{"id":210207,"date":"2025-09-08T12:45:21","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T12:45:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/210207\/"},"modified":"2025-09-08T12:45:21","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T12:45:21","slug":"california-gop-energized-by-opposition-to-newsoms-redistricting-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/210207\/","title":{"rendered":"California GOP energized by opposition to Newsom’s redistricting plan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Generally speaking, it\u2019s a grand time to be a Republican in the nation\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n

President Trump is redecorating the White House in his gold-plated image. The GOP controls both houses of Congress. Two-thirds of the Supreme Court was appointed by Republican presidents.<\/p>\n

In California, the outlook for the GOP is far bleaker. The party hasn\u2019t elected a statewide candidate in almost two decades; Democrats hold a nearly 2-to-1 voter registration edge and have supermajorities in both houses of the Legislature.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s long been the story for a state party stuck in the shadows in a deep-blue coastal state.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Will O\u2019Neill, chairman, Republican Party of Orange County, Mark Mueser, Dhillon Law Group, Shawn Steel, RNC National Committeeman, Garrett Fahy, chair, Republican National Lawyers Association, and California State Assembly member David Tangipa during the Redistricting Lawfare in 2025 session at the California GOP Convention in Garden Grove on Saturday.<\/p>\n

(Eric Thayer \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n

However, amid a sea of \u201cTrump 2028\u201d T-shirts, red MAGA hats and sequined Americana-themed accessories, California Republicans had a brief reprieve from minority status this weekend at their fall convention in Orange County.<\/p>\n

Members of the California GOP \u2014 often a fractious horde \u2014 were energized and united by their opposition to Proposition 50, the ballot measure crafted by Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democratic leaders to redraw the state\u2019s congressional districts<\/a> to counter gerrymandering efforts in GOP-led states. Newsom accused Republicans of trying to \u201crig\u201d the 2026 election at Trump\u2019s behest to keep control of Congress. <\/p>\n

Voters will decide its fate in a Nov. 4 special election<\/a> and receive mail ballots roughly four weeks prior. <\/p>\n

\u201cOnly one thing really matters. We\u2019ve gotten people in the same room on this issue that hated each other for 20 years, probably for good reasons, based on ego,\u201d said Shawn Steel, one of California\u2019s three members of the Republican National Committee and the chairman of the party\u2019s anti-Proposition 50 campaign, on Saturday. \u201cBut those days are over, at least for the next 58 days. \u2026 This is more than just unity. It\u2019s survival.\u201d<\/p>\n

If approved, Proposition 50 could cost Republicans five seats in the closely divided U.S. House of Representatives and determine control of Congress during Trump\u2019s final two years in office. <\/p>\n

More than $40 million has already poured into campaigns supporting and opposing the effort, according to reports of large donations filed with the secretary of state\u2019s office through Saturday. <\/p>\n

Spending has been evident as glossy pamphlets opposing the effort landed in voters\u2019 mailboxes even before lawmakers voted to put Proposition 50 on the ballot. This weekend, ads supporting the measure aired during the football game between the University of Michigan and the University of Oklahoma.<\/p>\n

At the state GOP convention, which drew 1,143 registered delegates, alternates and guests to the Hyatt Regency in Garden Grove, this priority was evident.<\/p>\n

Republican candidates running for governor next year would normally be focused on building support among donors and activists less than a year before the primary. But they foregrounded their opposition to Proposition 50 during the convention.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m supposed to say every time I start talking, the No. 1 most important thing that we can talk about right now is \u2018No on 50,\u2019\u201d Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a GOP gubernatorial candidate, said Saturday as he addressed the Log Cabin Republicans meeting. \u201cSo every conversation that you have with people has to begin with \u2018No on 50.\u2019 So you say, \u2018No on 50. Oh, how are you doing?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Bianco and conservative commentator Steve Hilton are the two most prominent Republican candidates in the crowded race to succeed Newsom<\/a>, who will be termed out in 2026. <\/p>\n

The walls of the convention hotel were lined with posters opposing the redistricting ballot measure, alongside typical campaign fliers, rhinestone MAGA broaches and pro-Trump merchandise such as T-shirts bearing his visage that read \u201cDaddy\u2019s Back!\u201d and calling for his election to an unconstitutional third term in 2028.<\/p>\n

Though California Republicans last elected statewide candidates in 2006, they have had greater success on ballot measures. Since 2010, the party has been victorious in more than 60% of the propositions it took a position on, according to data compiled by the state GOP.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need you to be involved. This is a dire situation,\u201d state Assemblyman David Tangipa (R-Fresno) told a packed ballroom of party activists. <\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The California GOP Convention in Garden Grove, CA on Saturday, September 6, 2025. (Eric Thayer \/ For The Times) <\/p>\n

