Opponents of a proposition that would redistrict California to give Democrats more seats in Congress appear to have thrown in the towel.
While Democrats bombard Californians urging them to vote yes on Proposition 50, major Republican donors seem to have abandoned the effort.
Stop Sacramento’s Power Grab spent $155,000 on advertising last week, while Yes on 50, created by Gov. Gavin Newsom, spent $3.8 million, Politico reported.
“It’s as full-throated a campaign for Democrats in California as if we were in the middle of a presidential election,” said Jon Fleischman, a former executive director of the California Republican Party. “But you can go to the house next door, occupied by Republicans, and it’s crickets, other than receiving their ballot in the mail.”
When Proposition 50 was introduced by Newsom, support hovered around 50%. Former Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy vowed to raise $100 million to oppose the measure.
McCarthy’s group, Stop Sacramento’s Power Grab, has raised only $11 million, while a CBS News poll last week showed support for Proposition 50 at 62%. In the 2024 presidential election, Democrat Kamala Harris received 58% of the vote.
Opponents of Proposition 50 said they are continuing to fight redistricting.
“We are continuing to communicate with voters about the value of California’s citizen-led redistricting process and will do so until the election is over,” said Amy Thoma Tan, Protect Voters First spokesperson.
Protect Voters First was created by Charles Munger Jr., who has spent $32 million on the effort but has not made a major contribution since Sept. 29, Politico reported.
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