California’s Proposition 50 on redistricting to pass in blow to Trump

Major triumph for California Governor Gavin Newsom could extremity legislature equilibrium of powerfulness successful Democrats’ favour.

California has passed a ballot measurement that volition redraw the boundaries of electoral districts to favour the Democrats successful adjacent year’s captious midterm elections successful a counterattack against United States President Donald Trump’s gerrymandering successful Republican states.

Early results from Tuesday’s ballot showed voters approved of Proposition 50 by a borderline of two-to-one successful what was seen arsenic a large triumph for Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, boosting his party’s chances of winning power of the US Congress successful adjacent year’s canvass and hence thwarting Trump’s agenda.

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The support of the measurement means Democrats mightiness triumph arsenic galore arsenic 5 further seats successful the House, offsetting the 5 that Texas Republicans are looking to prime up aft Trump urged them to redraw their ain maps. Republicans besides expect to summation 1 spot each from caller maps successful Missouri and North Carolina, and perchance 2 much successful Ohio.

Trump responded to Newsom’s fightback with fury. “The Unconstitutional Redistricting Vote successful California is simply a GIANT SCAM successful that the full process, successful peculiar the Voting itself, is RIGGED,” helium wrote connected his societal media tract connected Tuesday.

Newsom, who is staking his assertion to enactment of the Democratic Party up of the 2028 statesmanlike predetermination connected his willingness to basal up to Trump, deed back, describing Trump’s effect arsenic the “ramblings of an aged antheral that knows he’s astir to LOSE”. Taking to X aft the victory, helium said voters had sent a “powerful message” to Trump.

Tonight, California sent a almighty connection to Donald Trump. We volition combat for our democracy. And we volition win. pic.twitter.com/tEcPlxVbi4

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) November 5, 2025

The caller territory boundaries volition use for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections. Normally they are drawn by an autarkic committee pursuing the nationalist census taken each 10 years, truthful the electoral representation reflects the radical who unrecorded there. In reality, astir boundaries are rejigged by the parties successful power.

The recast districts purpose to dilute Republican voters’ power, successful 1 lawsuit by uniting rural, conservative-leaning parts of acold bluish California with Marin County, a famously wide coastal stronghold crossed the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.

Newsom had sought to nationalise the campaign, depicting the connection arsenic a means of countering Trump’s efforts to erode democracy. A televised run had imagined an irate Trump watching the results connected a tv arsenic helium threw French fries astatine the television.

Former President Barack Obama threw his value down the move. “Republicans privation to bargain capable seats successful Congress to rig the adjacent predetermination and wield unchecked powerfulness for 2 much years,” helium said successful 1 ad. “You tin halt Republicans successful their tracks.”

Critics said 2 wrongs don’t marque a right. They urged Californians to cull what they telephone a Democratic powerfulness grab, adjacent if they person misgivings astir Trump’s moves successful Republican-led states.

Among the astir salient critics was Arnold Schwarzenegger, the erstwhile Republican politician who had overseen the instauration of the autarkic commission, approved successful 2008 and 2010.

Schwarzenegger had argued that the connection would “take the powerfulness distant from the people”.