California Voters Approve of Newsom’s War Against Trump for 2026 Midterm Control

California voters have approved a ballot measure that will change the dynamics of the 2026 midterm elections, according to The Associated Press.

The ballot measure, known as Proposition 50, had 73% of voters in favor and 26% of voters opposed at the time The Associated Press called the race. Proposition 50 was pushed by Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a top prospect for Democrats in the 2028 presidential election, and permits the Democrat-majority California Legislature to redraw the Golden State’s congressional districts.

Newsom and national Democrats suggest that redrawing California’s congressional districts could help Democrats pick up new seats in the 2026 midterms and thwart President Donald Trump’s agenda for the latter half of his second term.

“Republicans got trapped in an ambush with $130 million media blast, paid for by George Soros and allies, raised in 10 weeks, propelled by a large number of angry progressive voters suffering advanced symptoms of [Trump Derangement Syndrome]—to impeach Trump,” Republican National Committeeman from California Shawn Steel told The Daily Signal.

Democrats claim that Proposition 50 is a proportionate response to redistricting efforts in red states like Texas, which would likely increase Republican representation in the 2026 midterms. 

In many of these red states, however, the state government had retained control over redistricting, whereas California previously changed its constitution to give that authority to an independent commission.

In 2010, Proposition 20 altered the state’s constitution to give an independent redistricting commission the authority to draw congressional districts to prevent gerrymandering in the Golden State. Two years prior, California voters had given authority to the commission to draw state legislative districts.

Even under the commission system, however, Republicans, such as Vice President JD Vance, have often pointed out that while Democrats received just under 60% of votes statewide in the 2024 presidential election, the state’s congressional representation is over 80% Democrat.

While Republicans on the state and national level have not been satisfied with the commission’s results, they have opposed Newsom’s efforts to get rid of the safeguards that remain. 

California Republicans, such as vocal Trump opponent former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, campaigned against Proposition 50 because experts predict that five Republican seats will flip Democrat once the commission is done with its work.

Considering the midterm implications, money has poured into the race. The pro-Proposition 50 side has spent more than $105 million, while the measure’s opponents have spent less than $50 million. Billionaire George Soros has been one of the biggest boosters of the effort.

“Apparently, in another sign of how effective millions of dollars in propaganda can be in fooling people, much of it paid for by Soros-funded organizations, California voters were convinced to reverse what they had previously approved overwhelmingly—trying to reduce partisan gerrymandering in the state,” Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation, told The Daily Signal.

Republicans have also condemned Newsom for seeking to deprive Republicans of seats in a shifting national context. While states like Texas have shifted to the right in election cycles since the 2020 census, Democrats’ margin of victory in California has narrowed from nearly 30 points in 2020 to about 20 points in 2024.

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