LOS ANGELES — Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday urged California voters to reject a Democratic-backed ballot proposal that would temporarily replace congressional districts drawn by an independent commission with maps crafted by lawmakers, saying the measure would erode democratic principles and allow politicians to “take the power away from the people.”
Speaking at the University of Southern California, the former Republican governor and actor called Proposition 50 “insane” and argued that responding to Republican gains in other states by matching partisan tactics would be a mistake. “Two wrongs don’t make a right,” he said, repeating his contention that the proposal would set aside publicly vetted maps he helped establish while in office and substitute them with partisan maps drawn behind closed doors.
Proposition 50, championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and endorsed by the Democratic-controlled Legislature, would temporarily set aside the congressional districts produced by California’s independent redistricting commission and replace them with significantly reshaped maps drafted by Democratic lawmakers. Backers say the change would respond to Republican-led redistricting in Texas that is expected to add five Republican U.S. House seats before the 2026 midterm elections.
Opponents, including Schwarzenegger, contend the measure would institutionalize partisan mapmaking in a state that adopted independent redistricting to reduce gerrymandering. If approved, the new political maps could reduce the number of Republican-held seats and boost Democrats to as many as 48 of California’s 52 congressional seats, up from the 43 they hold now, potentially affecting the balance of power in the U.S. House.
Schwarzenegger, who promoted the independent commission during his time as governor, did not directly single out Newsom or the Legislature in his remarks but stressed that the proposal would undo a public process and hand mapmaking to politicians. The former governor has signaled opposition for weeks, posting a photo on the social platform X of himself wearing a T-shirt that said “Terminate Gerrymandering” and included an obscenity aimed at “the politicians.” It was not immediately clear how extensively Schwarzenegger will participate in the campaign; he could use his resources and celebrity to finance advertising or rally supporters.
California and Texas, the nation’s two most populous states, have emerged as focal points in a broader partisan struggle over congressional maps that is spilling into other states and the courts as parties seek to protect or expand narrow House majorities. Newsom has framed the California measure as a counterpunch to former President Donald Trump’s party, saying Republicans’ moves threaten to strip democratic representation district by district.
Republicans argue they are defending the slim House majority won in recent cycles, and some legal challenges to redistricting moves are expected as states respond to the 2020 census and subsequent political maneuvers. Observers note that Schwarzenegger’s involvement adds an unusual cross-party voice: he has been a longtime critic of Trump and is viewed as a centrist, a posture that gives weight to his intervention in an intra-state fight that could carry national consequences.
“I don’t think you want to run against Arnold Schwarzenegger,” said Bill Whalen, a fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, noting the former governor’s enduring political presence more than a decade after he left office. The proposition will appear on the November ballot, and its outcome could reshape California’s congressional delegation in time for the 2026 midterm elections.