GOP Rep. Under Fire After Doubling Down On MAGA Betrayal: ‘We Need Action’

U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) is doubling down on his calls to axe Republican-led redistricting efforts after California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a plan to draw out five Republican-controlled districts in his state, which is already among the most gerrymandered in the nation. Rep. Kiley’s seat is in danger of being drawn out if Newsom’s plan succeeds.

Earlier this month, the California lawmaker introduced a bill that, if passed, would prevent states from redrawing their respective congressional maps before the 2030 census. The bill was introduced as Texas Republicans moved forward with a plan that would create five additional districts that Trump won by 10 or more points last year.

A number of additional Republican-controlled states, including Missouri, Ohio, in addition to potential plans from Indiana and Florida, are considering redistricting themselves. Republicans have argued that the move is necessary due to extreme gerrymanders in Democrat-controlled states like California, Illinois and Maryland.

The GOP has also pointed to the highly controversial “census error,” which overcounted Democrat-controlled states such as California, New York, Rhode Island, Minnesota and Delaware, while undercounting GOP-controlled states such as Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas, Florida and Mississippi. In total, the “errors” resulted in a whopping 14 additional congressional seats and electoral votes for Democrats.

Kiley disagrees with rectifying the error, however, and has remained adamant in calling for a mid-decade redistricting ban.  “You have politicians saying ‘oh, we’re going to defeat these people not through having a free and fair election but just by moving some lines around on a map.’ California voters very clearly said that’s not the way it should be done,” Kiley said in a recent interview.

On Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) ripped Newsom’s plan to further gerrymander the state. Under California’s current maps, Republicans control just nine of 52 available seats despite receiving roughly 40 percent of the vote. This is in line with the proposed Texas maps, which actually give Democrats more representation.

Under the proposed maps, Republicans would control just four seats.

“Gavin Newsom’s latest attempt to disenfranchise millions of California voters was written in the dark of night by the DCCC—more than 2,700 miles away from Sacramento in Washington. This is a slap in the face to Californians who overwhelmingly support the California Citizens Redistricting Commission,” Johnson said, pointing to polling data that suggests the proposal is unpopular among California voters.

Kiley responded to the speaker’s post by doubling down on his calls for a mid-decade redistricting ban. “Mr. Speaker, these are nice words but we need action. You can stop Newsom’s Redistricting Sham and save our taxpayers $250 million by bringing my mid-decade redistricting bill to the Floor,” the congressman wrote.

Despite Kiley’s insistence, a vote to ban mid-decade redistricting is not likely to receive a floor vote.

Meanwhile, Texas Republicans are on the verge of enshrining their new maps into law after House Democrats ended their illegal blockade of a vote by returning to the Lone Star State. Republicans in Missouri are also set to commission a special session that would draw out a Democrat-controlled district, while Ohio is set to start on regularly scheduled redistricting that will likely lead to at least two Republican pickups.