by You have heard the saying, “A tooth for a tooth, and an eye for an eye.” However, I tell you not to fight evil; instead, if someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to them on the other as well.Matthew’s Gospel 5:38–39
If the Democrats in power in California were smart, they would take advantage of this opportunity to enact reforms that would strengthen democracy and possibly boost Republican representation in the state legislature and congressional delegation.
However, they lack intelligence. Rather, Governor Gavin Newsom is driving both his state and the national Democratic party into a battle with MAGA Republicans that uses anti-democratic strategies. To begin with, the contest centers on which party can secure the most Congressional seats in the 2026 elections by effectively utilizing legislative authority and the redistricting process.
Californians just cannot win that contest. We will never defeat a self-proclaimed despot or authoritarian like Donald Trump. How come we would ever want to?
With what he and other Democratic governors describe as hard-headed realism, Newsom responds to that query. In an attempt to maintain MAGA control of the US House of Representatives and seize more seats in the 2026 midterm elections, Trump is attempting to gerrymander Texas and other GOP-friendly states. Newsom is therefore one of the leaders getting ready for their blue states to employ gerrymandering as well in order to seize more seats for themselves.
Although I support opposing Donald Trump, this tactic is ineffective for a number of reasons.
First, the obvious: It won’t work. Republicans have more opportunity to gerrymander more seats in their favor because they control a significantly larger number of state legislatures (28) than Democrats (18). Democratic losses are likely to increase if the gerrymandering battle is intensified.
Second, it’s dangerous from a legal and constitutional standpoint.Voters approved and support California’s independent citizens redistricting panel, which creates boundaries based on community cohesion rather than politics. Newsom would replace the commission’s maps through gerrymandering.
However, he’s probably going to be stopped. Courts might impose their own maps that harm Democrats or prevent such a move on the grounds that it violates the state constitution. (This is how a gerrymander in 2022 to favor Democrats in New York ended up costing the party seats in Congress.) Additionally, in a special election, people might overturn the gerrymandered maps, weakening California’s governor at a critical juncture when he needs to be strong. Why take such chances?
Even worse, Trump’s authoritarianism is justified by the use of anti-democratic strategies. There should be no more partisanship between Republicans and Democrats in the fight against Trump. Instead, it needs to be presented as a conflict between a potential dictator and democratic self-government.
California needs to prove that it is a responsible world leader who is unwaveringly dedicated to freedom and democracy in the face of threats from the fascist American government if it hopes to win that battle. However, California is devalued by Newsom’s gerrymandering strategy, which portrays us as just another big state where a powerful political party uses its power to influence election results.
What then ought California to do?
Strengthening democracy and demonstrating a dedication to empowering the people, even at the expense of political sacrifices, is the only way to defeat the dreadful MAGA authoritarians. Even political losers might feel like winners in a real democracy.
Therefore, rather than making California less democratic, Newsom and state officials should act immediately to increase it. And they ought to prove it by implementing changes that would increase Republicans’ democratic representation in California.
The combination of two measures would be effective.
First, the most equitable method of allocating legislative seats is proportional representation, which California and its Democrats should implement. Republicans currently hold less than 25% of the legislators in California’s legislature and receive roughly 40% of the votes cast for Congress. This is because each legislative district is only given one lawmaker under the existing winner-take-all system.
The number of current Republican minorities in the assembly and Congress would almost double under a proportional system, which would distribute representation according to voting percentage and give the GOP 40% of the seats.
National Democrats would lash out at Republicans, claiming that California had given up. But what the heck? Strategy is something that national Democrats never get right. And the true gangster act at this moment would be to turn the other cheek and promote democracy rather than wage an anti-democratic conflict.
A nation that has grown too accustomed to a never-ending string of escalations would be awakened. Additionally, it would show how committed California is to defending the right of every voter. Even a few Republicans would be grateful and amazed.
Secondly, California ought to implement proportional representation in conjunction with the removal of regulations that hinder the formation and competitiveness of minor political parties. This modification would, by definition, result in fewer Democrats. However, as Republicans who dislike Trump could split off and start their own parties, it would also weaken MAGA’s influence.
A new age of political coalition building would be sparked by dividing Californians into more parties. Additionally, it would prevent a redistricting war that is not only unwinnable but also diverts attention from the moral battles that must be fought.
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Democrats like Newsom are preoccupied with gerrymandering and how it affects their own political careers, but they are not giving Californians the protections we urgently need.
The state hasn’t done nearly enough to replace lost services from DOGE’s deconstruction of federal agencies or to guard against significant budget cuts brought on by Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill. The federal agents abducting people from our streets and the Trump appointees directing these criminal actions are not being looked into or held accountable by California’s state and local law enforcement officials.
In the meantime, California officials are displaying very little bravery or ingenuity over our potential offensive strategy. Why aren’t we creating new agencies to take the place of the government departments that have been dismantled? Why don’t we organize tax strikes or seize federal property to take the fiscal battle to Trump? Where are the efforts and campaigns to give the state legal autonomy? Or prepare to leave the United States and establish our own nation?
I have the following theory as to why California’s officials aren’t doing more to keep us safe: Fear. They fear the consequences to their own freedom and safety if they were to challenge the vindictive Trump regime. It s much safer to pursue a gerrymandering strategy that won t work.
What will? The only real path to lasting victory over Trump requires boosting our courage and our democracy.
Joe Mathews writes the Connecting California column forZ calo Public Square,anASU Media Enterprisepublication.
