California Democrats Jockey for House Seats That Don't Exist (Yet)
Representative Ami Bera has been in Congress for more than a decade, but he still isn’t sure which House district he’ll run for next year in California.
Dr. Bera, a six-term Democrat and a physician, might stick with his Sixth District, based in Sacramento County. Or, he said, he might challenge Representative Kevin Kiley, a Republican whose largely rural conservative Third District could soon gain a large swath of Democratic neighborhoods.
A Nov. 4 ballot measure could scramble the political landscape in California by gerrymandering its congressional districts and creating new possibilities even for longtime House members. Before a single vote has been tallied, the shadowboxing has already begun in earnest among California Democrats, who are looking to gain as many as five seats in 2026 if the maps change.
Prospective candidates are jockeying for position, letting it be known that they have eyes on districts that don’t actually exist yet. Some have declared their designs publicly by opening campaign accounts and rolling out websites with endorsements. Others have worked behind the scenes, leaving campaign strategists to signal to one another who might run for which seat and even begin passing around oppositi
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/us/politics/california-prop-50-house-congress.html