond forcefully, calling the situation “a fire alarm for democracy.”

Newsom said multiple options were under review in California, including a legislative route and a possible ballot measure. He stressed that no maps had been drawn and no final decision had been made, but the conversation was “fluid.”

No timeline was given for when a decision on redistricting might be made.

Republicans currently hold a narrow majority in the US House of Representatives, controlling about 220 seats to the Democrats’ 212, with three that are vacant.