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California voters have approved a ballot measure intended to shift as many as five congressional seats to Democrats from Republicans, handing Governor Gavin Newsom a major political victory in his fight against President Donald Trump. The victory for Proposition 50 was called by the Associated Press within a minute of polls closing. Newsom championed the controversial ballot measure as a way to neutralise a Trump-backed initiative in Texas in which the state redrew congressional districts to flip as many as five seats to the Republican Party. Redistricting battles have spread around the country and emerged as a crucial strategy ahead of next year’s midterm elections, as Democrats seek to wrest control of the US House of Representatives from the Republican Party and blunt Trump’s power. Proposition 50 victory in the nation’s most populous state capped a series of other Democratic wins across the country on Tuesday night. Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer, easily won the Virginia governor’s race, while Mikie Sherrill, a US Navy veteran and ex-prosecutor, triumphed in New Jersey. In New York City, self-described democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor. The president - whose enmity towards California has been a recurring theme in his decade in national politics - was clearly annoyed by the ballot initiative. “The Unconstitutional Redistricting Vote in California is a GIANT SCAM in that the entire process, in particular the Voting itself, is RIGGED,” Trump wrote on his social media site on Tuesday. That prompted a now-customary zinger from Newsom. “The ramblings of an old man that knows he’s about to LOSE,” the governor wrote. The outcome of the vote cements Newsom’s status as one of Trump’s top Democratic adversaries. Newsom, who’s seen as a potential presidential candidate in 2028, blitzed the airwaves in favour of the measure, arguing that the future of US democracy was at stake. He also marshalled donations from an army of billionaires and deep-pocketed unions, and won backing from Democratic standard bearers such as Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama. The fundraising bonanza enabled Newsom to vastly outspend his Republican opponents, including former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who struggled to unify around a clear message. While Newsom cast the vote as a referendum on Trump, the president himself largely stayed out of the debate. Proposition 50 temporarily overrides California’s independent redistricting commission, which was created to draw congressional boundaries free of political influence. While the state is set to revert to the independent commission after 2030, critics have argued the measure shows Newsom and Democrats are willing to embrace the same partisan tactics they once condemned. Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
