On the evening of November 5, 2025, California Governor Gavin Newsom stood before a cheering crowd, basking in the glow of a decisive victory. The state’s voters had just overwhelmingly approved Proposition 50, a constitutional amendment designed to redraw California’s congressional districts—a move aimed squarely at countering Republican gerrymandering efforts led by former President Donald Trump in Texas and other states. With 75 percent of the ballots counted, Prop 50 was leading by a commanding 63.8 percent to 36.2 percent, and election analysts predicted that margin would only increase as more mail-in ballots, which typically favor Democrats, were tallied. According to New York Magazine, this was a higher share of the vote than any recent Democratic presidential candidate, and even more than Newsom himself had managed in his gubernatorial campaigns.
The origins of Prop 50’s landslide can be traced back to early July, when Democratic officials from Washington and Texas reached out to Newsom’s team. Their urgent request: leverage his growing social media influence to push back against what they saw as a Trump-led power grab in Texas. Newsom, always eager to tangle with the former president, didn’t hesitate. As Politico reported, he agreed to use his platform to amplify the fight, and soon after, he announced his intention to pursue a constitutional amendment in California. The goal was clear: if Texas Republicans could redraw their maps to gain up to five new GOP seats, California Democrats would respond in kind, flipping the script and potentially adding five Democratic seats to Congress.
But Newsom’s gambit was risky. For one, he was taking on the state’s well-liked nonpartisan citizens redistricting commission—a legacy of his predecessor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Created in 2008 and expanded two years later, the commission had become a favorite among Democrats and good-government advocates alike. Overriding it, even temporarily, was bound to stir controversy. And with the Texas map not finalized until late August, Newsom had to act quickly, securing legislative approval for a new California map so voters would know exactly what they were voting for. The campaign’s timeline was tight, legal challenges loomed, and the stakes couldn’t have been higher.
Yet Newsom and his allies, which included nearly every Democratic politician in California, national party celebrities, and powerful pro-Democratic unions, executed with precision. They raised significant funds, giving Prop 50 a financial edge over its opponents—a coalition of Republicans and a handful of independent good-government advocates. Most crucially, they crafted a message that turned the initiative into a referendum on Donald Trump himself. As New York Magazine noted, the campaign focused less on the arcane details of redistricting and more on Trump’s ongoing battles with California, painting Prop 50 as a righteous stand against his efforts to “rig” the 2026 midterms.
Newsom’s digital savvy played a major role in the campaign’s success. In the days leading up to and following the election, he flooded social media with memes, AI-generated images, and biting commentary aimed at Trump. On November 5, the governor posted a meme video referencing a famous WWE moment, superimposing Barack Obama’s face over Shawn Michaels and Trump’s over Vince McMahon, with the caption, “Now that’s what we call a takedown.” Other clips featured Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other Democratic politicians in viral wrestling moments, all celebrating the Democratic wave that swept across the country that night. According to Wrestlezone, it was a digital victory lap, mocking Trump after a string of GOP defeats.
The trolling didn’t stop there. On November 6, Newsom’s Press Office account on X (formerly Twitter) mocked a new White House sign installed near the Oval Office door, which featured “The Oval Office” in gold script taped to the wall—a nod to Trump’s penchant for gold embellishments. Newsom’s version replaced the word “LOVE” in the familiar “LIVE LAUGH LOVE” craft store sign with “LOSE,” a not-so-subtle jab at the Republican losses that week. As HuffPost reported, the sign quickly went viral, symbolizing the Democratic rebuke of Trump at the polls.
Newsom also posted a series of AI-generated images depicting Trump as a baby and a crying child, further lampooning the former president. These images, shared widely on social media, underscored the governor’s embrace of Trump-style trolling—turning the tables on the former president by using his own online tactics against him. In his victory speech, Newsom declared, “Tonight, after poking the bear, this bear roared, with unprecedented turnout in a special election.” He didn’t mince words about Trump’s intentions, adding, “This is a pattern. This is a practice. Donald Trump’s efforts to rig the midterm election continue to this day... Donald Trump does not believe in free and fair elections.”
The Democratic wave wasn’t confined to California. Across the nation, Democrats scored key victories in gubernatorial and mayoral races. In New York City, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani defeated former governor Andrew Cuomo to become mayor. Virginia elected Democrat Abigail Spanberger as governor, and in New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill bested Republican Jack Ciattarelli for the governor’s seat. As The Independent and Wrestlezone highlighted, these wins were widely interpreted as a rebuke of Trump and the Republican Party, especially after the GOP had pinned hopes on gerrymandering and other tactics to maintain their grip on power.
Even Trump himself acknowledged the poor showing for Republicans, telling lawmakers on November 6, “I don’t think it [the results] was good for Republicans...the shutdown was a big factor, negative for Republicans.” He called on his party to end the government shutdown by abolishing the Senate filibuster, a procedural rule that requires a supermajority for most legislation. But the damage was done; the Democratic victories, especially Prop 50’s success in California, were seen as a stinging repudiation of Trump’s approach.
For Newsom, the passage of Prop 50 represented more than just a policy win. It was a personal triumph, cementing his status as a national Democratic leader and boosting his all-but-certain 2028 presidential ambitions. As New York Magazine put it, “Prop 50 represented a master class in persuasion and a strategy executed to perfection.” With Republican gerrymandering efforts stalling in states like Indiana and Kansas, the measure could flip five U.S. House seats and reshape the landscape for the 2026 midterms.
In the end, the events of early November 2025 showcased a Democratic Party energized by backlash against Trump’s tactics, with Gavin Newsom emerging as both a political tactician and a digital provocateur. The battle over redistricting may be far from over, but for now, California’s governor has scored a knockout—and he’s letting everyone know it.
