Republican lawmakers in California are backing a new proposal that would allow 35 inland counties to secede from the state and form a new state of their own.

Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) introduced the plan Wednesday at a news conference in Sacramento, unveiling a map for what he called “The Two State Solution.”

The measure, Assembly Joint Resolution 23, would have to clear the state Legislature and Congress under Article IV, Section 3, of the U.S. Constitution. Democrats hold supermajorities in both chambers of the Legislature, leaving Republicans with little chance of advancing the plan without Democratic support.

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The legislation’s text reads, in part, as follows:

WHEREAS, California, the most populous state in the nation, has nearly six times the average population of the 50 states. However, this population is highly concentrated in certain urban and coastal areas, particularly in southern California; and…

WHEREAS, As the nation’s third largest state by geography, California spans an area more than twice the size of the average state…

WHEREAS, The right of a people to self-determination through the creation of a new state has long been a fundamental principle of American democracy and is consistent with the principles of federalism as outlined in the United States Constitution; and

WHEREAS, Dividing California into two smaller states would better serve the citizens by fostering governance that is more responsive and representative.

Gallagher said the proposal reflects the growing divide between California’s coastal regions, dominated by Democrats, and inland communities that tend to vote Republican.