Prop. 50 Campaigns Top $215 Million in California Redistricting Battle

Overview

• Official committees reported more than $215 million raised as of Oct. 2, including over $100 million collected in September.
• The Yes campaign has taken in over $138 million from more than 68,000 donors, with about $49 million from contributions under $100 and major gifts from House Majority PAC ($10M), George Soros’ Fund for Policy Reform ($10M), MoveOn.org ($6.9M), the California Teachers Association ($3M) and the NEA ($3M).
• Opponents have raised about $77 million, with the Congressional Leadership Fund providing $42 million and Charles Munger Jr. giving $33 million, plus $1 million each from Kevin McCarthy and Thomas Siebel, and just $8,300 from sub‑$100 donors.
• Prop. 50 would suspend maps from the voter‑created Independent Redistricting Commission until 2030, a move Newsom advanced after Republican efforts in Texas to engineer mid‑decade gains that could flip about five U.S. House seats.
• The contest ranks among the costliest California ballot fights of the past decade, trailing only Props. 22 (2020) and 27 (2022), with a Nov. 4 special election set to determine the outcome.