California voters have approved Proposition 50. The measure allows Democrats to redraw the state’s congressional map for the 2026 midterm elections. The Fox News Decision Desk reported that the proposition passed Tuesday night.
The vote returns redistricting authority to the Democrat-controlled legislature. It temporarily sidelines California’s nonpartisan redistricting commission, which has handled map-drawing for nearly two decades. According to Fox News, the new map could create up to five additional Democratic-leaning districts.
Gov. Gavin Newsom led the push to pass the measure. He celebrated the result on election night. “Donald Trump poked the bear. And the bear roared back,” Newsom said. He argued that California needed to respond to redistricting efforts in Republican-led states such as Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina.
Newsom told supporters that failing to pass Proposition 50 would have been disastrous for Democrats. In one fundraising message, he said it would have meant “total Republican control in the House, the Senate and the White House for at least two more years.” He also claimed the victory will allow Democrats to “put a check on Trump for his final two years.”
Democratic leaders argued that the proposition was needed to stop Republicans from expanding their narrow House majority. Rep. Suzan DelBene, who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said California voters “sent a strong and clear message” that they will not let Republicans “rig the 2026 election.”
Republicans slammed the move. They called it a partisan power grab. Rep. Richard Hudson, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said Democrats “can’t redraw their record of failure.” He argued that voters are fed up with Democratic leadership and that Republicans still have opportunities to flip seats.
Trump reacted to the vote on his Truth Social platform. “The Unconstitutional Redistricting Vote in California is a GIANT SCAM in that the entire process, in particular the Voting itself, is RIGGED,” he wrote.
Opponents also pointed out that California originally created an independent commission to keep politicians out of the redistricting process. Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger opposed Proposition 50. He appeared in ads urging voters to reject it. He warned that the measure would take the state “backwards.”
Polling leading up to Election Day showed strong support for Proposition 50. Supporters of the measure dramatically outspent opponents. Hundreds of millions of dollars went into TV ads and digital campaigns on both sides.
Just The News noted that major donor Charles Munger Jr. asked voters to make sure the change remains temporary. He said he was disappointed by the vote but believed the campaign educated the public.
California becomes the most prominent blue state to pursue mid-decade redistricting. Republicans in Missouri and North Carolina already passed maps that could help the GOP. Democrats in Maryland and Virginia are weighing similar options.
Control of the House is expected to be extremely close in 2026. Both parties are fighting state-by-state to shape the battlefield long before voters cast a single ballot.