OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
1:47 PM – Friday, August 15, 2025
Former California GOP Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is actively opposing Governor Gavin Newsom’s redistricting plan, which many say amounts to gerrymandering. He has joined the effort to challenge the plan.
Schwarzenegger, who previously championed nonpartisan redistricting reforms during his tenure as governor, has publicly condemned gerrymandering as “evil,” emphasizing that it undermines democratic principles by allowing politicians to manipulate electoral boundaries for partisan gain.
As a former Hollywood actor famed for portraying the cyborg assassin “The Terminator” in the 1984 film, he asserts that he is joining the battle against the current Democrat governor’s redistricting efforts.
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In late July, Texas GOP lawmakers proposed a new Congressional map. California Democrats countered Texas’ redistricting efforts by also proposing plans to rework their district map via a special election to diminish Republican representation — supported by Governor Newsom.
Schwarzenegger is just one of many Republicans in the Golden State to oppose these plans, making his stance clear in a post on X on Friday.
The post featured an image of the “Terminator” star working out while wearing a shirt that reads, “F*** THE POLITICIANS,” and “TERMINATE GERRYMANDERING” with the caption, “I’m getting ready for the gerrymandering battle.”
This is not the first time the former Republican governor has taken a stand against gerrymandering. Earlier this year, Daniel Ketchell, Schwarzenegger’s spokesperson, issued a statement outlining his position.
“Governor Schwarzenegger has a 20-year history of battling gerrymandering, taking power from the politicians and returning it to the people where it belongs, and he believes gerrymandering is evil no matter who does it,” Ketchell stated. “He still stands by the rule we learn in pre-school: two wrongs don’t make a right.”
He also added that Schwarzenegger “will continue to be on the side of the people and not politicians – from either party – on this issue.”
Schwarzenegger has long backed California’s independent redistricting commission, widely seen as a model for fair legislative and congressional maps.
Also opposing the Democrats’ push is former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who is leading an effort to raise $100 million to fight the gerrymandering ballot measure, sources say.
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