A MART脥NEZ, HOST:
California voters easily approved a ballot measure to redraw the state's congressional map to favor Democrats. That's according to a race call by the Associated Press.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
The vote's a big win for Democrats in the partisan battle over redistricting ahead of the 2026 midterms. California Governor Gavin Newsom celebrated the result last night in Sacramento.
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GAVIN NEWSOM: We're proud of the work that the people of the state of California did tonight to send a message to Donald Trump - no crowns, no thrones, no kings. That's what this victory represents.
MART脥NEZ: CapRadio's Laura Fitzgerald joins us now from California. So this measure - Proposition 50 - why is it so significant?
LAURA FITZGERALD, BYLINE: Well, A, Prop 50 replaces California's current congressional map, which was drawn by the state's independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, with a new map favoring Democrats. And the new map will be in place for the next three elections, and it could yield up to five new U.S. House seats for Democrats. California Governor Gavin Newsom and other Democratic leaders here say it was needed to counter the Republican redistricting effort in Texas that created up to five new GOP seats. And President Trump called for those seats in Texas, and it kicked off this ongoing national redistricting race. And because California's so big, it's really the only blue state that's in the position to redistrict to the Democratic advantage in any significant way and really impact Democrats' chances of reclaiming control of the House.
MART脥NEZ: And Governor Newsom was the big driving force behind Prop 50. Tell us about the campaign. How was it able to be successful?
FITZGERALD: Yeah. Newsom has really made this redistricting measure about more than just congressional maps. The Yes campaign messaging has been all about national politics, specifically fighting back against the Trump administration. And by emphasizing national politics - that helped the campaign because left-leaning voters really outnumber conservatives here in California.
MART脥NEZ: And opponents were not able to break that partisan split?
FITZGERALD: No, not really. On the no side, you mostly have Republicans, and their main argument was that Prop 50 would sideline the state's independent Citizens Redistricting Commission that California voters approved 15 years ago. But Newsom's side won on the messaging front, and they significantly outspent the opposition campaign, too.
MART脥NEZ: Laura, what did voters tell you about why they voted a certain way?
FITZGERALD: Well, I spoke with a lot of people who supported the measure, mostly all Democrats, and they told me they see California redistricting as a chance to fight back against President Trump. They brought up things like the Trump administration's tactics for immigration enforcement, cuts to Medicare and the federalization of National Guard troops here in the state. But my reporting also took me to parts of the state where lines would be redrawn under Prop 50, mostly Republican areas. And a lot of Republicans who oppose redistricting say they're already a super minority in California, and now they feel like they could lose their representation altogether.
MART脥NEZ: All right. So what happens next in these redrawn California districts?
FITZGERALD: Well, Republicans who represent these districts that'll now lean Democratic, they have a decision to make. Do they run again, and if so, in which district? And meanwhile, some Democrats have already indicated they intend to run for the redrawn districts. We'll also see in a year from now whether this new map delivers five more seats for Democrats like they're hoping.
MART脥NEZ: All right. That's CapRadio's Laura Fitzgerald. Laura, thanks.
FITZGERALD: Thank you, A. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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