California's Democratic leaders are pushing ahead with an effort to redraw the state's Congressional lines this year to try to strip Republicans from office and send more Democrats to the U.S. House of Representatives.

The one-time swing state has given its 55 electoral votes to Democratic nominees for decades, meaning that neither party makes much of an effort here in the general election.

Then-gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom attracted crowds at the California Democratic Party’s 2018 convention in San Diego, but now, as governor, he must deal with a party in disarray after a ...

Rep. David Valadao currently represents the district, winning in 2024 by about 7 points. However, the area was represented by former Rep. TJ Cox, D-Calif., from 2018 to 2020, when it was the 21st District. Valadao, who represented the area from the 2012 elections until the 2018 midterms, won back the seat in 2020.

They already have more power than the vote totals justify,” Scudder said. “This isn’t about fairness — it’s about locking in control.”