Gavin Newsom says Barack Obama personally told him “I hope you do this” before California Democrats rushed a mid-decade redistricting plan to the ballot.
Quick Take
- Newsom told Axios that Obama gave him direct encouragement before Proposition 50 launched.
- Obama cut a TV ad and joined a live event urging voters to pass the measure.
- Obama once called partisan gerrymandering “not how democracy is supposed to work.”
- Virginia redistricting critics say Obama never backed their earlier fair-maps push.
- Voters approved Prop 50 in November 2025, redrawing House maps through 2030.
Newsom Says Obama Blessed The Plan
Governor Gavin Newsom told Axios he reached out to Barack Obama for advice before pushing California’s redistricting fight to voters. Newsom said Obama responded with encouragement: “I just want to let you know I like what you’re saying and I hope you do this.” Newsom later said Obama gave the effort “cover and moral authority”.
Obama’s support did not stay private. Time reported he contacted Newsom to ask how he could help make sure Proposition 50 passed. Obama then starred in a statewide TV ad that began airing October 14, 2025, telling voters “Democracy is on the ballot” and urging them to vote yes.
A Public Campaign, Not Just A Phone Call
Obama joined Newsom for a live virtual volunteer event on October 22, 2025, encouraging supporters to back the redistricting measure. The New York Times reported Obama called Newsom’s approach a “prudent strategy,” praising it as “smart” and “measured” while noting the new maps would be temporary and required voter sign-off. Voters approved the plan that November, and the redrawn maps stay in place through 2030.
Newsom framed Obama’s backing as more than a friendly nod. By saying Obama provided “cover and moral authority,” Newsom suggested the former president’s public standing helped shield the plan from criticism that Democrats were copying Republican-style map manipulation in Texas. Whether that counts as formal “permission” or just political support is still up for debate among readers watching the exchange.
Obama’s Past Words Come Back To Haunt Him
Obama has not always sounded so comfortable with redistricting maneuvers. In 2021, he said Republican gerrymandering is “not how democracy is supposed to work”. Critics now point to that history and ask why a plan drawn to help Democrats gets a pass while similar tactics from Republicans get condemned. That tension has followed Obama beyond California.
In Virginia, redistricting advocate Brian Cannon pushed back hard when Obama endorsed a separate Democratic-favored map. “Barack Obama has never supported fair maps in Virginia,” Cannon said, adding that Obama “didn’t assist us in 2020, and he clearly isn’t advocating for them now”. That complaint suggests Obama’s involvement in redistricting fights depends heavily on which party stands to gain.
Mid-decade redistricting itself is not illegal. Federal law does not ban states from redrawing congressional maps outside the usual once-a-decade census cycle, and courts have allowed the practice even when it favors one party. What has changed is how open both parties now are about using it as a political weapon, turning what used to be a rare legal maneuver into a recurring national fight over who draws the lines and who benefits from them.
Sources:
redstate.com, motherjones.com, cnn.com, time.com, youtube.com, nytimes.com, kfoxtv.com
