No on Prop 50 Chair Jessica Millan Patterson says campaign is not giving up | California Politics 360
We are 2 days out from the state’s special election on redistricting. Governor Gavin Newsom and Democrats in the state legislature quickly drew the maps that voters are deciding on. Voters will choose whether or not to adopt proposed congressional maps designed by Democrats to specifically flip 5 Republican-held seats in the US House of Representatives. It’s *** move to counteract President Trump’s push. To flip seats in other states, *** new poll from UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies shows the majority of likely voters say they will vote yes on Prop 50. 38% say they will vote no. Earlier this week, I spoke with the chair of the No on 50 campaign, also the former Republican Party chairwoman Jessica Milan Patterson. Here’s that conversation. Jessica, thank you so much for being with us. Thanks, Ashley. Jessica, what’s your reaction to the latest polls showing Prop 50 is poised to easily pass on Tuesday? Well, we’re gonna be pushing all the way to the finish line, you know, we are watching, we’ve had to have *** very targeted race, uh, where we are going after individual voters, and we are turning them out. We’re watching those returns come in, so it’s *** lot closer from what we’re looking at. We’re gonna be going all the way. Through the finish line, our voters tend to vote later in the process, so you’re gonna see us running *** hard campaign all the way through Tuesday night when polls close. Speaking of the campaign, supporters of Proposition 50 have raised essentially double the amount of money as opponents of it overall. With that, supporters have also been able to spend significantly more on ads. When these campaigns got started, former Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was reportedly aiming to raise $100 million on his end. What happened there? Well, we’ve seen the yes side raise about $65 million from all of the different committees, and we knew that we are always going to be outraged. Um, this is something. That happens with every single one of our races here in California, whether it’s *** congressional seat, *** legislative seat, or *** statewide ballot initiative. So this is not unfamiliar territory for us. That’s why we have to get incredibly targeted with the way that we turn out voters and as you’ve seen over the last several years, this is also the way we win races, um, and we’ve been counted out before. We’ve been on the tough side. And working our way up the mountain before and so this is an unfamiliar territory to us. Despite that, um, we still win races. Whether it’s congressional seats, we were responsible for the House majority. In fact, that is why Gavin Newsom has decided to do this gerrymander uh uh ballot initiative, um, or ballot initiatives. Last cycle, California voters with the California Republican Party. Position 89% of the time when it came to statewide ballot initiatives. So we’re not unfamiliar with being, uh, on the side of less money. Um, what we’re going to do is what we do every time, and that’s how we work on. Jessica, *** recent PPIC poll shows the president’s approval rating is at 26% here in California. With supporters making this *** referendum on Donald Trump, do you think that is hurting your campaign? Well certainly that is the only play that we’ve ever seen out of California Democrats, and that’s because if they had to talk about the issues, if they had to talk about their policies, they’d have to talk about their failures and what they are doing that is wrong um everything from soft on crime policies to our children’s education to the unaffordability crisis, the homeless crisis. California Democrats have failed us if they had to talk about their own record, that then they would, they know that they would fail. So you don’t think the president is hamstringing the campaign at all here? I think that what we have done is try to talk about the issue and the issue here is that California voters have been very, very clear. They want citizens that are drawing these districts. They do not want backroom politicians drawing these lines with DC lobbyists and insiders. They know that when we give. The power to Sacramento. 1, we never get it back, and 2, they fail us. So we have tried very, very hard to keep this about the issues. The other side, on the other hand, has wanted to make this about politicians. They wanted lifelong politicians who never supported the Citizens redistricting commission on their ballot title, on their summary. We tried to make this campaign about what it is, the people. Jessica Milan Patterson, we really appreciate your time today. Thank you. Thanks, Ashley.
No on Prop 50 Chair Jessica Millan Patterson says campaign is not giving up | California Politics 360
Updated: 8:29 AM PST Nov 2, 2025
Leaders of the campaign against California’s congressional redistricting measure, Proposition 50, are not giving up, No on 50 chair Jessica Millan Patterson said. In an interview on California Politics 360, Patterson said she believes the results will be closer than what recent polling shows. From the PPIC to Berkeley IGS, the latest surveys show the ballot measure is expected to easily pass. “We’re going to be pushing all the way to the finish line,” Patterson said. “Our voters tend to vote later in the process. So, you’re going to see us running a hard campaign all the way through Tuesday night when polls close.”Supporters of Proposition 50 have been able to raise double the amount of money as opponents of the measure. With those funds, the supporting campaigns have spent far more on ads to try to convince voters to approve the measure. Former U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was aiming to raise $100 million for the effort, but that never materialized. When asked what happened, Patterson replied by stating the No on 50 campaign was “always going to be outraised.””This is something that happens with every single one of our races here in California, whether it’s a congressional seat, a legislative seat or a statewide ballot initiative. So this is not unfamiliar territory for us,” Patterson said. A recent PPIC poll shows President Donald Trump has a 26% approval rating in California. Supporters of Prop 50 have made the measure less about redistricting and more about a referendum on the president. Patterson would not directly say where Trump was hamstringing the No on 50 campaign. “I think that what we have done is trying to talk about the issue. And the issue here is that California voters have been very, very clear. They want citizens that are drawing these districts. They do not want backroom politicians drawing these lines with D.C. lobbyists and insiders. They know that when we give the power to Sacramento we never get it back,” Patterson said. Watch the full interview with Jessica Millan Patterson in the video player above. KCRA 3 Political Director Ashley Zavala reports in-depth coverage of top California politics and policy issues. She is also the host of “California Politics 360.” Get informed each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on KCRA 3.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Leaders of the campaign against California’s congressional redistricting measure, Proposition 50, are not giving up, No on 50 chair Jessica Millan Patterson said.
In an interview on California Politics 360, Patterson said she believes the results will be closer than what recent polling shows. From the PPIC to Berkeley IGS, the latest surveys show the ballot measure is expected to easily pass.
“We’re going to be pushing all the way to the finish line,” Patterson said. “Our voters tend to vote later in the process. So, you’re going to see us running a hard campaign all the way through Tuesday night when polls close.”
Supporters of Proposition 50 have been able to raise double the amount of money as opponents of the measure. With those funds, the supporting campaigns have spent far more on ads to try to convince voters to approve the measure.
Former U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was aiming to raise $100 million for the effort, but that never materialized. When asked what happened, Patterson replied by stating the No on 50 campaign was “always going to be outraised.”
“This is something that happens with every single one of our races here in California, whether it’s a congressional seat, a legislative seat or a statewide ballot initiative. So this is not unfamiliar territory for us,” Patterson said.
A recent PPIC poll shows President Donald Trump has a 26% approval rating in California. Supporters of Prop 50 have made the measure less about redistricting and more about a referendum on the president.
Patterson would not directly say where Trump was hamstringing the No on 50 campaign.
“I think that what we have done is trying to talk about the issue. And the issue here is that California voters have been very, very clear. They want citizens that are drawing these districts. They do not want backroom politicians drawing these lines with D.C. lobbyists and insiders. They know that when we give the power to Sacramento we never get it back,” Patterson said.
Watch the full interview with Jessica Millan Patterson in the video player above.
KCRA 3 Political Director Ashley Zavala reports in-depth coverage of top California politics and policy issues. She is also the host of “California Politics 360.” Get informed each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on KCRA 3.