California will play a key role as voters across the country head to the polls in the midterm elections, widely seen as a referendum on President Donald Trump’s second term.
The race of some of the nation’s most populous states could help determine whether Democrats gain control of the U.S. House of Representatives, where President Trump’s Republicans currently hold a slim majority.
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California voting efforts, or policy decisions made by voters, are also attracting national attention.
But perhaps the biggest difference in this year’s election is the introduction of new congressional district maps created through a partisan redistricting initiative approved by California voters last year.
The initiative aims to give Democrats at least five seats in the House, where Republicans hold a four-seat majority.
Which races in California are competitive, who are the leading candidates, and how has the state’s redistricting push changed the electoral landscape?
When is election day?
The election will be held on Tuesday, November 3rd. Voting in California will be open from 7am (3pm GMT) to 8pm (Wednesday 4am GMT). Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Election Day.
What is partisan redistricting?
The House of Representatives is divided into 435 districts, each represented by one member elected by voters. Congressional districts have equal populations, but their boundaries are set by the state and can shift.
Partisan redistricting requires states to draw district maps in a way that favors candidates from one party over another.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat and critic of President Trump, first proposed a one-time statewide redistricting effort in response to seven Republican-led states redrawing their maps to preserve Republican seats. California has banned partisan redistricting, but Newsom proposed the idea as an unfortunate but necessary retaliation.
California voters approved the 2025 ballot measure, Prop. 50, a redistricting plan that temporarily suspends the state’s bipartisan redistricting commission until 2030. California then drew new maps to make some Republican strongholds more competitive for Democratic challengers.
As a result, a small number of constituencies that had previously been seen as favorable terrain for Republicans have instead become hotly contested constituencies between both parties.
What kind of races are attracting attention?
California has 52 House members, the most of any state, and Republicans only hold eight of them. As Democrats seek to secure a majority in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the U.S. Congress, elections in several states are attracting attention.
One is the 22nd Congressional District, located in California’s agricultural Central Valley. District maps were redrawn under Proposition 50, creating one of the state’s most contentious races in a former Republican stronghold.
Incumbent Republican Congressman David Valadao is in a close race against Democratic challenger Randy Villegas. Although Mr. Valadao has portrayed himself as a moderate, Mr. Villegas has harshly criticized Mr. Valadao on issues important to the region’s immigrant farmworker community, including the rising cost of living, health care, and President Trump’s crackdown on immigration.
California’s 48th Congressional District, which includes part of San Diego County near the border with Mexico, is traditionally a Republican stronghold and is expected to be competitive after the boundaries are redrawn. The district’s longtime lawmaker, Republican Darrell Issa, decided to retire after redistricting, and two local officials are currently vying for the seat: Republican Jim Desmond and Democratic San Diego City Councilwoman Marni von Wilpert.
California’s redistricting was intended to make historically reliably Republican districts more competitive for Democrats, but the process also had unintended consequences. Two Republicans, Rep. Ken Calvert and Rep. Young Kim, found themselves in tight competition with each other after a redraw of the map placed them in the same district.
Who is running for governor?
The candidates vying to replace Governor Newsom are Republican political commentator Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra. Becerra is a former attorney general of California and served as secretary of Health and Human Services in the administration of former President Joe Biden.
Hilton blamed Becerra for fuel prices of $5.95 in California, compared to $4.22 nationwide, according to the American Automobile Association, as well as increases in crime and homelessness. Mr. Becerra, who is highly popular in Democratic strongholds, has sought to unite Mr. Hilton with Mr. Trump, who is deeply unpopular among Californians.
Polls show Mr. Becerra has a wide lead over his Republican challenger. A recent Emerson poll suggested Emerson had a 27 point lead.
What ballot initiatives are voters deciding on?
California voters will also weigh in on several policy issues, including taxes on millionaires and whether the state should introduce a voter ID mandate.
Perhaps the most controversial is Proposition 40, which would impose a one-time tax on billionaires to help fund health care and education. The measure is one of three affecting the state’s ultra-wealthy residents, and the referendum has been dubbed the “Battle of the Billionaires.”
The tax will apply to about 200 wealthy Californians, according to the news site CalMatters. California public radio station KQED reports that the proposal is opposed by powerful industry and tech giants, who have poured more than $152 million into fighting the ballot measure, compared to the $33 million raised in support of the tax.
The measure faced opposition from Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who donated more than $102 million to defeat the referendum, as well as other prominent figures including Hilton, Becerra and Newsom. Despite Democratic support, Proposition 40 is also opposed by some progressive groups that oppose one-time taxes.
Other progressives, including Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Ro Khanna, a wealthy congressman from California’s Silicon Valley, also support the referendum.
Two other ballot measures, Propositions 41 and 42, would effectively nullify Proposition 40 if approved by voters.
Another bill, Proposition 39, is also the subject of intense debate. If passed, Californians would be required to show government-issued identification to vote.
Supporters argue that ID requirements increase confidence in elections by combating voter fraud, but studies have found that voter fraud is nearly non-existent in the United States.
Critics say voter ID laws add hurdles to voting by requiring government-issued documents such as driver’s licenses, which not all citizens have. They argue that strong safeguards are already in place to ensure only eligible voters vote.
