Tag Archives: U.S. House control

Prop 50 Redistricting Battle Puts Doug LaMalfa and California’s First Congressional District in the Spotlight

Story Highlights

Proposition 50: November special election to redraw California’s congressional map and create five Democratic seats.
Doug LaMalfa at Risk: Republican representative of California’s First Congressional District could lose his seat under the new map.
Town Hall Uproar: Constituents voice anger over immigration raids, tariffs, health care cuts, and rural hospital closures.
National Impact: Prop 50 seen as a key battle in the fight for control of the U.S. House.
Redistricting Debate: Democrats say Prop 50 counters Texas gerrymandering; Republicans call it unfair mid-decade redistricting.

Rural District Under Strain

California’s First Congressional District stretches from the almond and rice fields of the Sacramento Valley to the fire-scarred Sierra Nevada and Cascade foothills. Once a Democratic stronghold, it has voted Republican since the 1980s. Former President Donald Trump carried the district in 2016 and 2024 with 61% of the vote.

Butte County, where LaMalfa lives, straddles two political cultures. Chico, a university town, leans liberal, while surrounding agricultural areas are solidly conservative. Wildfires have deepened local crises: the 2018 Camp Fire destroyed Paradise, the 2020 North Complex Fire wiped out Berry Creek, and last year’s Park Fire ranked among the largest in state history.

A High-Stakes Redistricting Battle

Democrats and Republicans are scrambling to mobilize before the November vote on Prop 50. Audrey Denney, a Democrat who came within 9.5% of unseating LaMalfa in 2018, said she will run again if the proposition passes.

“I love the new district,” Denney said. “It combines the two college towns on each end, Santa Rosa and Chico. Both have been historically devastated by wildfires, both surrounded by agriculture.”

She argued Prop 50 is necessary “in this moment of time that we’re living in, with the scope and the scale of the threat that we’re up against.”

Republicans frame Prop 50 as an existential threat.

“We already only have nine seats throughout the entire state of California on the Republican side and we could go down to four seats if 50 passes,” said Teri DuBose, chair of the Butte County Republican Party and a LaMalfa staffer. “The voters should be picking their representatives, not the representatives picking their constituents.”

LaMalfa’s Record and Response

LaMalfa has represented California’s First Congressional District since 2013. In a recent interview with the Chico Enterprise-Record, he cited his staff’s work helping constituents with Social Security, Medicaid and Veterans Affairs as his proudest accomplishments.

“It’s defending these folks and giving them a level of hope that somebody is actually listening to them,” he said.

Critics argue he mirrors Trump “line by line” on policy. Denney accused him of introducing “anti-LGBTQ, anti-public health” legislation that “harms our communities.”

LaMalfa did not agree to a new interview, but his communications director Paige Boogaard issued a statement:

“Congressman LaMalfa purposefully chose highly contentious areas of his district so that they feel heard. Their reactions were completely expected,” she said. “Raucous town halls in Chico do not change the fact that District 1 and Northern California remain overwhelmingly conservative and overwhelmingly supportive of both Congressman LaMalfa’s and the President’s policies.”

Health Care and Rural Concerns

The district’s rural identity shapes its politics. Water rights, wildfires, housing and homelessness are dominant issues. Glenn Medical Center will soon close its emergency room, leaving Glenn County without a hospital after the federal government revoked its “critical access” designation. LaMalfa’s office says he continues to work on rural health care.

The National Stakes

The special election could cost up to $282 million. Under the proposed map, Butte County would merge with counties farther west and south, including Sonoma. Democrats nationwide see Prop 50 as a path to retake the House and block Trump’s agenda.

Bob Mulholland, a veteran Democratic strategist in Butte County, said: “Governor Newsom doing Prop 50 has got Democrats all across America saying to themselves: ‘Hey, we got a chance to retake the House to defeat Trump.’”

Republican activists counter that Prop 50 is a costly power grab. DuBose noted frustration that the state is spending heavily on the special election while other voter-approved measures remain underfunded.

Grassroots Mobilization on Both Sides

Local chapters of both parties are racing to rally voters. In Denney’s Chico home, thousands of pro-Prop 50 flyers sit ready for distribution. South in Yuba County, Republican chair Johanna Lassaga has purchased 10,000 yard signs to oppose the measure.

Even in the farmlands of Glenn County, Lee McCorkle, the local Republican chair, has been posting signs. “Doug, he’s a conservative guy, he’s a rice farmer, he spends a lot of time to be a congressman,” McCorkle said. “It’s a heck of a job. I wouldn’t want it.”

Denney, who chairs the Democratic Action Club of Chico, has been traveling across the district to speak with voters. “Even up to a month ago, I had zero belief that anything would ever change,” she said. “It’s gonna have a different ending this time.”

Whether Prop 50 passes or fails, California’s First Congressional District has become a frontline in the fight over redistricting, representation, and the balance of power in the U.S. House.

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Texas Democrats Bolt to Illinois to Freeze GOP’s Redistricting Plot

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In a dramatic and politically charged move, dozens of Texas House Democrats arrived in Illinois on Sunday evening, walking directly into the national spotlight as they took a firm and highly public stand against a redistricting push led by their Republican counterparts back home. Their decision to leave the state effectively denied the Texas House the quorum needed to pass a new congressional map — one critics say is designed to cement GOP control and protect former President Donald Trump’s influence heading into the 2026 midterm elections.

