Welcome to The Fill From the Hill, a recurring political column where University Times writers dissect the key political topics and controversies in the news, from domestic politics to international affairs. This week, our writer tackles Immigration and the current administration’s actions against it.
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The Democratic party has seen several high-profile members stand up against the Trump administration, whether its Minnesota governor and former vice-president candidate Tim Walz, or Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. But one key figure who has been dominating the conversation is California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Newsom is a very outspoken Trump critic; he’s fought him across both terms on everything from California’s wildfire recovery to the current situation regarding mid-decade redistricting.
The New York Times reported in June that Trump called on Texas Governor Greg Abbott to get the state legislature to redraw its congressional districts in order to find five more seats for the House of Representatives. This is a process known as gerrymandering, in which the majority party (in this instance Texas Republicans) redraw their congressional maps to group together their votes in larger clusters to ensure an electoral victory.
Traditionally, districts are drawn up at the beginning of each decade after the census is taken and the U.S. Census Bureau is able to reappropriate seats based on the census data.
The announcement of this plan sparked a nationwide conversation, including Texas democrats fleeing the state on Aug 3 to block a vote which lasted until they returned on Aug 18. While this happened, Newsom announced his plan to immediately trigger the same process in California, which currently holds 52 seats in the House of Representatives.
Newsom’s effort triggered a domino effect, with several other Democrat-led states weighing their options on whether to follow suit, all the while President Trump has threatened suing California to block their plan.
Now that the table is set, let’s get into our views on Gavin Newsom and the actions that he’s taken so far in 2025.
Samuel Valencia: Democrats need to grow a backbone, stop criticizing Newsom, and follow his example if they ever want a chance of winning another election again.
Gavin Newsom isn’t perfect, he’s bent the knee to appeal to a more moderate base by throwing the LGBTQ+ community under the bus, and a potential Newsom presidency has the chance to be just as milquetoast and conformative as the Biden presidency. However, at a time where every facet of our democracy is under attack, he is the person we need in this current moment.
His efforts to counteract Texas’ redistricting efforts should be a rallying cry to any and all Democrat-led states to use the same rulebook as Republicans are using right now. They haven’t played fair the last 224 days, so it’s time someone stands up. With how volatile the makeup of the house has become, Democrats need to win the 2026 midterms to prove they still are in touch with the people.
There couldn’t be a better time to stand up against the current regime. Every day that Democrats spend letting Trump run amok is another day he has to drag this country further down the drain.
It’s clear that the public sentiment is there as well, according to Pew Research, 61% of Americans disagree with Trump’s tariff policies and 46% disagree with his “Big Beautiful Bill” and spending plan. We need someone who can galvanize these people who are somewhere on the fence on the president into fighting against the horrible path he is leading our country.
When Newsom faced a flimsy recall election in 2022, I voted for him because I believed that he was doing a good job as governor of the state. And I’ll follow him just as willingly here in 2025 because I think the head on his shoulders is screwed on harder than many rank-and-file democrats on Capitol Hill are.
While his efforts should be commended, Newsom should not be the end all be all for the Democrats’ efforts to safeguard America as we know it. By the end of next year, Newsom will be out of office and no doubt be planning his 2028 bid for the presidency. His efforts should be seen as an example to follow, a way to appeal to voters the same way Trump did in 2016. His brash, no-nonsense attitude commands attention and shows that Democrats haven’t totally lost touch with the wants and needs of the people.
Democrats need to uplift these voices, not silence them, because it isn’t a part of their grand scheme. If reports are to be believed, there really isn’t a grand plan to win in the future; we’re all running around like chickens with our heads cut off, and whoever Republicans put up next is sure to steamroll us just as hard.
Just like Newsom, there are other incredibly strong politicians like Zohran Mamdani, who, despite his short tenure thus far, has totally busted politicians across New York state. He has reached young people in a way that many candidates haven’t in a long time and brought people to the polls in record numbers.
There’s no way of telling how this whole situation will shake out. With a special election called for this Nov to vote on his redistricting plan, Newsom will have to keep fighting to make sure that this all isn’t in vain. Regardless, I hope his actions can be seen and replicated across the country so we can keep the fight against this horrible administration alive.
