By Sara Jacobs / Op-Ed San Diego Union-Tribune / August 20, 2025
Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom called for a special election this November in California. Our state isn’t supposed to have another statewide election until 2026, but Newsom recognizes the urgency of this moment.
Why? Because Donald Trump and Texas Republicans are making an unprecedented power grab to steal congressional seats and rig the 2026 election before a single vote is cast.
Trump knows that if the midterms are a fair fight, he and his friends in Congress will lose. The start of Trump’s second term has been an unmitigated disaster. He has imposed sweeping tariffs that have hurt California families and businesses, denied much-needed disaster aid to fire victims, and ordered inhumane immigration raids that have left families torn apart and businesses without a workforce. Across the board, his approval ratings are tanking. And he knows that if House Democrats retake the majority, we’ll put an end to his disastrous agenda.
So what did he do? Trump went to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and ordered him to redraw the Texas congressional maps — mid-decade, without a new census — twisting an already gerrymandered map to secure five more Republican House seats and all but guaranteeing another Republican House majority in 2026 and beyond. As expected, Abbott has done Trump’s bidding.
So, this month, the California Assembly and Senate will vote on new maps, too — ones that give Democrats five more seats in California — paving the way for the special election Newsom proposed. This isn’t about giving Democrats an unfair advantage in the election — it’s about leveling the playing field. Most importantly, if Texas calls off its plans, so will California.
If we can’t all play by the right rules, then we should at least all be playing by the same rules.
I am currently serving my third term in Congress. If the new maps take effect and I win my bid for re-election in 2026, I will have represented three different districts in just four terms. It’s not an ideal scenario. But this isn’t politics as usual — it’s an emergency for our democracy.
I think every state should have independent redistricting like we have here in California. In fact, House Democrats actually passed legislation in March 2021 that would require every state to use nonpartisan, independent redistricting commissions to draw their congressional maps — but Senate Republicans refused to even consider it.
At every turn, we tried to avoid this new reality. Since early July, when Abbott first announced he would call a special session to redraw Texas’ congressional maps, my House Democratic colleagues and I have engaged with our Republican colleagues — encouraging them to talk to Trump and Abbott, and trying to build support for a ban on mid-decade redistricting nationwide. At the same time, dozens of Texas House Democrats left the state, denying Abbott the quorum needed for the special session. But after weeks away from home, amid daily fines and threats of arrest, most have since returned.
We can’t just roll over in the face of Trump’s and the Republican Party’s schemes and power grabs. We need to fight for our democracy. We need to do everything we can to make sure everyone in our country is represented.
Since January, national Democrats have been told to do more, to fight harder against Trump and Republicans in the House and Senate. Those calls are well-placed — we absolutely need to meet the urgency of this moment, and Democrats should fight with every tool we have. In the triple minority, we don’t have standing to sue the Trump administration, we can’t control what legislation is voted on, we don’t have subpoena power or the ability to call hearings, and we’ve seen the Trump administration go after members of Congress conducting constitutionally mandated oversight. But this effort is something very real that we can all get behind.
With this special election, every Californian has real power to change things. On Nov. 4, California voters will have the opportunity to stand up to Trump and say that if he and Texas Republicans are going to change the maps to tilt the balance of power, we’ll fight fire with fire.
We stand united against this Trump-led power grab. And we’re ready for the fight.
Opinion: Editorials, commentary and reader reaction on the issues San Diegans care about most.
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Jacobs is a Democrat from San Diego who represents California’s 51st District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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Hell No! We won’t preserve our democracy by eradicating democracy. Eliminating public input and transparency in redistricting will give incumbents unmitigated power to draw their own maps to protect their hide. (Please Refer to: Campbell, Jennifer – San Diego City Council’s reelection made possible ONLY through gerrymandering for a reference of how this sleight of hand will work)
Sarah says, that voters should enable an infinitely rotating cycle of freshly minted Neo-Vivian Morenos, Neo-Sean Elo Riveras, Neo-Real Life Smithers and Neo-Todd Glorias. Each subsequently more egregious, more belligerently self serving, arrogant, reclusive, and dismissive of the public than the last insufferable “representative”. Ahh, no thanks Sarah.
This is the most reckless scam to ever come from the Governor of Social Media and California’s duplicitous Legislature Branch They’re losing their grip and their days are numbered and they know it.
This proposal is an obvious act of desperation to cling to power without public support. So enough is enough with this politico-corporate charlatan and his politico-corporate cartel.
This regression crosses the threshold, and can no longer be tolerable.
How shameful is this threat to everyone’s California constitutionally protected rights, and just how insulting is this proposal and stumping for it is to all of our collective intelligence?
Time to go back to work for Daddy at Qualcomm Sarah you’ve soiled whatever credibility you may or may not have once had with Californians along with any integrity. The arrogance that this “ask” represents, is categorically shameful.
