"Newsom's strategy from the get-go has been twofold. First, Prop 50 lets voters see and approve the proposed new map, which diminishes the impression that politicians are removing citizens from the decision-making process. And second, the "Yes on Prop 50" campaign has relentlessly made the vote a referendum on Trump and an act of self-defense against the president's many assaults on democracy."
"Democratic prospects for gaining control of the U.S. House next year may hinge on a California ballot initiative happening in 13 days. Prop 50 is Governor Gavin Newsom's bid to counter Donald Trump's nationwide congressional redistricting power grab by authorizing a new map for the Golden State designed to flip as many as five Republican seats. If enacted, it would neutralize the largest Trump-driven 2025 gerrymander, which Texas approved in August."
"Meanwhile, the coalition of Republicans and good-government types backing the "No on Prop 50" campaign is stuck with abstract arguments about redistricting that can't compete in sheer emotional impact with the constant images of a glowering Trump that Prop 50 proponents are offering. Virtually every major California Democratic elected official has appeared in Prop 50 ads along with national Democratic figures including former president Barack Obama and U.S. representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez."
Prop 50 would temporarily suspend California's voter-imposed nonpartisan citizens' redistricting commission until the next regular remapping after the 2030 Census and authorize a legislature-drawn map aimed at flipping up to five Republican House seats. The measure is designed to neutralize the largest Trump-driven 2025 gerrymander approved by Texas. Governor Gavin Newsom's campaign lets voters see and approve the proposed map and frames the vote as a referendum on Donald Trump and a defensive act against assaults on democracy. Opponents emphasize abstract redistricting principles but struggle against emotionally resonant, high-profile Democratic advertising.
Read at Intelligencer
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