‘The Whole Nation Is Counting On You’: Barack Obama Just Issued An Urgent Warning To California Voters

Former President Barack Obama has joined California Governor Gavin Newsom’s campaign for a controversial redistricting measure. He appeared in a new advertisement that presents the upcoming special election as a critical battle against Republican power grabs in Congress.

The 30-second spot features Obama making a direct appeal to California voters ahead of next month’s special election on Proposition 50. In the ad, Obama warns that Republicans are trying to manipulate congressional districts to secure advantages heading into the 2026 midterm elections.

“California, the whole nation is counting on you,” Obama says in the advertisement, as per The Hill. “Republicans want to steal enough seats in Congress to rig the next election and wield enough unchecked power for two more years. With [Proposition] 50, you can stop Republicans in their tracks.”

Newsom Wants To Skip The Independent Commission Entirely

Proposition 50 would let California’s state legislature skip the independent redistricting commission and draw new congressional maps before the 2026 elections. Newsom first announced plans for this special election in August as a direct response to Republican redistricting efforts in Texas.

The independent redistricting commission was created in California in 2008 to remove partisan politics from the map-drawing process. However, Newsom and Democratic leaders facing impossible choices say that extraordinary circumstances require extraordinary measures.

Obama previously backed Newsom’s approach shortly after it was announced in August. “Since Texas is taking direction from a partisan White House and gerrymandering in the middle of a decade to try and maintain the House despite their unpopular policies, I have tremendous respect for how Governor Newsom has approached this,” Obama wrote on X. He described the plan as “a smart, measured approach in California, designed to address a very particular problem at a very particular moment in time.”

Recent polling shows that most California voters support Newsom’s redistricting push. However, the plan has faced criticism from some notable figures. Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who championed the independent commission during his time as governor, warned last month that Democratic leaders should not copy the tactics they criticize. “I mean, two bad behaviors don’t make a right behavior. Two wrongs don’t make a right,” Schwarzenegger said.