Republican governors "must stand tall and do the right thing" by supporting President Donald Trump's call for a new census and congressional redistricting, according to the president of a leading conservative nonprofit organization.
David Bossie, president of Citizens United and former deputy campaign manager for Trump's 2016 campaign, on Wednesday urged GOP governors to rally behind the president's effort to "fix" what he called a "horribly flawed census and inaccurate reapportionment data."
Writing in a Daily Caller opinion column, Bossie said Trump's plan to exclude illegal migrants from a new census is "a matter of Trumpian common sense" and essential to ensuring fair congressional representation.
Bossie's commentary came little more than two months after Trump announced on Truth Social that he had directed the Commerce Department to begin work on a "new and highly accurate" national census that would explicitly omit individuals residing illegally in the U.S.
The president said the updated count should incorporate data from the 2024 election and "modern-day facts and figures."
Under the Constitution, the Census Bureau must count the "whole number of persons in each State" every 10 years, with the next scheduled census set for 2030. However, Bossie argued that the current figures misrepresent America's legal population and unfairly distort congressional apportionment.
"By counting illegals in the census," he wrote, "American citizens aren't receiving the congressional representation they deserve, and this must change."
He called on Republican governors to "stand tall and do the right thing" by supporting Trump's initiative and to reexamine their state congressional maps to ensure they reflect "the will of their constituents."
Bossie accused Democrats of manipulating redistricting for decades, pointing to states such as Maryland and California as examples where, he said, "the left has used every tool in the toolbox" to entrench its political advantage.
He cited Maryland's 7-1 Democratic congressional split, compared to an even 4-4 balance in the 1990s, as evidence of "relentless gerrymandering" and urged red-state leaders to respond in kind.
Bossie specifically named Republican governors Jim Pillen of Nebraska, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, and Joe Lombardo of Nevada, saying each should act to strengthen GOP representation before the 2026 midterms.
"These are not normal times," Bossie wrote. "Bold action is required without delay. Republican governors must follow President Trump's lead to protect our constitutional republic right now."
Newsmax wires contributed to this report.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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