How Newsom won this showdown with Abbott and Trump Back in Aug 2025, Newsom warned Trump & Gov Wheelie to back off redistricting congressional seats in the Lone Star State or his state would respond. It is easy to see how many could have taken Newsom's threat as a bluff. After all, he had a much tougher route than Abbott in redistricting, where the maps are drawn by an independent commission, not lawmakers. In order to do it, Newsom had to organize a ballot initiative in just a few months and get California voters to give him the go-ahead to counter Texas. And internal polling at the time showed just 38% of voters there supported the idea. Ultimately, Newsom overcame it all, in just 12 weeks. In a victory speech, a gleeful Newsom specifically mentioned Abbott and Trump and celebrated the message California sent them. But Newsom didn't just win in getting the measure passed. In the process, he received a ton of media attention in Texas that can only help him when he runs in a Democratic primary for president in 2028. It helped him forge serious relationships with Texas Democrats and their donors. California campaign finance records show Texans donated $1.7 million in just 90 days to YES on 50, the primary campaign account supporting the measure. In the end, California now is on track to draw a new congressional map that flips 5 of the 9 seats held by Republicans into Democrats' favor -- the exact number of Republican-leaning seats Texas added through its own redistricting effort. In other words, it could completely negate everything Texas Republicans thought they accomplished.
