Gerrymandering Battle Pits Schwarzenegger vs. Newsom

BY JIM CARLTON

BURBANK, Calif.—He’s back.

Former California “governator” Arnold Schwarzenegger has returned to the political arena—this time as the celebrity muscle against a Tuesday state ballot measure that would bring back gerrymandering to favor Democrats.

Dubbed the “Election Rigging Response Act,” Proposition 50 is championed by California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. It is meant to counter Texas’ move to redraw voting districts to create five likely GOP House seats at President Trump’s behest. Schwarzenegger believes Texas misstepped but argues California shouldn’t follow suit.

For the former Republican governor, it is personal. About two decades ago, he governor led efforts to build California’s anti-gerrymandering framework, and he doesn’t want to see it dismantled.

“It doesn’t make any sense to me that because we have to fight Trump [we] become Trump,” the 78-year-old actor and former Mr. Universe said during a recent campus talk.

Losing side

Polls show Prop 50’s support rising as Election Day nears, and Democratic luminaries like Barack Obama and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) back it. “Yes” ads strategically tie the opposition to Trump, unpopular in California.

“No no no no no!” an actor portraying Trump exclaims in one “Yes” ad, reacting to the measure’s victory before dramatically throwing ketchup at his television screen.

Schwarzenegger, in a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, said he found that ad so ridiculous he laughed at his TV. “It’s a joke,” he added, while eating a smash burger at a custom-car shop. “I mean, they’ve tried for the last five years to stop Trump, you know, with the hearings and did the investigations.”

Schwarzenegger and Trump aren’t exactly pals. Both hosted “Celebrity Apprentice”— Trump initially, then Schwarzenegger for the final 2017 season.

“The ratings went right down the tubes,” Trump remarked at the National Prayer Breakfast during his first term. Schwarzenegger swiftly retorted on social media: “Hey Donald, I have a great idea. Why don’t we switch jobs?” He added, “Then people can finally sleep comfortably again.”

Schwarzenegger, who endorsed former Vice President Kamala Harris for president, said he and Trump were once close, attending many of the same charity events.

Since departing Sacramento in 2011 after a sevenyear run as governor, Schwarzenegger has reprised roles in “The Expendables” and “Terminator” sequels, among other projects. He stays active in business ventures and issues like fighting gerrymandering.

As governor, Schwarzenegger saw how deeply entrenched lawmakers became, depending on whom they represented. So he led efforts to transfer the job of redrawing state legislative and congressional boundaries from lawmakers to an independent commission. Now 10 states including Colorado, Michigan and Ohio have redistricting commissions.

In early August, Newsom visited his predecessor’s mansion in Los Angeles to brief him on his plan to temporarily redraw five Republican-leaning districts into ones that would heavily favor Democrats . “It was kind of like a courtesy, because I’m largely responsible that we have that independent commission,” Schwarzenegger recalled. “I said I don’t agree with him on that, but let’s keep it civilized, whichever way the people go.”

Four days later, Schwarzenegger posted a photo from the gym. He was pumping iron and clad in a tight black T-shirt that proclaimed, “F—the Politicians. Terminate Gerrymandering.”

Newsom seemed not to hold a grudge—publicly. “We had a fantastic conversation,” the governor told reporters. However, soon after, Schwarzenegger’s name was absent from a list read at a reception announcing Newsom’s 2025 inductees to the California Hall of Fame. Alumni from the Schwarzenegger administration were there, saying they had been told he would be honored.

Schwarzenegger was unfazed. “When I called him and told him about it, he actually just laughed in my face,” said Daniel Ketchell, the action star’s chief of staff. In the interview, Schwarzenegger professed indifference. “Do I need another medal? No,” he said of his awards in many fields over decades. “I have counted in my office, I have 1,823.”

A representative for Newsom would only say, “We expect further announcements about the Hall of Fame class later in the year.”

When asked about their general disagreement at a press event in Stockton, Calif., last week, Newsom reiterated that Prop 50 was needed to “save this republic” and that the gerrymandering would be temporary (ending after 2030). “I have nothing more to say on that subject, except he’s wrong,” he said.

Schwarzenegger isn’t formally affiliated with the anti-Prop 50 campaign but is its most recognizable face. “I think that Prop 50 is a scam,” he said during a recent appearance on “Real Time With Bill Maher.” He bantered with Maher, who supports the measure, and drew applause from the audience. “Do you know who I want to win? The people, I want the people to win.”

A September survey by Emerson College Polling found Schwarzenegger’s opposition made no difference to 66% of registered California voters questioned. “His heyday was 20 years ago,” said Shaun Bowler, professor of political science at the University of California, Riverside.

Schwarzenegger still cuts a notable figure. Driving to the beach recently, he found himself stopped in traffic by a “No Kings” march. He was quickly recognized. Despite his wellknown opposition to the ballot measure, no one hassled him. “They were coming by the windows and taking a picture,” he recalled.

Car inspection

He received a similar awestruck reception last week, when he arrived at West Coast Customs to inspect a 1977 Excalibur roadster he had taken in for restoration. The Burbank shop runs an academy, he supports, providing custom auto-work training for the recently incarcerated. Sporting a Terminator-esque ensemble of black T-shirt, jeans and boots, Schwarzenegger made jokes and expressed appreciation for the craftsmanship.

“This is really good,” he said, admiring his car, a green convertible. He climbed in, flashed his Arnold grin and described the joy he anticipated from cruising around in it. “You have your stogie in the hand, you smoke it and inhale your own smoke because you’re sitting outside.”

Afterward, he settled in for a burger and fries in a courtyard outside the shop. He sounded at peace with the possibility of landing on the losing side of a California campaign for one of the few times in his political career.

“OK, do you think my life changes?” he asked. “Nothing changes for me. But the people change, the people lose.”