In the last week, with lightning speed, the nation's foremost political leaders have jettisoned any pretense of political fairness in favor of an all-out partisan war for power.

They’re hoping to turn their push for voters to approve new congressional district maps this fall into a referendum on President Donald Trump. Many of them think that this playbook could help Democrats gain traction ahead of the midterms.

The swift passage was a decisive victory for Governor Gavin Newsom, widely seen as a possible 2028 White House contender whose national political stature has climbed as he led Democrats' charge against what they decried as an attempted power grab in the Republican-led state of Texas.