CALIFORNIA – At a time when the Democrats have been searching for a win against US President Donald Trump, Governor Gavin Newsom of California gave them one.

California voters on Nov 4 overwhelmingly supported Proposition 50, Mr Newsom’s measure to create more Democratic congressional seats, countering a

similar redistricting effort pushed by Mr Trump

The result has sharply lifted Mr Newsom’s political profile at a moment when he is considering running for president.

And it has provided what many Democrats praised as a road map on how to fight for a party that remains adrift one year after Mr Trump captured the White House.

The chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, Ms Christale Spain, who hosted Mr Newsom on a swing through her state in July, said: “It shows that he can get stuff done.

“Democrats want somebody to fight back. He is pushing back and fighting back. That is what is helping him break through.”

The election has now freed Mr Newsom, whose term as governor ends in January 2027, to turn his attention to elevating his presence on the national stage, presenting himself as a leader who scored a high-profile electoral win for the Democrats at a bleak moment for the party.

He is planning to travel the country campaigning on behalf of Democratic congressional candidates.

He has a forthcoming memoir to promote. Aides said he is likely to soon pivot to the issue of climate change and cast himself as a climate champion, drawing a contrast to Mr Trump and his supporters.

The California results capped an evening of coast-to-coast victories by the Democrats, including contests for