Democrats release plan to boost party's California's House seats in fight for Congress

The Democratic plan — a response to GOP redistricting efforts in Texas — aims to secure 48 of California's 52 U.S. House seats, up from the 43 currently held by the party.

LOS ANGELES — In a display of cutthroat yet calculated politics, Democrats unveiled a proposal Friday that could give California’s dominant political party an additional five U.S. House seats in a bid to win the fight to control Congress next year.

The plan calls for an unusually timed reshaping of House district lines to greatly strengthen the Democratic advantage in the state ahead of midterm elections, when Republicans will be defending the party’s fragile House majority.

It amounts to a counterpunch to Texas, where the GOP is trying to add five seats to its House delegation at the urging of President Donald Trump as he tries to avoid losing control of Congress and, with it, prospects for his conservative agenda in the later part of his term.

California Governor Gavin Newsom addresses the media after discussing the “Election Rigging Response Act” at the Democracy Center, Japanese American National Museum, in Los Angeles, on Thursday.Mario Tama / Getty ImagesIf approved by voters in a November election, the California blueprint could nearly erase Republican House members in the nation’s most populous state. The Democratic plan is intended to win the party 48 of its 52 U.S. House seats, up from 43 currently.

The proposal was released by the campaign arm of House Democrats, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Democrats in the state Legislature will hold hearings and plan to vote on the new maps next week.