Watch: Newsom says Trump is ‘weakness masquerading as strength’ at Texas rally

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom, eager to raise his national profile as a Democrat ready to take on President Donald Trump forcefully, scored a campaign victory that could help his party in the midterms as he moves toward a run for the White House.

Watch Newsom’s remarks in the video player above.

With Proposition 50, Newsom successfully bet on his ability to convince California voters on Tuesday to throw out independently drawn U.S. House maps in favor of new districts designed to help Democrats win five additional seats.

Read more: California approves the new congressional map supported by Democrats

His gamble was a response to Trump’s redistricting campaign in Texas, where Republicans hope to pick up five seats of their own. Republicans took similar steps in other states in an attempt to maintain their grip on power for the remainder of Trump’s term. Democrats do too, but they have fewer options. Newsom framed the election campaign as an almost existential struggle, arguing that democracy is in danger.

The two-month campaign has cemented Newsom’s position as one of Trump’s main opponents at a time when many Democrats have described the party as ineffective and weak.

“We have stood tall and stood firm in response to Donald Trump’s recklessness,” Newsom said Tuesday. “After he poked the bear, that bear roared.”

Democrats are eager for a fighter

Celinda Lake, a veteran Democratic pollster and strategist, said the contest bolstered Newsom’s standing among activists demanding Democratic leaders willing to fight Trump. She said Newsom can now point to a tangible victory.

“Democrats believe there is finally someone standing up and being creative and thinking outside the box and fighting back,” Lake said. “That’s a very strong profile.”

The election win comes shortly after Newsom last month confirmed for the first time that he was considering a run for president in 2028. He told CBS News he would make a decision after next year’s midterm elections.

Read more: What’s next in the national redistricting battle after California approved a new map for the U.S. House of Representatives

“Yes, I would lie otherwise,” Newsom responded when asked if he would seriously consider a presidential campaign.

Although the next presidential election is three years away, ambitious Democrats are vying for an advantage in a crowded primary that is already taking shape.

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

California: a blessing and a curse

Newsom is approaching his final year in office as California’s governor. Hackett, who managed former Cabinet Secretary Julián Castro’s 2020 presidential campaign, said he could use this time to further bolster his national image by fighting against Trump while working on a vision for the Democratic Party.

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

Voters last year rejected their colleague Kamala Harris of California, who was then vice president.

“California is a political blessing and a curse,” said Thad Kooser, a political science professor at the University of California, San Diego. “It brings you into prominence and comes with the baggage of political stereotypes of the state.”

A majority of California voters “strongly” or “somewhat” approve of the way Newsom is handling his job as governor, but there is less support for Newsom’s presidential bid.

Just over half of California voters said they would not like to see Newsom run for president in 2028, according to an AP Voter poll, while 45% said they would. That includes some voters who generally support him 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 less enthusiastic about Harris running again — about 7 in 10 California voters said they oppose her running in 2028.

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

“I think now it seems like a good option,” Jones said.

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

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

Newsom is seeking a place on the national stage

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

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

Newsom has long sought a more prominent voice on the national stage. Since 2022, Newsom has been blaming his party for setbacks in the country’s culture wars, asking at the time: “Where is the Democratic Party?”

He has traveled widely in recent years, including in battleground early-voting states like South Carolina, appearing on television shows and podcasts with national audiences, and making some visible moves toward the political center. He stunned fellow Democrats by striking up friendly conversations with prominent conservatives on a new podcast that he described as a way for the party to address the popularity of the “Make America Great Again” movement and connect with young people who have soured on the Democratic Party.

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

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

Associated Press reporters Sophie Austin in Folsom, California, and Amy Taxin in Norco, California, contributed.