California Voters Approve Democrat-Friendly Congressional District Map

The initiative is Democrats’ first major push to fight back against Republican redistricting efforts, and the California map is a win for Gov. Gavin Newsom.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, right, and California Attorney General Rob Bonta, left

Noah Berger/AP

California is projected to approve new congressional lines after voters approved the Proposition 50 ballot initiative on Tuesday, a move that Democrats are hoping will gain them up to five House seats in next year’s midterms.

The Associated Press projected the initiative would pass before midnight on the East Coast, minutes after the polls closed in California.

“Tonight, after poking the bear, this bear roared,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a somber press conference focused on what Newsom characterized as Trump’s creeping authoritarianism.