Gov. Gavin Newsom, during his Tuesday night appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” shared that he fears that an election may not happen in 2028.
“I really mean that, in the core of my soul,” Newsom told Stephen Colbert.
Newsom has charged President Donald Trump with trying to “rig the midterm elections,” after Trump pressured Republican-led states to redraw U.S. House districts ahead of the 2026 elections in order to maintain the GOP majority in the Legislature.
In response, Newsom signed a bill in August, calling for a Nov. 4 special election that will let Californians decide whether lawmakers should temporarily take control of drawing the state’s congressional maps, which would heavily favor Democrats.
The proposal, called the Election Rigging Response Act, would override the state’s independent redistricting commission for the 2026, 2028, and 2030 elections. The commission, created by voters through ballot measures in 2008 and 2010, was designed to remove politics from the process, which is typically conducted every 10 years using U.S. Census data.
Under the plan, the commission would remain in law but lose authority.
Supporters argue that the measure is necessary to counter partisan gerrymandering in GOP-led states. Opponents, however, argue it amounts to gerrymandering itself, returning power to politicians after voters had deliberately removed it.
The proposal has drawn opposition from the League of Women Voters, former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Republican lawmakers. A campaign called Protect Voters First, backed in part by philanthropist Charles Munger Jr., has launched a website urging voters to reject the measure.
Newsom’s appearance on Colbert’s show comes after multiple reports suggested he would be one of the first guests on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” after the show returned to air after a brief suspension.
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