Newsom bets big on Prop 50—and on California fighting back against Trump

Sacramento, California – California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday he’s “deeply confident” that voters will approve Proposition 50, a ballot measure that would allow the state to redraw congressional maps on a partisan basis before next year’s midterm elections. Speaking candidly in a wide-ranging interview, Newsom cast the measure as California’s direct response to what he called President Trump’s coordinated effort to “rig” the 2026 election by encouraging Republican states to redraw their districts mid-decade.

“He’s changing the rules. He’s rigging the game because he knows he’ll lose if all things are equal,” Newsom said. “He did not expect California to fight fire with fire.”

Prop 50 has become one of the most closely watched political stories in the country. If it passes, California would join Texas, North Carolina, and several other states pursuing mid-decade redistricting—an extraordinary escalation of partisan maneuvering that could reshape the House for years. Newsom defended the move as a necessary counterbalance to what he described as a Republican attempt to permanently tilt the playing field. “Politics has changed. The world has changed. The rules of the game have changed,” he said. “We want to go back to some semblance of normalcy, but you have to deal with the crisis at hand.”

The governor framed Prop 50 as both a defensive tactic and a symbol of Democratic unity, arguing that his party had rediscovered its backbone after years of hesitation. He praised former Vice President Kamala Harris, who announced her support for the measure, saying she voted yes “because we cannot let anyone silence the will of the people.” Newsom said he believes the party’s renewed energy could carry Democrats back to a House majority and put meaningful limits on Trump’s power. “There’ll be fire and fury from the White House,” he said, “but it will signify substantially less because we’ll finally have a coequal branch of government.”

Throughout the interview, Newsom painted Trump as an existential threat to democratic institutions—someone willing to deploy troops, undermine courts, and shred precedent to consolidate control. He recalled California’s courtroom battles over Trump’s attempts to use the National Guard to quell protests and said he’s relying on the judiciary as “the last institution standing.” “He’s assaulting all institutions that stand in his way,” Newsom warned. “Trump is not screwing around.”

Even so, Newsom said he’d work with the president if it meant helping Californians. “I always have an open hand, not a closed fist,” he said. “I revere that office. I’d pick up the phone if he called in a nanosecond.” Asked whether he’s preparing his own run for the presidency in 2028, Newsom insisted he isn’t focused on that. “I’m focused on Prop 50. I’m focused on fair and free elections,” he said. “To the extent fate presents an alignment down the road—we’ll see what happens.”

With the vote just days away, Newsom’s confidence in California’s electorate was unwavering. “We’re on the precipice of a remarkable moment,” he said. “And I think the Democratic Party is on its ascendancy.”