California voters handed Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom a major win on Tuesday evening by approving his partisan gerrymandering proposal to create more Democratic-friendly House seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
With 26% of the vote counted, the “yes” campaign was leading the “no” campaign 62.3% to 37.7%, according to the Associated Press.
Newsom, who will be term-limited out of office next year, framed Proposition 50—also known as the “Election Rigging Response Act”—as a stinging rebuke to former President Donald Trump. The ballot measure’s passage likely cements Newsom’s status as an early frontrunner in the Democratic Party’s 2028 presidential primary contest.
The Democratic governor led a months-long push, beginning in August, to redraw the state’s congressional maps following Texas’ decision over the summer to undergo partisan redistricting aimed at gaining as many as five new Republican seats. Trump had urged red states to redraw their maps to benefit Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.
Republicans fiercely opposed the California ballot measure, calling it a partisan power grab that disproportionately impacts conservative and rural areas of the state—regions that could soon be represented by Democrats for the first time in decades.
Democrats vastly outspent Republicans in this special election after recent polling showed the ballot measure was expected to pass. Democrats spent nearly $100 million on advertisements, with help from progressive megadonor George Soros and Netflix chairman Reed Hastings.
Republicans, conversely, poured roughly $40 million into efforts to defeat Newsom’s gerrymandering push. Charles Munger Jr., a prominent Republican donor and heir to a massive Berkshire Hathaway fortune, contributed $30 million alone to the anti-Prop 50 campaign.
Though former Republican California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke out against Proposition 50, he did not actively campaign across the state to defeat the gerrymander. Schwarzenegger had previously supported an independent redistricting commission in 2010, which voters approved.
The ballot measure asks voters whether the state should suspend its independent redistricting commission in order to implement new maps that heavily favor Democrats through 2030.
Currently, Republicans hold just nine out of California’s 52 House seats—approximately 17%. The passage of Prop 50 could reduce the Republican presence to just four districts, or 8% of the state’s total seats.
Republican lawmakers who could face difficult reelection bids due to Prop 50’s passage include Representatives Kevin Kiley, Ken Calvert, and Doug LaMalfa, whose districts will likely become safe Democratic seats. Republican Representative Darrell Issa’s San Diego district will also become more competitive for Democrats, though the wealthy congressman could self-fund a campaign to fend off challengers.
Republican Representative David Valadao’s purple district in the state’s Central Valley is also expected to shift a few shades bluer following Prop 50’s passage.
A majority of public comments submitted to the California State Assembly’s Committee expressed concern. One comment stated, “We have an independent redistricting commission. Why would you take away what we voted for? If you do, I’ll never vote Democratic again.”
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https://dailycaller.com/2025/11/04/california-proposition-50-passes-gavin-newsom/