Californians Approve Democrats’ Anti-trump Redistricting Push

California voters approved Gavin Newsom’s plan to oust Republican incumbents with a new congressional map that could give Democrats up to five more seats in next year’s midterm elections, buoying their prospects of retaking the House, according to the Associated Press.

The victory gives Democrats a jolt of momentum amid a national redistricting war while delivering a blow to President Donald Trump. It also bolsters Newsom’s presidential prospects by handing the California governor a win in the nationalized campaign he led.

Conceived in response to Texas drawing new Republican-friendly lines at Trump’s behest, Proposition 50 catapulted an off-year ballot initiative into the center of American politics. The snap campaign consumed well over $100 million and drew prominent national Democrats into a proxy fight over Trump’s agenda and his tactics to keep Washington under Republicans’ control.

In the end, it wasn't close: The result was called moments after the polls closed as cheers cascaded through California Democratic Party headquarters. In a victory speech, Newsom situated the commanding win amid Democratic victories in governors races in Virginia and New Jersey, saying the party had recovered from a demoralizing 2024 and was now “in its ascendancy.”

But he warned that the Trump administration posed a continued threat to American democracy and implored other Democrat-controlled states to follow California’s lead and redraw their maps to buoy Democrats — a message that allowed Newsom, a likely 2028 presidential candidate, to expand on his role at the party’s vanguard.

Newsom and allies worked early to frame the election as an up-or-down vote on Trump, betting that California’s Democratic electorate would embrace the chance to repudiate the president. They enlisted popular figures like former President Barack Obama, raised a mountain of cash and portrayed an existential moment for American democracy — all in a three-month dash to get ahead of the midterms.

Their success demonstrates how, at least in a heavily Democratic state, combating Trump remains a potent campaign message for Democrats — a lesson that could shape messaging in key House races. While the president won a larger share of votes across California in 2024 compared to 2016, his second-term policies like tariffs and sweeping immigration raids have proven broadly unpopular.

The high-stakes campaign coalesced quickly as developments in Texas seeped into California politics. When the Legislature departed for its summer recess in early July, a redistricting bid was on no one’s radar; by the time it reconvened in August, Democrats were unified behind the plan, voting in days to put new maps on a special election ballot.

Now they must turn the new maps to their advantage. Even with more favorable districts, Democrats still need to persuade voters to oust familiar Republican incumbents. As in Texas, there is no guarantee new lines yield new representation.