California Democrats may have successfully muscled a new congressional map through the state legislature this week, but the redistricting fight in the Golden State is only just beginning.

So did California Democrats, especially Gov. Gavin Newsom. In a matter of weeks, they bluffed themselves into the marquee political contest of Trump’s second term, a high-voltage fight to shape the outcome of the 2026 midterms and the remaining years of his presidency.

California lawmakers approved a November special election to ask voters to redraw the state’s electoral lines to favor Democrats. The effort aims to counter similar steps taken by Republicans in Texas at the behest of President Trump.