Here’s the thing about politics: You can be a great leader, someone who could do great things, has great ideas, and deserves to win — but you won’t win the White House unless you have The Elvis. It’s that charismatic magic, that connection with people Molly Ivins first coined back in the early days of Bill Clinton, and then applied to Barack Obama. Via the Texas Tribune:
HOUSTON — California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s victory lap over passage of Proposition 50 reached Texas on Saturday, days after his state greenlit his plan to blunt Gov. Greg Abbott’s redistricting effort to get more Texas Republicans in Congress.
Before Newsom could start speaking during his brief stop at a rally in Houston, the crowd of around 800 Democrats took the chance to yell out “thank you,” and he returned the sentiment.
“You woke us up,” Newsom said, referring to Democrats’ resistance to redistricting. “You didn’t just have your back here, you had our back in the state of California.“
After Abbott signed a new congressional map in August that was redrawn to maximize the state’s Republican representation in Washington D.C., amid pressure from President Donald Trump, Newsom pitched an idea to voters to offset Texas’ GOP gains with additional Democratic seats in California.
[,,,] The California ballot measure passed with nearly 64% of the vote, and its decisive approval is a big win for Newsom, who is considering a presidential bid in 2028. If the new maps pass as planned, nearly all of California’s congressional representatives will be Democrats. California currently has 43 Democratic House members and nine Republicans — the new maps would secure 48 blue seats. And Newsom took to Texas, the very state Prop 50 targets, to celebrate.
