Foes of California Democrats’ gerrymander just got their first major contribution — and it’s just a preview.
The $10 million donation from Charles Munger, Jr., an architect of California's independent redistricting commission, underscores how a high-stakes special election to boost House Democrats could become one of the most expensive contests in California history.
Just a day after state lawmakers voted to place a gerrymandered map on the ballot Nov. 4, the nascent campaign has already drawn more than $20 million in contributions from both sides of the issue as powerful and wealthy players dig in for a bruising three-month sprint. Unlike candidate races, ballot initiatives do not have contribution limits, allowing supporters to instantly infuse millions of dollars.
California’s campaign will be a nationalized referendum on President Donald Trump, with Gov. Gavin Newsom and allies framing it as Democrats’ best chance to thwart the president’s agenda by flipping control of the House despite GOP gerrymandering in red states like Texas ahead of the midterms.
Munger spent more than $10 million on a successful 2010 ballot initiative that stripped line-drawing power from state lawmakers and has vowed to spend what it takes to beat back Democrats’ initiative, which would until 2031 replace the independent commission's lines with a map explicitly drawn to force out Republican incumbents.
Millions more are likely on their way. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and former California Republican Party Chair Jessica Millan Patterson are spearheading a committee to defeat the measure, and former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has said he will fight it.
Democratic mainstays have also thrown down. The House Majority PAC, Newsom and the powerhouse union group SEIU California have already reported donating $6 million. Wealthy individuals like Bill Bloomfield and Andrew Hauptman have sent another $1.3 million.
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