California Voters Ok New Congressional Lines, Boosting Democrats Ahead Of Midterms - Beritaja

Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a run arena for Proposition 50 connected Saturday successful Los Angeles. Newsom has been the driving unit down the ballot measure, arsenic a measurement for California Democrats to conflict backmost successful the redistricting conflict initiated by President Trump. Ethan Swope/AP

Ethan Swope/AP

SAN FRANCISCO — California voters person easy approved a ballot measurement to redraw the state's legislature representation to favour Democrats, according to a title telephone by The Associated Press, marking the party's biggest triumph to day successful a nationalist conflict complete redistricting up of the 2026 midterms.

The measure, called Proposition 50, will switch lines drawn by an independent committee pinch a representation that could nett Democrats arsenic galore arsenic 5 caller seats successful adjacent year's U.S. House elections.

In an abbreviated run that saturated the state's airwaves pinch ads, Gov. Gavin Newsom convinced voters that California needed to tie caller maps to counteract gerrymandering done astatine President Trump's behest successful Republican-led states specified arsenic Texas.

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In Texas, Missouri and North Carolina, the caller GOP-friendly maps were enacted aft support by the authorities legislature.

But successful California, Newsom and Democratic friends needed to triumph support from voters for the caller governmental lines, because voters had fixed legislature line-drawing powerfulness to an independent citizens committee successful 2010.

The committee remains celebrated successful California, but Newsom was capable to amplify the partisan stakes of the campaign, arguing that California could not guidelines by and watch Republicans cook successful a sizable advantage done redistricting up of midterm elections that will determine power of powerfulness successful a intimately divided House of Representatives.

The results, said California governmental strategist Erica Kwiatkowski Nielsen, "shows a immense appetite and conscionable the willingness of Californians to guidelines up to Donald Trump."

"I deliberation the run did a awesome occupation of saying and acknowledging people's fears that, hey, we've been a leader successful California connected redistricting but this isn't authorities arsenic usual," Nielsen said. "These are unprecedented times."

Newsom's "Yes" broadside wins the money battle

Newsom, who has positioned himself arsenic a superior foil to Trump, amassed a warfare thorax to support the measurement — bringing successful about $120 cardinal arsenic of Friday. Top donors included House Majority PAC, a group moving to elite Democrats to the House, and George Soros' Fund for Policy Reform.

The Yes run blanketed the authorities pinch ads featuring apical Democrats, from erstwhile President Barack Obama to New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Polling successful the past week of the campaign showed much than 90% of Democrats supporting the measurement and much than 90% of Republicans opposed.

That didn't bode good for opponents of Proposition 50, fixed Democrats' beardown registration advantage successful the state.

The run against Proposition 50 was led by Charles Munger Jr., a Bay Area philanthropist who bankrolled the original run to create the citizens redistricting committee successful 2008. Munger contributed about $33 cardinal to the No connected 50 run — but his donations accounted for about three-quarters of the $44 cardinal raised by opponents.

Other Republican heavyweights stayed distant from the run and spending against Proposition 50 dried up successful the last weeks of the race, arsenic polling showed the measurement opening up a wide lead.

Even Arnold Schwarzenegger, the erstwhile California Republican politician who worked pinch Munger to create the citizens commission, played a restrained domiciled successful the run — voicing his guidance to Proposition 50 successful conscionable a fistful of interviews and nationalist appearances.

The changes to the state's legislature representation are judge to trigger a bid of difficult decisions for Republican incumbents successful the coming weeks.

U.S. Reps. Ken Calvert, Darrell Issa, Kevin Kiley and Doug LaMalfa will person to measurement moving successful districts wherever chances of reelection scope from challenging to virtually impossible.

The caller lines approved nether Proposition 50 will stay successful spot done the 2030 election, aft which the citizens committee would again return complete redistricting responsibilities.