前总统巴拉克·奥巴马在十年中期罕见的重新划分选区的努力中，他对各州的努力进行了抨击，称他同意加利福尼亚州州长加文·纽瑟姆改变该州国会地图的回应，这是唐纳德·特朗普总统推动的得克萨斯州重新划分选区的努力，旨在加强共和党在明年选举中的地位。
“我相信纽森州长的做法是负责任的。他说这将是负责任的。根据美联社获得的摘录，奥巴马周二在马萨诸塞州玛莎葡萄园岛的一次资金筹集会上说:“我们不会试图完全最大化它。”。“只有当德克萨斯州和/或其他共和党州开始采取这些行动时，我们才会这样做。否则，这不会生效。”
虽然指出“政治选区划分不公”不是他的“偏好”，但奥巴马表示，如果民主党人“不做出有效回应，那么白宫和共和党控制的全国各地的州政府将不会停止，因为他们似乎不相信这种包容、广泛的民主理念。”
据组织者称，此次活动为全国民主重划委员会及其附属机构筹集了200万美元，其中一个机构提起并支持诉讼在几个州的共和党选区。前众议院议长南希·佩洛西和埃里克·霍尔德也出现了，埃里克·霍尔德曾是奥巴马的司法部长，也是该组织的负责人。
这位前总统的评论正值德克萨斯州议员本周返回奥斯汀，就新的国会地图重新展开激烈辩论，该地图创造了五个新的潜在共和党席位。该计划是以下因素的结果在唐纳德·特朗普总统的推动下他急于避免中期选举的失败，否则他的政党将失去对众议院的控制权。德克萨斯州民主党议员通过离开该州以示抗议，将投票推迟了15天，剥夺了众议院开展业务的足够成员。
受德克萨斯州形势的刺激，包括纽森在内的民主党州长思考方式可能通过重新划定美国众议院选区界线来加强他们政党的地位，五年后的人口普查通常会导致这种程序。
在加州——选民在2010年将绘制国会地图的权力交给了一个独立委员会，目的是减少这一过程的党派色彩——民主党人做到了公布一项提案这可能会使该州占主导地位的政党获得额外的五个众议院席位，以赢得这场斗争国会的控制权明年。如果得到选民的认可11月，这份蓝图可能会几乎抹去美国人口最多的州的共和党众议院成员，民主党人打算赢得美国众议院52个席位中的48个，高于43个。
周二，由于一名共和党议员与民主党人发生冲突，关于该措施的听证会演变成了一场大喊大叫的比赛，一个委员会按照政党路线投票，以推进新的国会地图。加州民主党人不需要任何共和党人的投票就可以前进，立法者预计将批准拟议的国会地图并宣布11月4日的特别选举在周四之前获得所需的选民支持。
纽瑟姆和民主党领导人表示，他们只会在接下来的几次选举中要求选民批准他们的新地图，在2030年人口普查后将地图绘制权归还给委员会——而且只有在共和党州推进新地图的情况下。奥巴马对这个临时时间表表示赞赏。
“我们将暂时这样做，因为我们正着眼于我们想要的长期目标，”奥巴马说，他指的是纽森对加州计划的看法。“我认为这种方法是一种明智的、有分寸的方法，旨在在一个非常特殊的时刻解决一个非常特殊的问题。”
Obama applauds Newsom's California redistricting plan as 'responsible'
Former PresidentBarack Obamahas waded into states' efforts at rare mid-decade redistricting efforts, saying he agrees with California Gov. Gavin Newsom's response to alter his state's congressional maps, in the way of Texas redistricting efforts promoted by President Donald Trump aimed at shoring up Republicans' position in next year's elections.
“I believe that Gov. Newsom’s approach is a responsible approach. He said this is going to be responsible. We’re not going to try to completely maximize it,” Obama said at a Tuesday fundraiser on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, according to excerpts obtained by The Associated Press. “We’re only going to do it if and when Texas and/or other Republican states begin to pull these maneuvers. Otherwise, this doesn’t go into effect.”
While noting that “political gerrymandering” is not his “preference,” Obama said that, if Democrats “don’t respond effectively, then this White House and Republican-controlled state governments all across the country, they will not stop, because they do not appear to believe in this idea of an inclusive, expansive democracy.”
According to organizers, the event raised $2 million for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee and its affiliates, one of which hasfiled and supported litigationin several states over GOP-drawn districts. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Eric Holder, who served as Obama’s attorney general and heads up the group, also appeared.
The former president's comments come as Texas lawmakers return to Austin this week, renewing a heated debate over a new congressional map creating five new potential GOP seats. The plan is the result ofprodding by President Donald Trump, eager to stave off a midterm defeat that would deprive his party of control of the House of Representatives. Texas Democratic lawmakers delayed a vote for 15 days by leaving the state in protest, depriving the House of enough members to do business.
Spurred on by the Texas situation, Democratic governors including Newsom havepondered waysto possibly strengthen their party's position by way of redrawing U.S. House district lines, five years out from the Census count that typically leads into such procedures.
In California — where voters in 2010 gave the power to draw congressional maps to an independent commission, with the goal of making the process less partisan — Democrats haveunveiled a proposalthat could give that state’s dominant political party an additional five U.S. House seats in a bid to win the fight tocontrol of Congressnext year. Ifapproved by votersin November, the blueprint could nearly erase Republican House members in the nation’s most populous state, with Democrats intending to win the party 48 of its 52 U.S. House seats, up from 43.
A hearing over that measure devolved into a shouting match Tuesday as a Republican lawmaker clashed with Democrats, and a committee voted along party lines to advance the new congressional map. California Democrats do not need any Republican votes to move ahead, and legislators are expected to approve a proposed congressional map and declarea Nov. 4 special electionby Thursday to get required voter approval.
Newsom and Democratic leaders say they’ll ask voters to approve their new maps only for the next few elections, returning map-drawing power to the commission following the 2030 census — and only if a Republican state moves forward with new maps. Obama applauded that temporary timeline.
“And we’re going to do it in a temporary basis because we’re keeping our eye on where we want to be long term,” Obama said, referencing Newsom's take on the California plan. “I think that approach is a smart, measured approach, designed to address a very particular problem in a very particular moment in time.”
