Arnold Schwarzenegger has finally gotten into California’s redistricting fight, using his star power to tell voters to reject Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D-CA) ballot measure to gerrymander the state’s congressional districts temporarily.
Just how much sway the Hollywood actor and former Republican governor of California still has and whether it will be enough to change anyone’s mind heading into the Nov. 4 special election is yet to be seen.
Schwarzenegger helped create California’s independent redistricting system more than a decade ago to prevent politicians from unfairly drawing district boundaries. It’s a key part of his legacy, and he’s keen on preserving it.
“They are trying to fight for democracy by getting rid of the democratic principles of California,” Schwarzenegger told hundreds of students at an event at the University of Southern California this week. “It is insane to let that happen.”
The 78-year-old said saying no to Proposition 50 was a no-brainer and argued it was more about democracy than politics. “There was no transparency here, the way they drew the maps,” he said. “That is the most important thing in democracy, is transparency.”
Proposition 50 is a ballot measure that would approve a new congressional map passed by the state legislature and possibly give Democrats five additional House seats. The push for new maps is a direct response to Texas redrawing its map in favor of Republicans at the request of President Donald Trump, who is seeking to hold on to power during next year’s midterm elections.
At stake is control of the House of Representatives. Republicans have a 219-212 edge in the House, with four vacancies. Trump has been able to enact his agenda because the GOP controls the White House and both chambers of Congress. If Democrats flip the House, they could stifle Trump during his last two years in office by blocking his legislation and launching congressional investigations.
Schwarznegger, a frequent Trump critic, doesn’t think the ends justify the means.
“It doesn’t make any sense to me that because we have to fight Trump, to become Trump,” he said. “Two wrongs don’t make a right.”
Lance Christensen, vice president of government affairs at California Policy Center, believes Schwarzenegger might be the perfect spokesman to thwart Newsom’s plans and get Californians to reject Proposition 50.
“Schwarzenegger is especially relevant because this was his legacy policy, to have fair districts drawn by the voters, rather than politicians picking their voters,” Christensen told the Washington Examiner. “He also appeals to the independents and moderate Democrats who are not particularly swayed by Newsom’s craven political moves, because he’s also a fierce critic of President Donald Trump. He can speak to purple Californians in a way that most others cannot.”
Not only has Schwarzenegger been openly dismissive of Trump’s rejection of the 2020 presidential election results, but he also endorsed Trump’s Democratic rival, former Vice President Kamala Harris, in last year’s election. That, President of Klink Campaigns, Inc. Matt Klink told the Washington Examiner, gives Schwarzenegger the credibility to influence a large swath of California voters.
“Arnold’s involvement is important because he has the ability to fly above politics,” Klink said. “He is marginally a Republican and certainly no fan of Donald Trump. But, he invested significant political capital in creating the independent redistricting commission and has been vocal about its potential demise.”
Despite Schwarzenegger’s recent comments denouncing Proposition 50, he has, so far, declined to record any ads for the campaigns against the ballot measure or raise money for them. His team allowed one of the committees to come to his event at USC with a camera crew to capture his opposition, which was shared on social media.
“His appeal as a global superstar transcends politics and ideology,” Amy Thoma Tan, the spokeswoman for an opposition to Proposition 50 campaign bankrolled by Charles Munger Jr., said. “I think the message he delivered will really resonate with people who are tired of politics of extremes on either side.”
Munger, a Republican donor, has given $30 million to the cause.
“Gerrymanders are a cancer, and mid-decade gerrymanders are a metastasis,” he said in an opinion piece in the New York Times. “If we trade away California’s independent redistricting for a partisan power grab, we kill the cure. We send a dangerous message to the rest of the country that reform is conditional and principles can be abandoned when they are inconvenient. That is how cynicism spreads, trust in government erodes and citizen voices fade.”
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For his part, Newsom, along with national Democratic leaders such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), held an hourslong virtual rally this week. They framed the stakes of the ballot measure as nothing short of existential, saying it needed to pass to preserve democracy.
“It’s all at stake,” Newsom said. “This is a profound and consequential moment in American history. We can lose this republic if we do not assert ourselves and stand tall at this moment and stand guard [for] this republic and our democracy. I feel that in my bones.”
