(FOX 5/KUSI) — California voters decided in favor of Prop. 50 on Tuesday.
Now that Californians have decided to move forward with a redrawn congressional map, there are still questions about what lies ahead.
How and why different Californians backed Prop. 50
So far, 63.8% of ballots cast voted in support, while 36.2% of ballots voted against the measure. A majority of “no” votes came from conservative inland counties, while left-leaning coastal counties showed more support.
About 7 in 10 voters in California cited party control of Congress as being “very important” to them, per an AP Voter Poll. While about 65% of California voters said they were opposed to redrawing district lines as a response to other states doing the same, a majority said it was necessary to counter the changes that Republicans have made in other states.
A CNN exit poll shows that more than half of voters in yesterday’s elections (including those in New York City, Virginia and New Jersey) saw their vote as a message of opposition to Donald Trump.
What this means for current incumbents
The five districts that will now have different borders are Districts 1, 3, 22, 41 and 48. Each representative will decide whether they want to re-run in their district.
Rocklin representative Kevin Kiley said, “Politicians can change the lines on a map, but they can’t tell you how to vote.” Parts of Sacramento, a city that tends to vote Democrat, are now a part of his district.
Darrell Issa, who currently represents the 48th district, expressed a similar sentiment, saying he is “not quitting.” Issa’s district will now absorb parts of the Coachella Valley, giving it a Democratic advantage.
As for the Democrats, five members of the House of Representatives have had their districts grow safer. This includes areas of Stockton, Turlock, Costa Mesa, Cyprus and more. Others will face the decision of whether to switch districts.
The map change does not guarantee wins for Democrats; several districts are still closely divided between the two parties. Democrats will have to wait and see in the 2026 Midterm Elections if Prop. 50 truly gives them an edge.
How opponents are responding
Only hours after it was announced that Prop. 50 was passed, California Republicans filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
The suit was filed on behalf of Assemblymember David Tangipa, state Republicans and a handful of voters. It was filed by Harmeet Dhillon, founder of Dhillon Law Group. Dhillon was appointed to run the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department by Donald Trump in 2024. She left the law group when she was confirmed.
The plaintiffs claim that the new map is unconstitutional. In a response on X, Governor Newsom’s Press Office stated: “We haven’t reviewed the lawsuit, but if it’s from the California Republican Party and Harmeet Dhillon’s law firm, it’s going to fail. Good luck, losers.”
State Republicans were unsuccessful in earlier bids to block Prop. 50 from being introduced in the first place. President Donald Trump also took to social media to address the results, calling it a “giant scam” that is “under very serious legal and criminal review.” In Newsom’s response, again on X, saying “[Trump] knows he’s losing. We need to stand up to Trump and his authoritarianism.”
Looking to the future
In the wake of the results, Newsom is calling on other states to “meet the moment,” encouraging leaders in other blue states to follow suit and redraw their congressional maps.
Both parties in other states have joined the redistricting conversation, such as in Colorado, Utah, Florida, Virginia and more.
California’s new maps will apply in the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections. The 2030 Census would mark congressional lines going back to being drawn by an independent commission, as they were before Prop 50.
