California GOP leader proposes splitting the state in two to create the 51st US State

In response to a controversial redistricting initiative in Texas, California Governor Gavin Newsom, along with Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire, signed the Election Rigging Response Act. This legislative package, which includes Proposition 50, aims to give California voters the power to approve a temporary congressional map in a special election scheduled for November 4, 2025.

The act is designed to counter what California leaders describe as a partisan power grab by Republicans in Texas. If approved, the measure would allow California to redraw its congressional districts mid-decade, bypassing the usual ten-year cycle. It also outlines procedures for the special election and defines the temporary district maps that would take effect if voters pass the constitutional amendment.

However, not everyone supports the move. James Gallagher, the Republican leader of the California State Assembly, introduced a resolution calling for the state to be split in two. His proposal would create a new state made up of 35 inland counties, including much of Northern California, the Sierra Nevada, the Central Valley, and the Inland Empire.

Gallagher argues that rural communities have long been ignored by Sacramento and that the new redistricting plan further silences their voices. “California is run by politicians who don’t care because they don’t have to,” he said. “They exploit our water, suppress our energy, drive up costs, and destroy our jobs. Life has become unaffordable, and now they’re trying to take away what little representation we have left,” said Gallagher.

A look at the new state that would be created

The proposed new state would have a population of over 10 million, making it one of the most populous in the country. While Gallagher’s resolution is nonbinding and unlikely to pass given the Democratic supermajority in the legislature, it reflects growing frustration among conservative voters in rural California.

The proposed new state would be home to more than 10 million people. The new entity would encompass most of Northern California, the Sierra Nevada, the Central Valley, and the Inland Empire, which includes the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area.

“I’ve come to understand that the only way to get the attention we deserve is to seek our own statehood. With this measure, we will take the first step in that process. We will not submit to a state that deprives us of a fair voice,” Gallagher added. The Republican leader’s proposal requires approval from both the state legislature and the United States Congress.

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