California Votes in Midterms as Referendum on Donald Trump
California voters cast ballots for governor and several high-stakes propositions in midterm elections serving as a national referendum on President Donald Trump's second term.
California held its 2026 midterm elections on November 3, with over 6.4 million of 23 million registered voters casting ballots early. The election serves as a referendum on the presidency of Donald Trump, who campaigned intensely amid rising costs and a war in Iran. The state's gubernatorial race features Democrat Xavier Becerra, who holds a double-digit lead, and Republican Steve Hilton, who has promised to slash taxes and regulations.
Voters are deciding on 14 state propositions, most notably Proposition 40, a proposed one-time 5% tax on billionaires to fund healthcare and education. This measure is being contested by billionaire Sergey Brin, who donated $102 million to defeat it, and Governor Gavin Newsom, who endorsed a counter-measure to ban wealth taxes. Other key measures include Proposition 39, which would mandate government-issued IDs for voting, and Proposition 45, aimed at streamlining environmental construction rules.
Congressional races are heavily influenced by Proposition 50, a partisan redistricting initiative designed to net Democrats at least five additional House seats. In the Inland Empire, high early turnout was reported in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, while North Bay voters faced heavy rain. To ensure election integrity, the United States Department of Justice deployed 1,000 monitors across all 50 states, the largest such effort in history. Local officials must certify county results by December 3, with the Secretary of State certifying all results by December 11.
