They’ve raised a tenth of that

Calif. Republicans' big promised push against Prop. 50 is falling flat

The goal was to raise $100M against Newsom's proposal. They’ve raised a tenth of that.

By Anabel Sosa

With just over a week left until the November special election, Republicans have barely ramped up their fundraising against Proposition 50, despite overzealous promises of raising upwards of $100 million.

After California lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom approved new maps of California’s U.S. House districts, it was widely reported that Democrats and Republicans would collectively raise $200 million. Each side pledged half of that dollar figure.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the former majority leader and Bakersfield Republican, was expected to raise $100 million but has so far raised just under $11 million towards his national opposition campaign, No on 50 - Stop Sacramento’s Power Grab, according to campaign records.

It’s not entirely clear why McCarthy’s fundraising has fallen short, but it invites the question whether the Republican’s multimillion dollar plan was merely a political charade.

Meanwhile, Democrat-led campaigns have collectively raised nearly $100 million, according to CalMatters. The main fundraising effort led by Newsom and widely supported by both state and national Democrats has raised $77.5 million. Ancillary efforts make up the rest of the Democrats’ war chest.

With that money, numerous ads have been televised since September, featuring high-profile Democrats including Sen. Alex Padilla, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Former President Barack Obama has also appeared on a recent ad and has additionally joined Newsom on a media tour in recent weeks, promoting the temporary redistricting as a way to preserve Democrats’ chances in the 2026 midterms. Obama last week spoke to voters on a livestream alongside the governor, saying, “Democracy is worth fighting for.”

“There’s a broader principle at stake that has to do with whether or not our democracy can be manipulated by those who are already in power to entrench themselves further,” Obama said, “or whether we’re going to have a system that allows the people to decide who’s going to represent them.”

The aggressive campaigning appears to be working. A recent poll from CBS News published last Wednesday showed 62% of likely special election voters would vote in favor of redistricting. That figure is up from other polls released in late August that revealed nearly a majority of voters agreed with redistricting.

There still is money being pumped into the opposition campaign, however, even if it’s not the trove McCarthy promised.

Charles Munger Jr., a physicist from Palo Alto, is campaigning on a slightly less political premise, instead attempting to appeal to independent voters on the idea that elections should remain in the control of the state’s independent commission.

Munger met his pledge of giving $30 million to his Protect Voters First campaign committee, according to California Secretary of State filings. In August, when the ballot was officially announced, Munger initially gave $10 million, which set the stage at the time for a potentially competitive campaign.

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has also emerged as one of the most high-profile opponents of the measure. As governor, Schwarzenegger heavily promoted the creation of the bipartisan, independent commission in California that currently defines the state’s congressional districts every 10 years according to the census. The former governor and Newsom both have said their relationship remains amicable.

Another talking point for the opposition campaign is the fact that state agencies have projected it will cost taxpayers $282 million for the state to simply run the special election. Those dollars have been allocated to each county to administer the election as well as account for general costs like voter outreach and printing and mailing ballots.

Texas and Missouri have already redrawn their U.S. House maps to favor Republicans. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott complied with a request from President Donald Trump in August to find five extra congressional seats for Republicans in the state, which Trump said the party was “entitled” to. Republican Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe approved new maps at the end of September.

Last week, North Carolina approved new maps that could potentially give Republicans one more congressional seat from that state. The redrawing in these three states could give Republicans seven new congressional seats in total. If Prop. 50 passes, Democrats could gain at least five seats back from California.