Gov. Gavin Newsom's campaign to redraw congressional maps in California via a special election — and counter President Donald Trump and Texas Republicans’ own gerrymandering power grab — is filing a formal complaint against a “shadowy” political group, The Standard has learned.
The complaint, which is headed to the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission, accuses the group Right Path California of illegally skirting disclosure requirements and using “dark money” to fund two political mailers, while also skipping deadlines for filing records with the state.
“The ‘NO’ campaign is illegally trying to hide their Trump donors and trick Californians,” Hannah Milgrom, a spokesperson for Newsom’s campaign committee, said in a statement. “They are helping Donald Trump rig the next election and keep Republicans in total control of the federal government. Californians will see through their lies and lawbreaking.”
Last month, Newsom signed legislation to put Proposition 50 on the ballot for a statewide special election on Nov. 4. The legislation came in direct response to Trump calling on GOP lawmakers in Texas to redraw that state’s maps to help House Republicans gain as many as five congressional seats in the 2026 midterm elections.
California lawmakers responded by passing a package of bills to present voters with new maps that could assist Democrats in gaining five House seats of their own while retaining other at-risk seats. The unprecedented step would change California’s congressional maps through 2030.
An independent commission redraws California's maps every 10 years after the U.S. Census takes place. However, Newsom has defended the need for Prop. 50, saying Trump’s actions to secure majorities in Congress in next year’s midterm elections prompted the redistricting fight.
A report by the New York Times suggested that the special election in California could top $200 million in total spending.
It’s unclear how many of the mailers in question were sent out, when they were sent, and how much they cost, but California gives campaign committees 24 hours to report spending of $1,000 or more within 90 days of an election. State law also requires mailers to clearly identify a campaign’s top three funders above $50,000. The California Secretary of State’s website shows a group called Right Path California Issues PAC has not documented any fundraising or spending.
While the mailers cited in Newsom’s complaint do not specifically mention Prop. 50, they do accuse the governor and the California Legislature of “unconstitutional gerrymandering.”
Officials for Right Path California, which is led by former state GOP chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson, could not be immediately reached for comment.