Republicans won the redistricting competition. Don’t tell that to this California congressman

Anne Smull, a retired feedstore owner from Lincoln, California, was eagerly anticipating Election Day to vote for her representative, conservative Rep. Kevin Kiley. However, her plans have been thwarted as California Democrats have redrawn her congressional district, merging it with an overwhelmingly Democratic seat in the state's wine country.

This change in district boundaries leaves Smull unable to vote for Kiley, whom she supports ideologically. Smull expressed her frustration, stating that the redistricting feels "sneaky and underhanded."

The redistricting was initiated by Republicans, but Democrats are set to finalize it. Following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last spring to eliminate a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, Republicans accelerated the process by redrawing maps in GOP-controlled states ahead of the midterm elections. This effort was further bolstered by the court's ruling, which opened the door for Republicans to redraw more seats in the South that had previously elected Black Democrats.

In response, Democrats in other states, such as Maryland, New York, and Illinois, are vowing to retaliate and redraw Republican-leaning districts ahead of the 2028 elections. The situation highlights the ongoing partisan gerrymandering battle, with Democrats in California using voter approval to redraw the state's congressional map and create five new Democratic-leaning seats.

Kiley, who left the Republican Party to run as an independent in the newly formed district, claims his switch was not a political gambit but rather a necessity to continue representing his constituents in a more liberal district.