Drawing Battle Lines

“California leaders on Thursday approved a sweeping plan to elect more Democrats by redrawing congressional districts, delivering an immediate counterpunch to the gerrymandered map that Republicans in Texas are passing at the request of President Trump.” But to actually make the plan a reality, California will require voter approval. And that means the 20 unsolicited fundraising texts I get every day are about to increase dramatically. Maybe there’s no better metaphor for this era than the fact that we spend much of our day typing and sending the word STOP.

+ Newsom’s campaign against Trump isn’t just happening in the legislature. It’s happening on social media where it’s become an all caps free for all. Tom Nichols in The Atlantic (Gift Article): “Newsom has taken to trolling Trump on social media by imitating his bizarre rants, odd capitalizations, and affection for exclamation points.”

+ As the WSJ (Gift Article) reports, the GOP’s redistricting effort depends on Hispanic support. But can they depend on it? Hispanic Voters in Texas Are Starting to Turn on Trump. “An April poll by Unidos US, a nonpartisan Hispanic advocacy organization, measured the support of Trump’s first 100 days among Hispanic voters and found 61% of respondents in Texas and 59% nationally disapproved of his performance. The group overwhelmingly ranked cost of living and the economy as the most important issues, and a majority of Texas respondents said they believe current policies will make them worse off next year.”