The Democratic legislators, some visibly fatigued but resolute, arrived at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and were immediately welcomed by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. What followed was not merely a show of state-to-state solidarity, but a charged press conference in which accusations of political manipulation, racial gerrymandering, and even authoritarianism dominated the air.

At a late-night event held at the DuPage County Democratic Party headquarters in Carol Stream, Gov. Pritzker offered a full-throated defense of the visiting Texas Democrats. He criticized the motives behind the redistricting session, suggesting that the GOP’s intent went far beyond standard legislative duties.

“Let’s be clear,” Pritzker said firmly, “this is not just rigging the system in Texas. It’s about rigging the system against the rights of all Americans for years to come.”

Referring directly to Donald Trump, Pritzker did not hold back.

“Donald Trump is a cheater — we know that. And so is the attorney general of Texas, Ken Paxton. This isn’t about legislative fairness; this is about one man’s fear of losing power. A cult leader who’s now dictating political maps.”

The Illinois governor, who has clashed repeatedly with Texas Governor Greg Abbott in recent years over immigration and sanctuary policies, framed the latest controversy as part of a broader national struggle over democratic norms. According to Pritzker, the Republican-led special session in Austin — originally called to discuss disaster relief following devastating floods in the Texas Hill Country — had been repurposed to serve partisan goals.

Texas Democrats, on their part, said they had no other choice.

“This wasn’t a decision we made lightly,” said Rep. Gene Wu of Houston, chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus. “But it is one we make with absolute moral clarity.”

The Democrats’ move means the Texas House — which requires 100 of its 150 members to be present for quorum — will be unable to proceed with a vote on the redistricting plan, at least for now. With only 62 Democrats and 88 Republicans, the GOP was counting on Democratic attendance to push through the map.

But the walkout was not only symbolic; it was strategic.

“We are leaving our state to protect it,” Wu said. “To fight for our constituents, to fight for fair representation. What that looks like? We don’t know exactly. But we’re here. And we’re committed.”

Gov. Abbott was quick to respond. Dismissing the move as cowardly and unlawful, he vowed to act aggressively.

“Real Texans do not run from a fight,” Abbott said in a statement. “I will use every tool at my disposal to remove them from office and name their successors.”

He set a 3 p.m. Monday deadline for legislators to return and threatened to invoke a legal opinion that would allow him to declare the absentees’ seats vacant. The governor also warned that Democrats accepting out-of-state donations to cover fines might be vulnerable to felony bribery charges.

Attorney General Ken Paxton echoed the threats on social media.

“Democrats in the Texas House who try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter). “We should use every tool at our disposal to hunt down those who think they are above the law.”

As history shows, this is not the first time Texas Democrats have left the state to stall legislative action. A similar move occurred in 2021, when Democratic lawmakers went to Washington, D.C. to protest new voting laws, resulting in a new Texas House rule that fines absent members $500 per day. The current standoff is already shaping up to be more costly — a report from the Texas Tribune estimates the cost of the Illinois stay could run up to $1 million per month. Party fundraisers are reportedly already seeking donations to cover expenses.

Governor Pritzker, who is a billionaire and a potential 2028 presidential contender, said he would not personally pay for the Texas Democrats’ stay but confirmed that his campaign staff had helped coordinate hotel options and logistics. According to sources close to the governor, the idea for the Democrats to take refuge in Illinois began taking shape in late June, during a dinner meeting with Kendall Scudder, head of the Texas Democratic Party. The conversation gained momentum in recent days after a follow-up meeting on Chicago’s South Side.

Meanwhile, the redistricting plan itself is drawing intense scrutiny. The Republican-sponsored map would reshape five congressional districts to favor GOP candidates, with opponents alleging it would dilute the voting power of Black and Latino communities through tactics like packing and splitting. Republican Rep. Todd Hunter, who authored the bill, was unapologetic.

“Different from everyone else, I’m telling you, I’m not beating around the bush,” Hunter said. “We have five new districts, and these five new districts are based on political performance.”

Critics, however, say that’s exactly the problem.

“They’re not trying to govern,” Rep. Wu said. “They’re trying to hijack the system. And Gov. Abbott is doing this in submission to Donald Trump so that Trump can steal our communities’ power and voice.”

Illinois Republicans, meanwhile, were quick to accuse Pritzker of hypocrisy. Senate GOP Leader John Curran pointed out that Illinois’ own congressional map — drawn by Democrats after the 2020 census — heavily favors their party.

“This is the height of hypocrisy,” Curran said. “Gov. Pritzker should be focused on strengthening democracy here in Illinois, not chasing headlines in Texas.”

Pritzker defended the Illinois map, arguing it was passed through normal legislative channels and complies with constitutional standards. He dismissed Republican criticism by saying that Illinois voters support Democratic policies because “we deliver.”

As the nation watches, the political standoff has added a fresh layer to the ongoing debate over gerrymandering, voting rights, and political power. What happens next will likely depend on the courts, the willpower of both parties — and the determination of lawmakers camped out far from home.

As the political showdown between Texas Democrats and their Republican counterparts escalates, the core issue of fair representation hangs in the balance. With Illinois becoming an unlikely haven and legal threats looming from Texas officials, the impasse reflects a larger national struggle over power, redistricting, and democratic norms. Whether this dramatic exodus will shift the political map or trigger deeper partisan divides remains uncertain—but one thing is clear: the battle lines over control of Congress in 2026 have already been boldly drawn.