\"Attendees <\/p>\n

Attendees of the Redistricting Lawfare in 2025 session at the California GOP Convention in Garden Grove. (Eric Thayer \/ For The Times) <\/p>\n

Tangipa urged the crowd to reach out to their friends and neighbors with a simple message that is not centered on redistricting, the esoteric process of redrawing congressional districts that typically occurs once every decade following the U.S. census to account for population shifts.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s too hard to talk about redistricting. You know, most people want to get a beer, hang out with their family, go to work, spend time,\u201d he said. \u201cYou need to talk to the Republicans [and ask] one question: Does Gov. Newsom and the legislative body in Sacramento deserve more power?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d the crowd roared.<\/p>\n

Should the measure pass, lawyers would challenge the new lines in federal court the next day, attorney and former GOP candidate Mark Meuser said during a separate redistricting panel. <\/p>\n

But rather than rely on the courts, panelists hoped to defeat the measure at the ballot box, outlining various messaging strategies for attendees to adopt. Voter outreach trainings took place during the convention, and similar virtual classes were scheduled to begin Monday.<\/p>\n

Even with the heavy focus on the redistricting ballot measure, gubernatorial candidates were also skittering around the convention, speaking to various caucuses, greeting delegates in the hallways and holding private meetings.<\/p>\n

More than 80 people have signaled their intent to run for governor next year, according to the secretary of state\u2019s office, though some have since dropped out. <\/p>\n

Despite being rivals who both hope to win one of the top two spots in the June primary and move on to the November 2026 general election, Bianco and Hilton amicably chatted, a two-man show throughout some of the convention. <\/p>\n

Hilton, after posing alongside Bianco at the California MAGA gathering on Friday, argued that the number of Californians who supported Trump in the 2024 election shows that there is a pathway for a Republican to be elected governor next year.<\/p>\n

Pointing to glittery gold block letters that spelled MAGA, he said he wanted to swap the first A for a U, so that the acronym stood for \u201cthe most useless governor in America, Gavin Newsom.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe worst record of any state, the highest unemployment, the highest poverty, the highest taxes, the highest gas prices,\u201d Hilton said. \u201cIf we can\u2019t rip these people apart, then we don\u2019t deserve to be here. They\u2019re going to be asking for another four years. They don\u2019t deserve another four minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"California <\/p>\n

California gubernatorial candidate Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco speaks at the California GOP Convention in Garden Grove.<\/p>\n

(Eric Thayer \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n

At a Saturday gathering of roughly 60 delegates from the conservative northern swath of California, Bianco said he would never say a bad word about his Republican opponents. But, he argued, he was the only candidate who could win the election because of his ability to siphon off Democratic votes because of his law enforcement bona fides.<\/p>\n

\u201cDemocrats want their kids safe. They want their businesses safe. They want their neighborhoods safe. And they can say, \u2018I\u2019ll vote for public safety.\u2019 They\u2019re not even going to say I\u2019m voting for a Republican,\u201d Bianco promised.<\/p>\n

As he raised his hands to the crowd with a grin, Bianco\u2019s closely cropped high-and-tight haircut and handlebar mustache instantly telegraphed his law enforcement background, even though his badge and holstered pistol were hidden beneath a gray blazer.<\/p>\n

Later, after Bianco addressed a crowd of Central Coast delegates sporting more cowboy hats and fewer button-down shirts, Hilton walked to the front of the room and spoke in his clipped British accent about how another attendee had promised to take him pig hunting.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton speaks at the California GOP Convention in Garden Grove.<\/p>\n

(Eric Thayer \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe weren\u2019t talking about police officers, I want to make that clear!\u201d a man yelled from the crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cExactly,\u201d Hilton continued, explaining how his family had a salami business in Hungary and he had gotten his hands plenty dirty in the past, \u201cdoing every aspect of making sausage, including killing the pigs.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Generally speaking, it\u2019s a grand time to be a Republican in the nation\u2019s capital. President Trump is redecorating…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":210208,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[81286,115313,27693,25158,73829,4537,8988,3441,115316,50,3435,3546,1807,115315,5395,115314,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-210207","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-states","8":"category-us","9":"tag-ballot-measure","10":"tag-bianco","11":"tag-california-gop","12":"tag-california-republicans","13":"tag-convention","14":"tag-crowd","15":"tag-election","16":"tag-gov-gavin-newsom","17":"tag-hilton","18":"tag-news","19":"tag-newsom","20":"tag-people","21":"tag-president-trump","22":"tag-proposition","23":"tag-saturday","24":"tag-state-party","25":"tag-united-states","26":"tag-unitedstates","27":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115168747619101185","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210207\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/210208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=210207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=210207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}