Campaign to beat Proposition 50 fizzles in lead-up to special election

COSTA MESA, Calif. — The Republican effort to defeat Proposition 50, a controversial redistricting ballot initiative in California, has been steadily losing steam, with GOP operatives telling the Washington Examiner they are bracing for a loss on Tuesday. 

Republicans have been scaling back their television advertising, easing up their ground game, and focusing on a handful of counties they hope to turn. Democrats, meanwhile, have doubled down, blanketing the state with “Yes on 50” advertising, holding rallies that stretch from San Diego to San Francisco, and bringing in big Democratic names to get themselves over the finish line. 

Maria Garcia holds a “No to Prop 50” sign at the corner of Citracado Parkway and Escondido Boulevard in Escondido, California, on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (Barnini Chakraborty/Washington

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