Newsom says Democrats’ Tuesday wins, including Prop 50, represent ‘a new moment’ for party

CNN

By Kaanita Iyer, CNN

(CNN) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Democrats’ sweeping election victory on Tuesday, including the approval of a redistricting ballot measure in his state, “represents a new moment” for the Democratic Party as it debates its path forward.

“Clarity, conviction, purpose, energy. On our toes, not on our heels. A resurgent Democratic Party, and it’s a party that understands what’s at stake for our democracy,” Newsom said during a wide-ranging interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper in Houston on Saturday.

Along with the approval of California’s Proposition 50, which creates five US House seats more favorable for Democrats, the party won in high-profile races across the country on Tuesday. Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City, while Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill won gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, respectively.

Newsom traveled to Houston on Saturday for a rally, during which he touted the win and also credited Texas Democrats for inspiring the push for Proposition 50.

“I think just the energy that the delegation from Texas brought to the Democratic Party, to democracy as a whole, when they stood up and pushed back against (Texas Gov.) Greg Abbott and Donald Trump’s overreach … in many ways that was the beginning of this comeback,” Newsom said to Tapper following the rally.

Earlier this year, Texas Republicans moved to redraw the state’s congressional maps to shift five US House seats to the right at President Donald Trump’s behest. The move sparked outrage among state legislative Democrats, who left Texas to avoid a vote. They ultimately returned, and the maps were passed and signed into law.

In response, Democrats in California began the efforts to redraw the state’s congressional maps. Newsom, who is widely expected to be a 2028 presidential candidate, made himself the face of California’s redistricting efforts and nationalized the issue.

Newsom acknowledged criticism that California made the redistricting process partisan, including from Republican former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and told Tapper that he supports “independent redistricting.”

“But you can’t do it state by state with one arm tied behind your back,” he said. “You can’t unilaterally disarm as other people are not playing by the rules.”

After the GOP win in Texas, Republicans have also redrawn seats in their favor in Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio, and they are attempting to do the same in other states, including Indiana and Kansas.

Meanwhile, following California’s lead, Democrats are seeking changes to maps in at least three other states: New York, Virginia and Illinois.

“They’re not screwing around. They’re consolidating power,” Newsom said of Republicans’ efforts.

Newsom also weighed in on attending the COP30 climate summit this week in Brazil as the Trump administration has decided not to send a high-level delegation.

When asked what his role will be at the summit and whether he’s standing in for the president, Newsom said he’ll be “standing in for my kids and grandkids, for common sense, for, you know, our economic future.”

During the interview, Newsom also reiterated his warnings of the threat he says Trump poses to democracy.

For Trump, Newsom claimed, “it’s not about the rule of law. It’s about the rule of Don.”

“This is not normal times,” he later added. “The rules have changed and we need to change.”

CNN’s Eric Bradner, Arit John and David Wright contributed to this report.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.