California sees massive surge in Republican votes as more than 900K ballots already returned

[rangerrebew]

Metro
California sees massive surge in Republican votes as more than 900K ballots already returned
By Katie Jerkovich
Published May 16, 2026, 8:04 p.m. ET
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Could the state of California actually be turning red?

Early voters in the Golden State have already returned more than 900,000 ballots ahead of the June 2 Primary, showing a massive surge in Republican votes compared to four years ago for the governor’s race.

A post on Saturday from the research firm Political Data (PDI) showed that out of 905,889 ballots that have been returned, 37% were from Republicans, with Republican returns up 11% compared to the same stage of the 2022 midterms.

 
More than 900,000 ballots ahead of the June 2 Primary show a massive surge in Republican votes.
Godofredo A. Vásquez/Pool AP via AP
More shocking is the fact that the data showed 41% of Democrats who have returned their ballots, down 13 points from the same moment in the primary election four years ago.

When comparing the 2022 numbers to 2026 the difference is stark.

https://nypost.com/2026/05/16/us-news/california-sees-massive-surge-in-republican-votes-as-more-than-900k-ballots-already-returned/

[rangerrebew]

I wonder how many of those votes will change their minds to democrats by the official count day?

[ScottinVA]

When comparing the 2022 numbers to 2026 the difference is stark.

https://nypost.com/2026/05/16/us-news/california-sees-massive-surge-in-republican-votes-as-more-than-900k-ballots-already-returned/

We’ll see.  I know better than to get my hopes up about motor-voter, count-into-December California.

[Wingnut]

I don't know how many votes Cali Democrats will need to win, but I know how many they will use.