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Newsom Player Haters & The ’28 Proxy War

Democrats have poured more than $140 million into the off-cycle ballot initiative to gerrymander California, counter Trump’s efforts to manipulate the midterms, and—perhaps most importantly—hand Gavin Newsom the political trophy he needs to cement his status as the presumptive Democratic frontrunner in 2028. But there are plenty of voters who don’t trust Gavin, too.

Gavin Newsom
Two different polls last week showed support for the measure hovering around 50 percent—a winning number, though Newsom would like the margin to be higher as he pads his résumé ahead of the 2028 presidential cycle. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images
Peter Hamby
October 14, 2025

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The campaign for Proposition 50 in California—Gavin Newsom’s audacious and expensive “Election Rigging Response Act” to fight back against Trump-led gerrymandering efforts in Republican states—has a little something for everyone. Want to save democracy? Vote Yes on 50. Fed up with ICE raids? Vote Yes on 50. Think the president is a dictator? Vote Yes on 50. Stop Republicans from stealing the midterm elections, save our beloved universities, make Trump so angry he throws his McDonald’s french fries on the ground in fury? Vote Yes on 50. (Seriously, that’s one of the bits in lefty billionaire Tom Steyer’s cartoonish multimillion-dollar ad blitz.)