With their overwhelming approval of Proposition 50, California voters signaled their clear and unmistakable disdain for President Donald Trump and the Republican Party. They also delivered Gov. Gavin Newsom a signature political victory that cements his status as the leading Democratic frontrunner for the 2028 presidential election.
“Donald Trump poked the bear. And the bear roared back,” declared Newsom. “Tonight, California sent a powerful message to Donald Trump. We will fight for our democracy. And we will win.”
As of this writing Wednesday afternoon, the “Yes” side received nearly 64% of the vote. That’s a thumping no matter how you spin it.
For reference, in the Nov. 2024 presidential election, Vice President and former California Senator Kamala Harris received 58.47% of the vote.
In 2022, Gov. Newsom was reelected with 59% of the vote. And in 2021, Californians rejected the recall of Newsom with 62% voting to defeat it.
As an editorial board that opposed Proposition 50 and supported Newsom’s recall, there’s really no serious way to spin this other than a triumph for Newsom and a rejection of Trump.
Of course, reality hasn’t stopped some Republicans from trying to make excuses or generate bizarre explanations.
“The Unconstitutional Redistricting Vote in California is a GIANT SCAM in that the entire process, in particular the Voting itself, is RIGGED,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “All ‘Mail-In’ Ballots, where the Republicans in that State are ‘Shut Out,’ is under very serious legal and criminal review. STAY TUNED!”
We’re still waiting for President Trump to provide a shred of evidence that the 2020 elections were stolen.
Newsom, meanwhile, has taken the opportunity to try his hand at being a national political influencer by appealing to other Democratic states to do what he pulled off in California.
“We need the state of Virginia, we need the state of Maryland, we need our friends in New York, in Illinois, in Colorado, we need to see other states…meet this moment head on as well,” he said. “To recognize what we’re up against in 2026.”
Time will tell whether that plays out. For the sake of the country, we hope to see the gerrymandering games end. In July, we wrote, “Gerrymandering is a longstanding political art form. But mid-term redistricting efforts move our system in the wrong direction. Republicans are the real hypocrites here. If they’re serious about protecting independent redistricting efforts, they should publicly oppose changing the rules in Democratic California and Republican states, too.”
Alas, that didn’t happen. Republicans started this gerrymandering spat in Texas and are now playing the victim because California responded. It’s absurd.
But, regardless, Newsom has successfully offset what Texas Republicans did and proved he can galvanize donors and voters alike to deal a blow to Republicans. That was his play to national Democrats and he won. The California GOP, meanwhile, has been left looking like an amateurish operation.
