Former President Barack Obama has entered the political fray ahead of November's special election in California, accusing Republicans of attempting to "rig the next election" in a new ad backing Governor Gavin Newsom's Proposition 50, a ballot measure that could reshape the state's congressional map.
"Republicans want to steal enough seats in Congress to rig the next election and wield unchecked power for two more years," Obama says in the 30-second ad, urging voters to approve the proposal. "You can stop Republicans in their tracks."
Former President Barack Obama has filmed an ad for Gavin Newsom’s Prop 50. pic.twitter.com/yAS2Yl7yOP
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) October 14, 2025
Proposition 50 would allow the California legislature to bypass the state's independent redistricting commission and draw new congressional boundaries ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Newsom and other Democrats argue the move is a necessary response to Republican-led redistricting in states such as Texas and Missouri, where new maps are expected to yield additional GOP seats. Republicans have denounced the proposal as a partisan power grab that undermines the commission voters established in 2008.
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Obama's remarks mark a new phase in the campaign to pass the measure, as Democrats attempt to counter Republican control of the U.S. House, currently split 219–213 with three vacancies. Early voting in California is underway and concludes on November 4.
The former president's appearance comes after he praised Newsom's plan in August, calling it "a smart, measured approach" to address "a very particular problem at a very particular moment in time." Polls show the proposal holds majority support among California voters: a recent Emerson College survey found 51% in favor, with 34% opposed and 15% undecided.
Obama's involvement also reflects a broader message he's been delivering recently about political and institutional integrity. In the latest episode of Marc Maron's podcast, the former president Obama criticized universities, law firms, and corporations for compromising their values under pressure from the Trump administration, saying, "We all have this capacity to take a stand."
He urged institutions to resist political coercion even at financial or reputational cost, adding, "what we're not going to do is compromise our basic independence."
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