California Governor Gavin Newsom has achieved a significant political triumph that could bolster his aspirations for higher office, while simultaneously boosting the Democratic Party’s prospects in the upcoming midterm elections. By championing Proposition 50, Newsom successfully convinced California voters to replace the independent U.S. House district maps with new boundaries favoring Democrats, potentially securing five additional seats for his party.

This strategic move by Newsom was in direct response to President Donald Trump’s redistricting efforts in Texas, where Republicans aim to gain five seats of their own. Similar strategies have been employed by Republicans across various states to maintain their political dominance during Trump’s presidency. Although Democrats have also engaged in redistricting maneuvers, their options have been comparatively limited. Newsom characterized this campaign as a pivotal battle for democracy, emphasizing the high stakes involved.

Throughout the intense two-month campaign, Newsom emerged as a prominent opponent of Trump, at a time when many within his own party lamented the Democratic leadership’s perceived ineffectiveness. His stance has positioned him as a formidable figure willing to confront the administration’s policies head-on.

In a statement following his victory, Newsom asserted, “We stood tall and we stood firm in response to Donald Trump’s recklessness. After poking the bear, this bear roared.” His words underscored both his defiance and the determination of his campaign, reflecting a broader effort to reshape the political landscape.

“We stood tall and we stood firm in response to Donald Trump’s recklessness,” Newsom said Tuesday. “After poking the bear, this bear roared.”

Democrats are eager for a fighter

The contest further raised Newsom’s profile among activists who are clamoring for Democratic leaders willing to battle Trump, said Celinda Lake, a veteran Democratic pollster and strategist. Newsom can now point to a tangible victory, she said.

“Democrats think that finally someone’s standing up and being creative and thinking outside the box and fighting back,” Lake said. “And that’s a very strong profile.”

The election win comes shortly after Newsom last month confirmed for the first time that he is considering running for president in 2028. He told CBS News he’ll make a decision after next year’s midterms.

“Yeah, I’d be lying otherwise,” Newsom responded when asked if he’d give serious thought to a presidential campaign.

Though the next presidential election is three years away, ambitious Democrats are jockeying for an advantage in a crowded primary field that’s already taking shape.

“He’s betting that Democratic primary voters will remember that he was standing as this bulwark against Trump as he’s attempting to consolidate power,” said Sawyer Hackett, a Democratic strategist and commentator. “And I think that he’s right about that.”

California is a ‘blessing and a curse’

Newsom is nearing his last year in office as California’s governor. He can use that time to continue stoking his national profile by fighting back against Trump while working on a vision for the Democratic Party, said Hackett, who managed former cabinet secretary Julian Castro’s 2020 presidential campaign.

He’ll face a tangle of ongoing problems that affect not only the quality of life of California residents but the state’s image in the rest of the country. They include an ongoing homelessness crisis, high energy bills, a struggling home insurance market, notoriously high taxes and housing costs that have been driving residents out of state in search of affordable living.

Voters last year spurned fellow Californian Kamala Harris, then the sitting vice president.

“California is a political blessing and a curse,” said Thad Kousser, a political scientist at University of California, San Diego. “It rockets you to prominence and comes with the baggage of the state’s political stereotypes.”

A majority of California voters “strongly” or “somewhat” approve of the way Newsom is handling his job as governor, but support for a Newsom presidential run is lower.

Just over half of California voters said they would not like to see Newsom run for president in 2028, according to the AP Voter Poll, while 45% said they would. That includes some voters who support him generally or share his party: About 2 in 10 voters who approved of Newsom’s performance running the state don’t want him to seek the Oval Office, and about 3 in 10 Democrats or voters who lean toward the Democratic Party don’t want him to run.

They’re even less excited about Harris running again — about 7 in 10 California voters said they’re opposed to her running in 2028.

Kalinda Jones, who teaches social work classes at a community college outside Sacramento, said Newsom could be a possible choice for president, but she wasn’t enthusiastic about him or any other candidate. Jones supported Proposition 50.

“I guess right now, he seems like a good option,” Jones said.

Republican Dennis Guerrero, a 67-year-old retired salesperson who voted against Proposition 50, said he faults Newsom for his inability to slow the homeless crisis, among other issues.

“I would not vote for him for president,” Guerrero said.

Newsom seeks a place on the national stage

The Proposition 50 fight gave Newsom something else that will be valuable if he decides to run for president — donors big and small.

Newsom and his allies spent roughly $100 million. His campaign team says he collected 1.2 million contributions and brought in so much money that they asked people to stop giving. Campaign finance records show well over 100,000 donations came from outside California.

Newsom has long sought a more prominent voice on the national stage. As far back as 2022, Newsom was blaming his own party for setbacks in the nation’s culture wars, asking at the time, “Where is the Democratic Party?”

He has traveled extensively in recent years, including to crucial early-voting states like South Carolina, and is appearing on television shows and podcasts with national audiences, making some obvious steps toward the political center. He stunned fellow Democrats by holding mostly chummy conversations with prominent conservatives on a new podcast he touted as a way for the party to grapple with the “Make America Great Again” movement’s popularity and reach out to young men who have soured on the Democratic Party.

Meanwhile, his press office has delighted Democrats and attracted widespread attention by mimicking Trump’s bombastic, all-caps social media posts.

“Newsom is the one Democrat of this generation who has leaned into the culture wars and done quite well with that,” noted Republican consultant Mike Madrid, a longtime Trump critic. Denting Trump’s momentum is “what the Democratic base has been looking for. They want a fight.”