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McCarthy’s California Drought

The Republican campaign to prevent Democrats from redrawing California’s congressional lines seems, increasingly, like a losing effort—and insiders are angrily pondering the whereabouts of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who stirred hopes of raising $100 million to save the map.

Kevin McCarthy
But whatever he intended, McCarthy raised the expectations for a knock-down, drag-out spending fight. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Abby Livingston
October 22, 2025

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Back in August, during the early days of the California redistricting battle, the fight looked destined to come down to a familiar mix of vengeance and money. California Democrats Gavin Newsom and Nancy Pelosi had responded to the radical, Trump-instigated, mid-decade redraw of the Texas congressional map with remarkable speed and determination, offering up a plan to reconfigure their own state map and send as many as five Republicans into early retirement. Under siege, California Republicans were encouraged when their former leader, ex-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, entered the fray.