In an attempt to counterbalance recent congressional redistricting undertaken in Texas that is expected to boost GOP numbers in the U.S. House, California voters are being asked next week to approve Prop. 50, a measure championed by high-ranking Democrats, including Gov. Gavin Newsom.

However, Newsom was just called out by one of his predecessors, former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who blasted the proposal and contended that, despite the current governor’s assurances to the contrary, the redistricting scheme would not be temporary in nature, as the New York Post reports.

Schwarzenegger weighs in

Prop. 50 is a ballot measure that aims to redraw congressional districts in California in a manner favoring Democrats, a move Newsom says is necessary due to Texas’s alleged acquiescence to Donald Trump’s demands to adjust its own boundaries to favor Republicans in the midterm contests and beyond.

Though Newsom maintains that gerrymandering pursuant to Prop. 50 will only be temporary in nature and that the districting process will revert to the auspices of an independent commission in 2032, critics – including Schwarzenegger -- say that is highly unlikely.

Speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper, the former governor -- who is himself no fan of Trump -- slammed Newsom’s pitch, saying, “I think when he -- when they say this is temporary, there is no such thing. I mean, the longest programs are government programs that are temporary.”

“In the year 2032 when the independent redistricting commission is supposed to come back, they’re going to say, ‘Wait a minute. There’s still gerrymandering going on in Texas. There’s still gerrymandering going on in Ohio. There’s still gerrymandering going on in Florida. We have to continue with gerrymandering.’ This is what’s going to happen. They will find an excuse,” Schwarzenegger declared.

Characterizing Newsom’s plan as akin to cheating, Schwarzenegger instead urged Democrats to rethink their strategies with voters and “outperform Trump,” saying that they are unfortunately attempting to “draw the district lines in such a way that they get voted in, no matter if they work well or not for the American people. So the American people get cheated on this whole thing. That is really the problem here.”

Skeptics abound

An op-ed from Tom Philp in the Sacramento Bee effectively co-signed Schwarzenegger’s doubts about Newsom’s claim that Prop. 50’s remedy would be temporary in nature.

Philp noted that due to census shifts, “California is poised to create a cadre of Democrats in Congress who will be uniquely vulnerable to unemployment in seven short years.” 

He went on to ask, “How often do you see that many powerful leaders of any party willingly lose their jobs?”

Republican consultant Matt Rexroad agrees, noting his belief that the “five new Democrats in Congress” created by Newsom’s desired scheme “will be the first ones to advocate for sticking with the political gerrymandered map.”

Given given the massive campaign spending advantage Prop. 50 proponents have amassed compared to opponents of the measure, prospects for passage look strong.

Newsom headed for win?

As KTLA reports, with just days before voters finally go to the polls, Prop. 50's chances of approval appear to be surging, with an Emerson College survey finding that 57% of likely voters support the measure, 37% oppose it, and just 6% remain undecided.

So for now, it seems that Newsom's tit-for-tat redistricting gambit may pay dividends, but with Missouri, North Carolina, and Indiana joining Texas in also moving toward actions designed to bolster GOP seats in the House, the final tally in this battle of the gerrymanders still remains to be seen.