Soros donates $10 million to Newsom’s redistricting push to counter Trump
New York Times reports Soros contribution helps Prop 50 raise about $70 million as California’s governor seeks to redraw congressional maps in response to national GOP tactics
A $10 million donation from billionaire George Soros to California Gov. Gavin Newsom's ballot initiative to redraw the state's congressional districts has boosted Newsom's fundraising and signaled a broader national response to GOP redistricting tactics.
The New York Times, citing two people with direct knowledge, reported that Soros's contribution is the largest single donation to Newsom's redistricting effort and has helped swell Proposition 50's campaign war chest to roughly $70 million.
Prop 50, launched in early 2025, is described by Newsom as a temporary, fully transparent measure aimed at countering a push for redistricting in red states such as Texas. In August, Newsom told reporters in San Francisco that, if successful, the effort could yield political gains for California by aligning the map with the public's consent: 'We’ll pick up five seats with the consent of the people. And that’s the difference between the approach we’re taking and the approach they’re taking.'
The move comes as dozens of Democratic state lawmakers left Texas in August to prevent a quorum for a special session as Republicans prepared to vote on a redrawn map ahead of the 2026 midterms. This episode underscored how national tactics around redistricting have spilled into California politics and how California’s response was framed as both a shield and a statement against what Newsom and supporters describe as aggressive gerrymandering elsewhere. 
Former President Barack Obama was reportedly cited in coverage as describing Newsom's redistricting move as a 'responsible approach' to GOP tactics, a framing that aligns the California effort with broader national debates about how districts are drawn and how much authority governors have in shaping maps during periods of political tension.
California Republicans moved to block Prop 50, filing suit to stop Newsom and allied Democrats from advancing the plan. The political fray has also drawn attention to the rhetoric surrounding Soros, who has long funded a wide range of liberal causes and campaigns through the Open Society Foundations—an affiliation repeatedly cited by opponents of the administration in public comment and online discourse.
Trump has publicly railed against Soros in remarks and on social media, tying the donor’s profile to the broader debate over redistricting. In posts and interviews, he has criticized Soros and his supporters while amplifying calls to pursue redistricting strategies in other states, including Texas. The coverage highlights how a single, high-profile donation can reshape fundraising dynamics for a state-level initiative and feed into a national narrative about who sets the rules for how districts are drawn ahead of the 2026 midterms.
The reporting from Fox News, citing New York Times sources, notes Soros’s role in backing a large-scale, long-running slate of left-leaning causes—from district attorney campaigns to federal elections—alongside Newsom’s parallel efforts. The episode illustrates the growing influence of large donations on state ballot measures and the broader political battle over district boundaries.
Overall, the development reflects how California's redistricting debate, while locally focused, sits within a broader national context in which donors, political figures, and national party tactics intersect on issues of representation, transparency, and the mechanics of map drawing ahead of a consequential election cycle.