With Republicans consistently capturing 40 percent of statewide votes in California yet holding disproportionately few legislative seats, Vice President JD Vance’s criticism of California Democrats isn’t just fair — it’s principle-driven. While Democrats defend the status quo, Vance highlights a deeper democratic flaw: when votes don’t equal representation, democracy suffers.
The gerrymander in California is outrageous. Of their 52 congressional districts, 9 of them are Republican. That means 17 percent of their delegation is Republican when Republicans regularly win 40 percent of the vote in that state.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) July 30, 2025
How can this possibly be allowed?
Vance’s argument underscores the fundamental democratic principle: voter representation should reflect voter preference.
California’s redistricting process naturally clusters Democrat voters into safe districts, leaving Republican voters spread thin and underrepresented. This process creates a large “efficiency gap." Many GOP votes are wasted in overwhelmingly Democratic districts or thinly spread across many, yielding few GOP seats.
Gavin Newsom wants to steal FIVE Republican House seats. We already have Democrat-gerrymandered districts. Now Newsom wants ultra-rigged districts.
— steve hilton (@SteveHiltonx) July 30, 2025
His scheme is illegal. If he goes ahead I will seek an injunction to block it. As governor I will restore independent districting… pic.twitter.com/30C79fKKMU
As governor I will restore independent districting and fair representation.
That would mean an extra TWELVE House seats for Republicans from California.
As of mid‑2025, Democrats hold supermajorities in both houses of the State Legislature: 60 of 80 Assembly seats and 30 of 40 Senate seats. Meanwhile, congressional representation skews even further: California Republicans control only roughly 33 percent of the state's House seats.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has even threatened to override independent redistricting commissions to gain more partisan advantage—showing how entrenched political interests resist meaningful reform.
NEWS: Newsom floats calling for a special election to change CA constitution on redistricting:
— Pod Save America (@PodSaveAmerica) July 15, 2025
"[The legislature] can put something on the ballot. I could call a special election. We can change the constitution with the consent of the voters, and I think we would win that." pic.twitter.com/mXzSMnmTN9
If there is a special election, they will spend millions on that ballot initiative to make sure they overturn the state's independent redistricting commission. Voters had a say on this matter and chose that redistricting commission, yet Newsom wants to force a vote, while spending millions, lying about how "we must protect democracy," all to gain more seats in the legislature.
At the end of the day, Vance is correct: California’s electoral system currently shortchanges 40 percent of its voters — Republicans and Independents — by failing to translate votes into real seats.
Democrats may defend this imbalance with claims of turnout gaps or community priorities, but democracy isn’t just about who votes: it’s about how votes count.
Until California enacts reforms to consistently align voting strength with legislative power, significant swaths of its electorate will remain marginalized. Vance’s critique resonates because it doesn’t demand dominance—it demands fairness. And in a democratic republic, every vote deserves its voice.
California Democrats love to tout the word "democracy," yet they are the ones aiming to destroy it with their redistricting scheme.
It’s a favorite buzzword, used to paint Republicans as threats to the system and themselves as defenders of fairness and representation. But when it comes to their own state, those same Democrats are working overtime to thwart the very democratic principles they claim to uphold.
Nowhere is that clearer than in their redistricting power grab. Despite Republicans earning nearly 40 percent of the statewide vote, they hold barely a quarter of the seats in the California Legislature and just a sliver of the state’s congressional representation. This isn’t a fluke — it’s by design. Through gerrymandering, creative district carving, and weaponizing “independent” commissions, Democrats have secured an iron grip on the state’s political machinery.
The message is clear: when voters don’t deliver the result Democrats want, the system must be “adjusted.”
This is not what democracy looks like. Democracy isn’t about one-party rule dressed up in the language of inclusion and progress. It’s about fair representation — something California Republicans have been systematically denied. If Democrats were truly committed to democratic ideals, they’d support redistricting reforms that match representation to actual vote totals.
Instead, they protect a rigged system while waving the banner of “democracy.” It’s not just hypocritical — it’s dishonest. And voters should call it out.
Voters created the independent redistricting commission to ensure fair and competitive elections.
— California Assembly Republicans (@AsmRepublicans) July 25, 2025
Allowing any governor to overrule that work is a direct threat to representative democracy.
No matter your party, this crosses the line.
Do not let Gavin Newsom turn California… pic.twitter.com/XrIgf8En9V
Do not let Gavin Newsom turn California into Illinois with rigged maps.
