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California voters gave the green light to Proposition 50, which allows the state to redraw its congressional map to counteract a redistricting plan in the state of Texas. It will be in effect for the next three congressional election cycles and is expected to add Democratic seats to California’s 52-seat delegation, only nine of which are currently held by Republicans.
It is a big win for California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, and for the state’s Democratic Party.
Not all the news is good, though, when it comes to specific issues facing the state or even whether Californians want to see their governor run for president.
According to preliminary results from the Fox News Voter Poll, on the redistricting question itself, Golden State voters who backed redrawing the maps overwhelmingly said they did so to counteract changes made by Republicans in other states, rather than because they think it is the best way to draw congressional districts.
In contrast, the much smaller number who voted “No” said they did so because they do not think it is the best way to draw congressional districts, as opposed to being motivated to stop Democrats from gaining more seats in Congress.
Meanwhile, the vast majority of voters generally think a nonpartisan commission should draw the districts, as opposed to the party in power – which is ironic in that such a commission is exactly what is being preempted by today’s vote.
When asked how they generally feel about states redrawing their congressional districts in response to how other states have drawn theirs, most California voters oppose the idea – again, unusual seeing as that is exactly what they voted for with Proposition 50.
More than half of Golden Staters approve of the job Newsom is doing as governor.
Yet as to whether Newsom should run for president in 2028, more than half said it’s not a good idea.
Even so, he outperforms former Vice President Kamala Harris on this measure, as these California special election voters would prefer she sticks to the sidelines – by more than two to one.
Was President Donald Trump a factor in Prop 50’s success? The president remains deeply unpopular in the state, with close to two-thirds disapproving of the job he is doing.
Half of those casting a ballot said they did so specifically to show their opposition to him.
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Meanwhile, California voters reject Trump’s immigration enforcement policies, with more than six in ten saying they’ve gone too far.
A similar number oppose sending the National Guard into U.S. cities.
And these voters who oppose Trump and his policies also overwhelmingly supported Prop 50 – in some instances by more than nine to one. It might be pointed out, however, that Trump lost California by more than 20 points in 2024, and his disapproval ratings could be exaggerated among voters in this special electorate.
Despite all their negative feelings toward Trump, all is not candy and rainbows for how Californians see things at home.
The economy was by far their top issue, yet the view of the Golden State economy is not so golden, as more than six in ten said the state economy is in “not good” or poor shape.
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The vast majority – close to nine in ten – also say their family financial situation is either holding steady or falling behind. Only about one in ten feel they are getting ahead.
Plus, more than eight in ten lamented California’s cost of living as unaffordable.
Another eight in 10 said crime is a problem.
However, worried Californians are, they are equally perturbed by the state of the nation.
More than seven in 10 said they are unhappy about how things are going in the U.S., with close to half angry about the direction the country is heading.
More than nine in ten said they are concerned about political violence in the U.S.
These concerns appear to play out in the vote to redraw the congressional map, with more than nine in ten who said it is important to them which party controls Congress.
Black voters, young voters, Hispanics and college graduates were among those most inclined to back Prop 50, while those most likely to oppose it included voters with no college degree, voters ages 65 and over, and independents.
Methodology
The Fox News Voter Poll is based on a survey conducted by SSRS with California registered voters. This survey was conducted Oct. 22 to Nov. 4, 2025, concluding at the end of voting on Election Day. Once votes are counted, the survey results are also weighted to match the overall results in each state. Results among all more than 4,000 California voters interviewed have an estimated margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.1 percentage points, including the design effects. The error margin is larger among subgroups.
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