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Former President Barack Obama is urging Californians to back Governor Gavin Newsom’s redistricting campaign, warning that a special election next month could shape the country’s future.
“California, the whole nation is counting on you. Democracy is on the ballot Nov. 4,” Obama says in a 30-second TV ad that began airing Tuesday (October 14).
“Republicans want to steal enough seats in Congress to rig the next election and wield unchecked power for two more years,” he continues. “With Prop 50, you can stop Republicans in their tracks.”
Newsom’s proposed measure, Prop 50, would redraw California’s congressional map mid-decade to target five Republican-held seats, a move made to counter GOP-led redistricting efforts in states like Texas, Indiana, Kansas, and North Carolina.
Though redistricting typically occurs once every 10 years, Republican legislatures in several states have pushed for new maps ahead of the 2026 midterms to defend their narrow House majority. Prop 50 would allow California Democrats to fight back using the same tactic.
Polls show Prop 50 currently holds majority support among California voters, and Democrats have a spending advantage ahead of the vote.
Obama, who has previously criticized partisan gerrymandering, acknowledged at a fundraiser in August that the stakes have changed.
“Political gerrymandering is not my preference,” he said, “but if Democrats don’t respond effectively, then this White House and Republican-controlled state governments all across the country—they will not stop, because they do not appear to believe in this idea of an inclusive, expansive democracy.”
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