That’s an unfair blast at Sara Jacobs who has been one of the most progressive reps from San Diego; with this stance she has gained a mountain of credibility. With Trump and the GOP scheming to undermine the 2026 elections, we’ve already lost our democracy, mi amigo. again, we’ll just have to agree to disagree here.
Amigo, the expediency alone wreaks. From shock and awe announcement, to 30 hours later signing legislation from both houses? You mean to tell me that this is not suspect?
If Sarah is so sacrosanct then it can surely withstand rigorous scrutiny right?
Where is the “just this one time” provision that legally returns to Californians the independent district mapping powers back to the people?
This week I called all 15 State Senators on the Committee list to oppose SB79.
Only 4 out of the 15 on the State Senate committee are Republicans. And Newsom proposes to gerrymander to wrest what few representatives they do have away from these Californians? BY WHAT DECREE?
Imposing discriminatory districting based solely on ideology will solve nothing and it will never stop here.
What this reckless stunt is now in the process of doing is contributing tenfold to the powder kegs of hardcore resentment from conservative Californians.
More importantly it will infuriate a still very large segment of our county and the state’s population that hold the 2nd amendment in fairly high regard.
This publicity grabbing stunt is ill conceived, idiotic, short sided, & unconstitutional. This proposition is yet another glaring example of the most egregiously undemocratic government overreach by a Governor already patently guilty of arbitrarily rolling back decades hard fought and won laws championed by our predecessors, eradicating multi-generational public activism that produced meaningful environmental protections. fast tracked Hyper-Gentrification throughout the entire state (and we ain’t seen nutin yet), and is Hell bent on dissolving the California Coastal Commission.
Take a look at all of our cities and what our entire state have been reduced to, the effects of which this corrupted, mismanaging, abject failure of a “Party” has done to us.
How much money are taxpaying Californians spending on attorneys suing the City, suing the State, out of common sense necessity, because we have no other choice, we have no representation?
I am a Liberal, a hippie live and let live Liberal.
First and foremost though I am an American which means that I believe in EVERYONE’S right to their own ideology and representation. ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT I DO NOT WITH politically or ideologically.
E. Pluribus Unum.
It is only through unity and consensus can we flourish. Deliberately targeting and subjugating conservative Californians to silence them all, through the abuse of absolute power is wrong and it EPITOMIZES THE RECKLESSNESS OF ONE PARTY RULE!
Neo-Real Life Smithers! Love it. Best comment I’ve read. And I do not like that man.
“Liquid seeks its own level” Anonymous
It’s so much deeper than gerrymandering.
https://tinyurl.com/authoritarian-secret-weapon
https://tinyurl.com/BrennenCenter
An example- under the SAVE Act married women may not be able to register to vote if their married name doesn’t match their birth certificate
This is one of the silliest arguments out there. Do you seriously think that women aren’t capable of taking care of this? How do you suppose any woman or man with a name different from their birth certificate got a Real ID/DL? How did they change their names on bank accounts or with Social Security? They provided their birth certificate along with the document that verified the name change (court order, marriage certificate, etc.). That’s all that needs to happen to verify one’s citizenship, no matter how many name changes one has.
How many times did Sarah Jacobs attempt to expand the Section 8 housing voucher program amidst the worst homelessness in the history of mankind?
None. Not exactly Progressive.
Doesn’t reflect a little badly on Jacobs because her hubby Campa-Najjar has made a career out of professionally campaigning for office in North, East and South County elections?
All the proposed re-drawn districts will now conveniently be vulnerable political territory due to this redistricting mapping. So hang in there Ammar, 5th or 6th time ( I lost count) is a charm!
Seems Ms Jacobs’ OP-ED is very how should we say “conflict of interesty” with a potential “the appearance if impropriety”, to me anyway, jus sayin.
Mateo, your woman hating and personal attacks are so unwelcome. Congresswoman Jacob’s is doing the hard work of trying to counter a fascist regime bent on destroying our country. How about directing your anger to the real problem?
Californians should be very concerned about Gov. Newsom’s push to gerrymander. Our state voted for an independent redistricting commission to stop politicians from rigging districts for their own power. Gerrymandering takes that power away from voters, dilutes community voices, and sets a dangerous precedent that future politicians could exploit. Fair maps belong to the people, not the politicians.
Initially I was incredulous and saddened by this decision to gerrymander California after we’d made real the dreamy electoral reform of a citizens’ redistricting commission.
This does seem the only viable response to the Trump/Texas plan to steal votes through drastic redistricting and retain a GOP Congress in the critical 2026 mid-term election.
Personally, I am heartened to read that thoughtful Democratic Rep. Sara Jacobs endorses this risky step and that many Americans agree. It is obviously an extreme action in reaction to the unchecked power of the Mad King.
Personally, I hope 50%-plus-one of California voters will vote in favor of it and that California can then counter Trump’s attempted heist. Honestly, I admit to feeling discouraged by resorting to such tactics and I worry that fighting fire with fire may burn down the house.
But desperate times require desperate measures. Let’s get behind it and hope it works.