California has given a resounding thumbs-up to a ballot measure aimed at redrawing electoral district boundaries in favour of the Democrats, effectively countering President Donald Trump's attempts to gerrymander Republican-dominated districts nationwide. By a margin of two-to-one, voters approved Proposition 50, a significant victory for Governor Gavin Newsom that boosts his party's chances of securing control of the US Congress in next year's mid-term elections.
The passage of Proposition 50 could see Democrats potentially win as many as five additional seats in the House of Representatives, offsetting the five seats Texas Republicans are seeking to pick up after Trump urged them to redraw their own maps. Additionally, Republicans expect to gain one seat each from new maps in Missouri and North Carolina, and potentially two more in Ohio.
The move has sparked a heated response from Trump, who labelled the measure as a "GIANT SCAM" on his social media platform Truth Social. Newsom, however, dismissed Trump's claims as the "ramblings of an old man that knows he's about to LOSE". The Governor took to X to declare that voters had sent a powerful message to Trump.
Under the new boundaries, which will apply for elections in 2026, 2028, and 2030, Republicans are expecting their power to be diluted. In one instance, rural, conservative-leaning parts of far northern California will be united with Marin County, a liberal stronghold across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.
Former President Barack Obama also weighed in on the issue, stating that Republicans want to "steal enough seats in Congress to rig the next election and wield unchecked power for two more years". Critics, however, argue that this move is a Democratic power grab, even if it's a response to Trump's gerrymandering efforts.
The most prominent critic was former Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who argued that the proposal would "take the power away from the people".
The passage of Proposition 50 could see Democrats potentially win as many as five additional seats in the House of Representatives, offsetting the five seats Texas Republicans are seeking to pick up after Trump urged them to redraw their own maps. Additionally, Republicans expect to gain one seat each from new maps in Missouri and North Carolina, and potentially two more in Ohio.
The move has sparked a heated response from Trump, who labelled the measure as a "GIANT SCAM" on his social media platform Truth Social. Newsom, however, dismissed Trump's claims as the "ramblings of an old man that knows he's about to LOSE". The Governor took to X to declare that voters had sent a powerful message to Trump.
Under the new boundaries, which will apply for elections in 2026, 2028, and 2030, Republicans are expecting their power to be diluted. In one instance, rural, conservative-leaning parts of far northern California will be united with Marin County, a liberal stronghold across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.
Former President Barack Obama also weighed in on the issue, stating that Republicans want to "steal enough seats in Congress to rig the next election and wield unchecked power for two more years". Critics, however, argue that this move is a Democratic power grab, even if it's a response to Trump's gerrymandering efforts.
The most prominent critic was former Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who argued that the proposal would "take the power away from the people".
prop 50 is gonna shake things up big time! i mean, it's about time we had some reform in our electoral system, you know? and to see gov newsom and barack obama come out strong against trump's gerrymandering attempts is just awesome 
. i'm all for the democrats gaining more seats, especially with texas republicans trying to pick up 5 seats 
. it's like, they want to control everything and manipulate the system... but voters are having none of that 
. plus, the new maps in california are gonna be a game changer - imagine rural cali being united with marin county? 
it's all about representation and fairness now 
.
gotta say, dems just straight up won this one 
, trump's all salty tho 
, but i guess voters had the last laugh 
, can't say i'm surprised tho 
, but now they're turnin the tables 
, let's see how this plays out in 2026 
, maybe we'll finally get some real representation 
he thought he could just gerrymander the reps but nope, californians were like "no way, dude!" 
and 5 more seats in the house for democrats sounds like a solid win to me 
i mean, trump said it was a scam but really he's just mad because his old man skills arent working out 
they might even get those 5+ seats in the house 
meanwhile trump is just salty and labelling it a scam lol @ trump's attempts to get all upset 
it's just power grab if u ask me, but idk what else dems can do against trumps gerrymandering shenanigans 
Trump's all salty about it too, but Gavin Newsom just shade-checked him 
Can't say I'm surprised though, the Democrats have been trying to counter Trump's gerrymandering for ages. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out in midterms... do you think Repubs will find a way to come back? 
u guys ever noticed how some ballot measures are just like a bad joke? like this one where ppl in cali just voted to make electoral districts more fair and stuff... it feels like something Trump's team would do, but then they go and actually pass it 