California will forge ahead with a plan to redraw its congressional district maps in a bid to give Democrats five more US House seats, a drastic move intended to neutralize a similar President Trump-backed effort underway by Texas Republicans .

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the anticipated measure in Los Angeles Thursday with a rally-like speech, where he ranted about supposed threats to democracy in America — despite support for his own redistricting plan falling across strictly partisan lines in the heavily blue state.

“We can’t stand back and watch this democracy disappear district by district all across the country,” Newsom said at the speech, confirming that state Democrats would soon officially declare a Nov. 4 special election to vote on the new maps. 3

Newsom’s plan mirrors

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