More than 40% of Californians voted for President-elect Trump this year, marking the most votes for a GOP presidential candidate in the blue state since George W. Bush’s re-election in 2004. Experts suggest that Californians may not be as far left as Governor Newsom believes, pointing to several state ballot measures that swung conservative, and the removal of the progressive George Gascon as Los Angeles County District Attorney. Despite losing the state to Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s electoral showing in California increased significantly from 31% in 2016 to 34% in 2020, reflecting a growing conservative presence even with many residents leaving for red states like Florida and Texas.
Trump’s cross-party, multi-party coalition has reached people across party lines who have not benefited from existing policies, according to Susan Shelley, VP of communications for the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. Trump’s promise of more domestic energy production to reduce energy costs has resonated with voters, especially in light of California’s clean-energy mandates which have increased electricity bills. Proposition 36, which reversed some soft-on-crime policies backed by Gascon, and Proposition 5, which critics feared would lead to higher property taxes, both reflect the state’s reluctance to embrace liberal policies pushed by the legislature.
Lance Christensen, a political expert at the California Policy Center, believes that contentious issues like children’s education and transgender rights in California have contributed to Trump’s increased support in the state. Policies such as Governor Newsom’s ban on school districts notifying parents about their child’s gender identity have faced pushback, with some parents even suing over the law. The Biden-Harris administration’s support for progressive policies in California has also fueled discontent among voters who feel that there is no effective opposition to these initiatives at the federal level.
Governor Newsom’s response to Trump’s victory includes calling a special emergency session for December with the state’s legislature to bolster the blue state’s legal response to potential attacks on California values and laws. This action comes after Newsom expressed willingness to work with the incoming president despite their political differences. The shifting partisan landscape in California may not result in a stark red-blue divide, but rather a move towards a more balanced approach to politics that prioritizes sanity and the protection of fundamental civil rights.
Trump’s success in increasing his share of the vote in California indicates a growing discontent with progressive policies in the state, particularly in areas like clean energy mandates and criminal justice reform. The ousting of Gascon, a Soros-backed progressive, and the passage of Proposition 36, which overturned some of his policies, highlight a rejection of the liberal agenda by California voters. The balance between progressive and conservative ideologies in the state is shifting, as evidenced by Trump’s increased support and the concerns raised by parents and activists over controversial laws and initiatives championed by Governor Newsom.
