Recent polling suggests it’s unlikely that two Republicans would lock Democrats out of the November gubernatorial election. But some liberal activists are still panicking about the possibility of a MAGA governor. Their solution could delay California’s already slow ballot-counting.
Maya C. Miller / CalMatters
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Latinos in California are mad at Trump. Their votes for Democrats’ gerrymandering show it
Proposition 50, which Democrats framed as a referendum on the Trump administration, attracted far more support from California Latinos than Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign did just the previous year, a CalMatters data analysis has found. The swing toward Prop 50 is yet another indication that President Donald Trump’s fragile coalition of Latino support is dissolving.
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Supreme Court ruling on voting won’t change California districts, but could hurt Democrats
The U.S. Supreme Court has narrowed the Voting Rights Act over the past decade. The law in California was primarily used to help Latinos gain political representation.
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California election officials face false choice: Count votes quickly or count them right
California’s notoriously long ballot-counting process has sown distrust in the state’s election systems. But experts can’t agree on how to speed up the process; some say a delayed result is better than potentially disenfranchising voters.
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‘Valleycrat’ or Mamdani wannabe? California Democrats are split on how to win swing votes
After 2024 losses, Democrats are split on strategy: move to the middle or embrace economic populism. A Central Valley congressional race encapsulates the divide.
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California Democrats have new plans for confronting ICE: Taxes, lawsuits and location bans
The California Senate passed a bill that would make it easier to sue federal officers over civil rights violations. Recent shootings of civilians by immigration agents in Minnesota lent urgency to the measure, one of several targeting ICE.
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The fight over how to pay for Medi-Cal puts pressure on Newsom to raise taxes
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has already vowed to tank a proposed ballot initiative that would impose a 5% wealth tax on the state’s billionaires to bolster Medi-Cal. Progressive lawmakers and their allies in labor and health seem hopeful that Newsom could support a different long-shot funding idea.
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Republicans ask federal court to overturn California’s new Prop 50 maps
Republicans and the Trump administration are hoping a panel of federal judges in Los Angeles will halt the new Proposition 50 maps from taking effect. But given the Supreme Court’s recent ruling greenlighting Texas’ redrawn maps, their odds appear long.
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Billionaire activist Tom Steyer joins race to succeed Newsom as California governor
Liberal billionaire Tom Steyer raised his profile as a foe to President Donald Trump when he spent $13 million on ads touting Proposition 50. Now, Steyer is jumping into the 2026 California governor’s race.
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California voters approve Prop 50, redrawing congressional maps to favor Democrats
California voters overwhelmingly approved Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ballot measure on Tuesday, endorsing newly drawn maps that favor Democrats.
