California’s Proposition 50 passed by a wide margin in an election that was watched nationwide as a bellwether to the 2026 midterm elections.
Media outlets called the election minutes after polls closed after the California Secretary of State’s office posted preliminary results. As of 10:00pm tonight, the vote was 64.5% in favor and 35.5% against Proposition 50.
Tulare, Kings and Kern Counties voted against the proposition by a wide margin while Fresno County narrowly approved it, as of publication time.
Tulare County voted 57.7% against and 42.7% to approve. In Kings County it was 60.7% to 39.7%, and in Kern County the vote was 56.3% to 43.7%.
Fresno County voted 50.7% in favor to 49.3% against.
Gavin Newsom gave a victory speech shortly after the results were posted.
Newsom said that Californians “stood firm in countering Trump trying to rig the midterm election.”
“After poking the bear, this bear roared,” he said.
“It sent a message to Trump,” Newsom said. “No crowns, no thrones, no kings. […] Donald doesn’t believe in fair and free elections period, full stop.”
The passage of Proposition 50 creates new congressional maps that favor Democrat candidates. The proposition was put on the ballot in response to congressional redistricting in Texas and other states that favor Republican candidates.
According to the Proposition, control of the state’s congressional maps will return to the independent redistricting commission in 2030.
Democratic party pundits said the vote to approve Prop 50 was not just to counter Texas’ redistricting, but a protest vote against the ICE raids, higher prices and higher health care costs.
President Donald Trump conversely posted on Truth Social that the election in California was unconstitutional.
Democrats also enjoyed a clean sweep of all major races held in New York, New Jersey, Virginia.
Virginia elected a new Democrat Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General, and New Jersey elected a new Democrat Governor.
The biggest political shift happened in New York City: Democrat Socialist Zohran Mamdani won a decisive contest over independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, who Trump endorsed just yesterday.
During Mamdani’s acceptance speech he declared, “We have toppled a political dynasty.”
Mamdani will be both New York City’s youngest mayor — at 34 — and its first Muslim mayor. He is an immigrant from Uganda, then South Africa, who moved to the United States when he was seven years old.
Mamdani’s parents are originally from India.
Democrat commentators on CNN said the lopsided vote was an expression of buyer’s remorse for Trump, while Republicans retorted that tonight’s election all happened in Democrat states — so they were of little surprise.
Democrats snapped back, “Things haven’t changed and people are mad.”