Schwarzenegger Calls On Californians To Reject Redistricting Proposal

Terminator star and former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called on Californians to reject an initiative that would allow Democrats to temporarily redraw the state's congressional maps.

On Monday, Schwarzenegger addressed a crowd of students at the University of Southern California's International Day of Democracy celebration, where he spoke about issues ranging from political polarization to the recent murder of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

"I hate to get political here. This is not political. This is more about democracy," Schwarzenegger said. "If you vote yes on that, you're going backwards."

It is the first time the former governor has made a major public appearance to speak out against the redistricting effort, which will come before voters as Proposition 50.

If voters approve the measure, California would redraw its congressional maps through 2030, potentially giving Democrats up to five additional seats. Gov. Gavin Newsom has cast the effort as a defense of democracy and a direct counter to a Trump-backed gerrymandering push in Texas aimed at bolstering Republican power — a plan Schwarzenegger denounced on Monday.

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Schwarzenegger, a moderate Republican and longtime critic of former President Donald Trump, argued that Democrats are trying to “become Trump to fight Trump.”

"It doesn't make any sense to me," Schwarzenegger told students. "Two bad behaviors don't make a right behavior."

Redistricting, the process of redrawing voting district boundaries to determine which voters are grouped for elections, is typically done every 10 years based on census results.

Schwarzegger once backed the ballot initiatives that created an independent commission to draw the state's congressional and state lines. During Monday's talk, he pointed to four former commissioners in the audience and asked if they had been asked to help draw the new maps. They hadn't.

"It was the politicians that drew the maps and there was no one from the public at all participating in this process," he said. "They are trying to fight for democracy by getting rid of the democratic principles of California...it is insane to let that happen."

Throughout the event, the university's interim president interviewed him. Later, students were able to do the same.

"In the context of more existential issues like the current Supreme Court, congressional inaction and the illegal use of the National Guard, why does the California redistricting actually matter?" One student asked. "And how is it not just a distraction from issues with more immediate and extensive consequences?

"I don't think that they use it for any other purpose other than weakening democracy in California," the former governor answered. "I think that we have to do everything that we can to educate the people and to make sure that people understand that the politicians want to take the power away from the people."

"The constitution does not start with the politicians. It starts with 'we the people.'"

Schwarzenegger said last month that he would oppose the ballot proposal, sharing a photo on X of himself lifting weights in a T-shirt that read “Terminate Gerrymandering,” along with a partially obscured obscenity directed at “the politicians.”

“I’m getting ready for the gerrymandering battle,” he wrote.

How deeply the wealthy former governor and bodybuilding icon plans to engage remains unclear. He could bankroll advertising and leverage his global celebrity to sway voters, but he has yet to outline his level of involvement.

A centrist and longtime Trump critic, Schwarzenegger has often urged both parties to move away from the political extremes that fuel Washington gridlock. Even 15 years after leaving office, he remains a formidable presence.

“I don’t think you want to run against Arnold Schwarzenegger,” said Bill Whalen, a fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, meanwhile, has cast the fight as a proxy battle with Trump, as Republicans try to preserve their narrow House majority.

“We can’t stand back and watch this democracy disappear district by district all across the country,” said Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential contender, at a Los Angeles rally last month. “Donald Trump, you have poked the bear and we will punch back.”

The Associated Press contributed reporting to this article.