Rep. Kevin Kiley (R‑Calif.) openly opposed Tuesday his own party’s effort to redraw Texas’s congressional map mid‑decade, calling it “not a good thing.”
Kiley, one of five California Republicans who could be targeted if Democrats redraw California’s map arbitrarily in the middle of the census cycle, is introducing legislation that would prohibit both parties from engaging in such mid‑decade redistricting and would render any maps adopted before the 2030 census invalid.
Texas is currently undertaking a redistricting process aimed at creating up to five additional Republican‑friendly congressional districts. In response, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) has announced he will retaliate by initiating his own redistricting plan, likely via a special election, if Texas proceeds with its changes.
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During an appearance on CNN Tuesday, Kiley said, “I don’t love what’s happening in Texas, and I don’t think it’s going to be a good thing if we see this domino effect where state after state is continually upending congressional districts.”
He continued: “That’s not a good thing for representatives or for constituents. I don’t think it’s a good thing for Democrats or Republicans, and it’s certainly not a good thing for the country.”
When asked by host Erin Burnett if he disagreed with President Donald Trump over the issue, he said: “We need to be fair to the president and the perspective that he’s coming at this from. Because, it is true that states like Illinois are wildly gerrymandered and are way more imbalanced in their representation than a state like Texas is.”
He added: “And then, you add to that the fact that the Census Bureau actually made counting errors in the 2020 census. They’ve come out and acknowledged that in a way that gave Democrats several extra seats. And then, also the fact that when it comes to apportionment, illegal immigrants are counted in terms of how many representatives each state gets. So, that has an effect as well.”
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Speaking about his legislation, the California Republican said he wants to see House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) support it as well, “to just say enough is enough.”
“Let’s take a deep breath. Let’s not go down this path. Let’s have a little sanity here, and get back to the issues that really matter,” Kiley added.
Watch the video below or at this link.
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