Majority of California likely voters say they support Prop 50, poll shows
With less than a week until Election Day, a new poll shows that likely California voters favor Proposition 50, a ballot measure that puts forth a redrawn congressional map that could net Democrats five House seats.
According to a Public Institute of California (PPIC) poll published Wednesday, 56% of likely California voters say they will vote for Prop. 50 in the special election next week, and 43% are against it.
There are significant partisan differences in the numbers, with 84% of Democrats in support of the ballot measure, while 89% of Republicans say they will not vote for it. Independent voters appear to be leaning toward the left, with 55% responding affirmatively to the proposition, PPIC found.
Introduced by California Gov. Gavin Newsom and passed by the state legislature in August, the proposed map could give Democrats the opportunity to flip five Republican-held seats. Prop 50 came in retaliation to Texas’ mid-decade redistricting, where Republican-friendly maps passed into law this summer could net the GOP five House seats.
Congressional district lines are normally redrawn each decade after the U.S. Census.
Most likely voters also stress the importance of Prop 50, with 68% saying the outcome of the ballot measure is “very important” to them, and 22% saying “somewhat important."
Newsom, considered a possible 2028 presidential candidate, has championed Prop 50 as an opportunity to “fight back” against Trump, who pushed Texas’ redistricting efforts, and the ballot measure could raise his national profile.
California likely voters were mostly supportive of Newsom’s leadership in the poll, with 55% saying they approve of his overall performance as governor.
Prominent political figures have joined forces with Newsom and thrown their support behind the ballot initiative, including former President Barack Obama, who rallied alongside the governor to champion the measure. In addition, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., cutting ads in favor of it.
California was the first Democratic state to enter the redistricting battle, with Virginia Democrats following suit last week and announcing plans to attempt to redraw maps as well. On Wednesday, the Virginia House of Delegates passed a constitutional amendment on redrawing congressional maps, according to ABC affiliate WRIC, and the measure now moves to state Senate review.
Following Texas, other Republican-controlled states have also entered the redistricting battle -- Missouri and North Carolina have adopted new maps, while Utah and Indiana are in the process of redrawing theirs.
Some Democrats in Maryland and Illinois have called for their states to redistrict, but not all leaders have bought in. Earlier on Wednesday, the Maryland state Senate chose “not to move forward” with mid-decade redistricting, according to a letter obtained by ABC News.
A new lawsuit filed Monday seeks to redraw New York's congressional maps in favor of Democrats, with plaintiffs arguing that the current lines are unconstitutional for misrepresenting Black and Latino votes, according to The Associtated Press.
Legislators in Republican-controlled Kansas and Florida have also indicated that they are considering mid-decade redistricting.
