Former President Barack Obama and California Gov. Gavin Newsom are urging Californians to vote for Proposition 50, a ballot measure that would replace the state's independent redistricting system with a legislatively approved map that is projected to eliminate several Republican-controlled congressional districts.
On Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom published on X, “Listen to @barackobama,” sharing a new video of former President Barack Obama urging voters to support Proposition 50 in the state's Nov. 4 special election.
In the video, Obama says:
“California, the entire nation is counting on you. Democracy is on the ballot November 4th. Republicans want to steal enough seats in Congress to rig the next election and have unchecked power for two more years. With Proposition 50, you can stop Republicans in their tracks. Proposition 50 returns our elections to a level playing field that preserves independent redistricting in the long term and lets people decide. Return your ballot today. Vote yes by 50.”
The ad marks Obama's latest effort to promote Gov. Newsom's redistricting plan, which will replace California's independent redistricting commission. created by voters in 2008—with a map drawn by partisans. According to previous Breitbart News reports, offer would reduce Republican-held seats in California's congressional delegation from nine to five, even though roughly 40 percent of voters backed Republican candidates in the 2024 elections.
Obama has described But as Texas takes on a partisan White House in the middle of the decade and maneuvers in the middle of the decade to try to keep the House of Representatives despite their unpopular policies, I have the utmost respect for the way Governor Newsom has approached this issue. In California, he brought a smart and measured approach designed to solve a very specific problem at a very specific point in time.”
At a fundraiser on Martha's Vineyard, Obama once again praised the initiative, saying, “We're only going to do this if and when Texas and/or other Republican states start doing these maneuvers. Otherwise, it won't go into effect.”
California Republicans sued stop Newsom's plan, calling it unconstitutional and arguing it violates the law's 30-day public notice requirement. However, the California Supreme Court rules The plan could move forward in August, allowing the governor to use a “revise and amend” tactic to speed the measure through the Legislature.
Extraordinary elections – rated costing $250 million — would ask voters to approve a new map and amend the state constitution to allow mid-decade redistricting. Democratic National Committee launched bilingual information campaigns in support of Proposition 50 targeting Latino voters, while major donors, including billionaire Tom Steyer, have funded multimillion-dollar advertising campaigns promoting the initiative.
Polls indicate that a majority of Californians still favor maintaining the state's independent redistricting commission. A UC Berkeley-Politico poll found that 64 percent of voters prefer the current system, compared with 36 percent who support the governor's proposed changes.
The fight over redistricting in California is part of a broader national battle following Texas' new “One Big Beautiful Map” adds five Republican-leaning districts. Obama and former Attorney General Eric Holder, through the National Democratic Committee on redistricting, achieved promised to oppose GOP redistricting efforts, characterizing them as “an existential threat to our democracy.”
