The California GOP has a path back to relevance
By
Zachary Faria
November 28, 2024 2:00 pm
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California Republicans may not be on the verge of a red wave any time soon, but the steady drip of gains shows the state is on the verge of becoming more competitive than anyone could guess. Competence (or the state Democratic Party’s incompetence) could be the key.
The 2024 elections saw President-elect Donald Trump flip several counties and cut his deficit from 29 points against President Joe Biden in 2020 to 20 points against Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris was the first Californian to be a major party presidential nominee since former President Ronald Reagan in 1984, and yet she performed the worst of any Democratic presidential candidate since John Kerry in 2004. Trump was the first Republican presidential candidate to win Riverside County (4th-largest county by population), San Bernardino County (5th-largest), and Fresno County (10th-largest) since 2004.
The modest shift could be seen across the state down the ballot as well. Republicans are poised to win the Assembly seat in the 36th District, a Latino-majority and longtime Democratic stronghold, as well as the Latino-majority 58th District in Riverside County. Other results are more notable: Proposition 36, which reimposed strict criminal penalties for shoplifting and drug dealing, was opposed by state Democratic leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA). Nearly 70% of voters defied Newsom to support it. In Los Angeles, progressive pro-criminal District Attorney George Gascon lost by 20 points to a tough-on-crime former Republican.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/in_focus/3243072/california-gop-has-path-back-to-relevance/
