Aug. 21, 2025, 4:02 p.m.
The California legislature passed new Democratic-drawn congressional maps Thursday, sending the new district lines to Gov. Gavin Newsom for his signature. But unlike a similar redistricting push passed by the Texas legislature this week, lawmakers won’t have the final word on the new lines. The proposed map instead will appear before California voters in a November special election. Their approval is far from certain.
The uncertainty over the final map has put candidates in a bind as they contemplate where to campaign and invest resources more than a year away from the midterms.
Several candidates declined interviews or did not respond to interview requests, as the legislature prepares to shake up the lines. Those who did shared their perspectives on how they plan to approach their campaigns in this limbo period before the special election.
One California Democratic strategist, requesting anonymity to speak freely, said candidates are likely to carve out two lanes between now and November: either against a specific candidate or in a geographical region.
In California’s 40th District, a seat that could become safer for Republicans if the proposed map passes, Democrats seem to be digging in their heels against Rep. Young Kim. Democratic candidates Lisa Ramirez, Esther Kim Varet, and Christina Gagnier all suggested they will continue their campaigns even if the lines switch.
Democrat Audrey Denney, who ran twice against Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa in Northern California, announced she’ll run again if the lines change. She told National Journal she’s “excited” to run in the Chico area.
“I feel like the sparkle and fire has been re-lit in me,” said Denney.
She said the coming months will be spent organizing, primarily in the six similar counties that wouldn’t change under the new map.
For others, like Heidi Hall, chair of the Nevada County Board of Supervisors, the calculus doesn’t change much. Her home county remains in the 3rd District, where she previously announced she’d challenge Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley.
“The bottom line for my campaign to defeat Kevin Kiley is that I can beat him in either the current district or the proposed district,” Hall told National Journal in a statement.
Some candidates will try to be in two places at one time. Brandon Riker, an entrepreneur and economist who has been running in California’s 41st District, announced he’d run wherever Palm Springs, his home, ends up. Under the new lines, that would be in the newly contoured 48th District.
Riker told National Journal he’ll start campaigning in the new district to be prepared for whatever happens in November.
“I think for us, nothing really changes,” said Riker. “We’re going to keep running the kind of campaign that we’ve been running since April.”
The only aspect that will change for Riker is time spent in the car as a result of campaigning in two districts. He said his calculus does not change whether he runs against Republican Reps. Ken Calvert or Darrell Issa.
While some House candidates scramble, the campaign to pass the map will dominate the political airspace in California. Strategists and candidates who spoke to National Journal do not think its passage is a slam dunk. Many expect it to be a pricey affair, perhaps topping more than $200 million.
Denney said the forthcoming months will involve organizing and ensuring people support the initiative.
“I think it’s really important that people understand what it is and what it isn’t,” Denney said of the ballot measure. She said she tells people the map is temporary as a response to Texas; California retains its independent commission; the new map is triggered only if Texas commits to its redraw; and the lines follow the commission’s principles of continuity and communities of interest.
Riker, on the other hand, is focused on continuing the work he started.
“There’s a lot you can’t control. … I can’t control what the voters of California do,” said Riker. “What I can control is showing up everywhere and making sure that the voters are having conversations with me no matter what the seat is.”
