California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, celebrated a significant triumph on election night, despite not being a candidate himself. Proposition 50, which Newsom endorsed, passed decisively, promising to potentially secure an additional five congressional seats for Democrats in California during the midterms and the 2028 elections. The proposition, coined the ‘Election Rigging Response Act,’ was swiftly declared victorious as soon as the polls closed. Newsom introduced this measure after Texas Republicans implemented a redistricting plan favoring their party’s hold on the House of Representatives for 2026.

The approval of Proposition 50 transfers the authority for redrawing California’s district maps from the bipartisan California Citizens Redistricting Commission to the state legislature, dominated by Democrats, until 2030. This win not only bolsters Newsom’s political standing as he eyes a potential presidential campaign in 2028 but also adds to the Democratic Party’s recent successes. The party celebrated triumphs in Virginia and New Jersey’s gubernatorial races and witnessed Zohran Mamdani, who identifies as a democratic socialist, defeat former Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo in New York City, despite Cuomo receiving a last-minute endorsement from former President Donald Trump.

Speaking from Sacramento, Newsom declared the Democratic Party to be on the rise. “Our party is energized and proactive, from coast to coast, sea to shining sea,” he stated. Newsom proudly remarked on the party’s steadfastness against what he described as Donald Trump’s “recklessness,” crediting the election’s extraordinary turnout and results to the party’s determination. He metaphorically referenced California’s official state animal, noting, “After poking the bear, this bear roared.”

‘We’re proud of the work that the people of the state of California did tonight to send a powerful message to an historic president,’ Newsom continued. ‘Donald Trump is an historic president, he is the most historically unpopular president in modern history.’ The Democratic governor claimed that Trump was ‘underwater’ in every metric. ‘He promised to make us healthier, he promised to make us wealthier. We’re sicker and poorer. And he fundamentally understands that,’ Newsom said.

Newsom argued that’s why Trump called Texas Governor Greg Abbott (pictured with Trump) and other Republican governors to back the unusual redistricting plan. Redistricting is generally done only once a decade, after a new census is completed, but Republican state legislatures started crafting new maps in Texas and then in North Carolina, Missouri and Ohio. The new districts are expected to help Republicans gain five House seats in Texas, two in Ohio and one in both North Carolina and Missouri. Newsom said Trump knew what was at stake if Democrats were able to win back the House of Representatives next year.

‘We can de facto end Donald Trump’s presidency as we know it the minute Speaker Jeffries gets sworn in,’ Newsom said. The California governor, standing alongside his second wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom, ended his remarks in what appeared to be a subtle swipe at his ex-wife, Kimberly Guilfoyle, who’s serving as Trump’s ambassador to Greece and was previously engaged to Donald Trump Jr. ‘The best is yet to come,’ Newsom said, echoing the phrase that Guilfoyle used to conclude her highly mocked 2020 Republican National Convention address. California voters did not initially embrace Newsom’s plan, as the bipartisan commission was popular, since it prohibits either party from gerrymandering districts.

But Newsom made the case that Democrats needed to fight ‘fire with fire.’ ‘These guys are not screwing around. They’re ruthless. They’re trying to rig the election before one vote is cast,’ Newsom said in a recent CNN interview. ‘What they expected us to do was cast aspersions, maybe write an op-ed, maybe have a candlelight vigil, walk the streets, talk about the way the world should be, maybe try and win the argument, as they’re consolidating power.’ 

Beyond the redistricting push, which was backed by prominent party members including former President Barack Obama and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Newsom has used his social media posts to troll Trump, mimicking his often outlandish vernacular. Trump took to Truth Social earlier Tuesday to trash the effort. ‘The Unconstitutional Redistricting Vote in California is a GIANT SCAM in that the entire process, in particular the Voting itself, is RIGGED,’ the president claimed.

‘All “Mail-In” Ballots, where the Republicans in that State are “Shut Out,” is under very serious legal and criminal review. STAY TUNED!’ Trump added. Trump has long taken issue with elections in California, floating – without evidence – that millions of illegal immigrants have voted in the state. He made those claims after losing the popular vote, though winning the Electoral College and thus the White House, in 2016 when competing against Democratic Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.