A new Emerson College poll released Friday morning indicates that a majority of California voters now support Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s efforts to redraw the state’s congressional map.
The survey found that 57 percent of likely voters back Proposition 50, the November 4 ballot measure that would allow the state’s Democratic-controlled legislature to potentially flip up to five U.S. House seats from Republican to Democratic control. Just 37 percent opposed the measure. Including undecided voters, support rises to 60 percent, with 40 percent opposed.
Newsom’s office did not respond to requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“With less than two weeks until the California special election for Proposition 50, the measure looks likely to pass, with results again outside the poll’s margin of error,” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling. He noted that support among certain demographic groups, including Black voters, has surged from 45 percent last month to 71 percent.
The poll also measured general perceptions of the measure: 56 percent of respondents said they think Prop. 50 is a good idea, while 44 percent said it is a bad idea. Among likely “yes” voters, 89 percent approved of the measure, while 93 percent of likely “no” voters said it was a bad idea.
Emerson College’s September poll had shown narrower support, with 51 percent of likely voters backing the proposition, 34 percent opposed, and 15 percent undecided. An earlier August survey from Politico, the Citrin Center, and the Possibility Lab found only 36 percent of California voters supported returning redistricting authority from the state’s independent Citizens Redistricting Commission to lawmakers.
Newsom’s push for Proposition 50 comes in response to Republican-led redistricting in Texas, which sought to flip up to five seats from blue to red. Former President Barack Obama has also weighed in, claiming that Trump and the GOP aim to manipulate congressional districts for political advantage. Obama has appeared in recent ads supporting Prop. 50.
Newsom, widely regarded as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, tweeted on Wednesday that “Trump and his administration are explicitly saying they are going to change the rules of the game in order to insulate themselves from the people’s judgement. Prop 50 matters for California and for the entire country.”
The campaign has drawn significant financial backing from Democratic megadonors. Billionaire George Soros reportedly contributed $10 million to the effort, while Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings added $2 million, according to Politico.
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