Dem insider says Gavin Newsom may use Prop 50 fundraised cash for presidential bid: OMG undercover

O’Keefe Media Group (OMG) released undercover footage on Wednesday showing a California Democratic Party official admitting to intentional gerrymandering, and describing a potential plan for Governor Gavin Newsom to redirect Proposition 50 funds into a 2028 presidential campaign war chest.

The video features Ross Pike, a regional director for the California Democratic Party overseeing Orange, Riverside, and San Diego counties. Pike detailed how Prop 50 funds could be restructured to support Newsom’s future presidential ambitions, a move that could violate state campaign finance laws.

According to Pike, Newsom is not only the main financial backer of Proposition 50 but also its chief promoter, using the initiative to position himself for a White House run. When asked if Newsom would run for president, Pike replied, “Probably,” adding that he wasn’t sure if he would support him. 

“I’m skeptical of a Democrat from San Francisco running for president,” he said, suggesting Newsom was perceived as too “lefty.” Pike added that Newsom has tried to appeal to moderates by taking public stances such as opposing trans-identifying boys competing in girls’ sports.

Pike explained how Newsom could maneuver funds to a presidential campaign. 

“He [Newsom] doesn’t have any committees open right now, but that doesn’t mean he can’t open a committee later and transfer the money,” Pike explained. He described how Newsom could open a new committee, raise funds through it, and then transfer that money to a presidential account if he runs.

When asked what Newsom is fundraising for currently, Pike responded, “Prop 50,” implying that those funds could later be redirected to a political action committee. “He is the major fundraiser of that initiative,” Pike said. When asked whether this would be legal, he answered, “Depending on how you do it.”

James O’Keefe argued that such actions would violate California law, which restricts surplus campaign funds to specific uses such as donations to charity, returning money to donors, or transferring it to a similar campaign committee. State law does not allow money raised for one initiative to be repurposed for a different campaign.

Newsom has been a key proponent of Proposition 50, which aims to redraw California’s congressional districts in a way that could add up to five new Democratic seats after Texas undertook a similar redistricting effort. The measure temporarily suspended the state’s independent redistricting commission and passed with broad support among voters.

Pike labelled the efforts as the Democratic Party “intentionally gerrymandering,” and that the proposition was simply “asking the voters for permission.”