Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

1 hour ago

Trump Vowed to Dismantle MS-13. His Deal With Bukele Threatens That Effort.

5 hours ago

Ukraine Voices Concern as US Halts Some Missile Shipments

5 hours ago

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

5 hours ago

Paramount Settles With Trump Over ‘60 Minutes’ Interview for $16 Million

5 hours ago

Republicans Tee up House Vote on Trump Bill, Outcome Uncertain

6 hours ago

What’s Next for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs After His Sex Trafficking Trial?

6 hours ago

Dalai Lama Says He Will Be Reincarnated, Trust Will Identify Successor

6 hours ago
Whiter, Poorer, Trumpier: The New Republican California
By admin
Published 7 years ago on
November 30, 2018

Share

After the shellacking that California Republicans took in this year’s midterm elections, many figures within the more pragmatic wings of the party establishment had hoped that the party would turn away from the divisive politics of President Donald Trump and seek to become a more diverse coalition.

by Ben Christopher
CALmatters

Prior to the election, the average Californian living in a Republican-held district earned $65,634 per year. That’s slightly above the state average of $63,783.

But in the short term, the midterm election whittled away all the purple sections of the state now represented by the GOP, leaving only the scarlet-red core.

With striking losses in Orange County and the Central Valley, the Republican Party’s diminished congressional delegation will now represent a less diverse and less well-off subset of Californians and an electorate that was most enamored with the president.

It will also be a much smaller portion of the state. This year, 26 percent of Californians are represented in Congress by a Republican. Next year, it will be down to 13 percent.

Prior to the election, the average Californian living in a Republican-held district earned $65,634 per year. That’s slightly above the state average of $63,783. The average district was also slightly less educated than the state as whole (19 percent have bachelor’s degrees compared to 20 percent statewide) and significantly whiter (49 percent to 38 percent).

The Party Was Driven Inland

But in an election that cost them seven of their 14 seats, the party was driven inland, losing every seat that touches the Pacific Ocean and tossed out of its former stronghold in Orange County. It also lost the suburbs north of Los Angeles and (assuming Democrat T.J. Cox maintains his lead over Rep. David Valadao in Hanford) two seats in the Central Valley.

And so come January, when only half of the Republican delegation will return to Washington D.C., the average income of the new, diminished GOP-represented electorate will be nearly $5,000 lower. It will also be majority non-Latino white.

And so come January, when only half of the Republican delegation will return to Washington D.C., the average income of the new, diminished GOP-represented electorate will be nearly $5,000 lower. It will also be majority non-Latino white.

Only 16 percent of the population will have a college degree. And notably, every district in which less than a majority of voters supported Trump in 2016 abandoned the Republican brand this year. Only Trump country remains.

This could make it all the more difficult for Republicans who want to rebuild the party.

While the GOP’s broader electoral viability in California may depend on its willingness to disassociate itself from the politics of the president, the remaining Republican members of Congress, representing the most fiercely Trumpian corners of the state, may have little incentive to do that.

CALmatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Check Out Newest Downtown Mural. It’s a Spectacular Tribute to Fresno Artisans

DON'T MISS

US Judge Blocks Trump Asylum Ban at US-Mexico Border, Says He Exceeded Authority

DON'T MISS

Fresno Fire Investigators Seek Public’s Help in Arson Case

DON'T MISS

CHP Officer Dies in Line of Duty After Medical Emergency While on Patrol

DON'T MISS

From Victims to Perpetrators: Israeli Soldiers’ Nazi Comparisons and the Unfolding War Crimes in Gaza

DON'T MISS

Downtown Housing Could Rise in Many California Cities, but Barriers Remain

DON'T MISS

Bryan Kohberger to Plead Guilty to Murders of Four Idaho Students

DON'T MISS

Dear Mayor and City Council, Fresno’s Housing Bottlenecks Are a Modern Form of Redlining

DON'T MISS

Iran Enacts Law Suspending Cooperation With UN Nuclear Watchdog

DON'T MISS

Valley Children’s Goes Into News Business to Highlight Stories at the Hospital

UP NEXT

US Judge Blocks Trump Asylum Ban at US-Mexico Border, Says He Exceeded Authority

UP NEXT

CHP Officer Dies in Line of Duty After Medical Emergency While on Patrol

UP NEXT

From Victims to Perpetrators: Israeli Soldiers’ Nazi Comparisons and the Unfolding War Crimes in Gaza

UP NEXT

Downtown Housing Could Rise in Many California Cities, but Barriers Remain

UP NEXT

Bryan Kohberger to Plead Guilty to Murders of Four Idaho Students

UP NEXT

Dear Mayor and City Council, Fresno’s Housing Bottlenecks Are a Modern Form of Redlining

UP NEXT

Iran Enacts Law Suspending Cooperation With UN Nuclear Watchdog

UP NEXT

Valley Children’s Goes Into News Business to Highlight Stories at the Hospital

UP NEXT

Trump Vowed to Dismantle MS-13. His Deal With Bukele Threatens That Effort.

UP NEXT

Ukraine Voices Concern as US Halts Some Missile Shipments

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

1 hour ago

Check Out Newest Downtown Mural. It’s a Spectacular Tribute to Fresno Artisans

2 hours ago

US Judge Blocks Trump Asylum Ban at US-Mexico Border, Says He Exceeded Authority

2 hours ago

Fresno Fire Investigators Seek Public’s Help in Arson Case

3 hours ago

CHP Officer Dies in Line of Duty After Medical Emergency While on Patrol

3 hours ago

From Victims to Perpetrators: Israeli Soldiers’ Nazi Comparisons and the Unfolding War Crimes in Gaza

3 hours ago

Downtown Housing Could Rise in Many California Cities, but Barriers Remain

4 hours ago

Bryan Kohberger to Plead Guilty to Murders of Four Idaho Students

4 hours ago

Dear Mayor and City Council, Fresno’s Housing Bottlenecks Are a Modern Form of Redlining

5 hours ago

Iran Enacts Law Suspending Cooperation With UN Nuclear Watchdog

5 hours ago

Del Monte Files for Bankruptcy. Gets Nearly $1B to Keep Producing Through Process

Del Monte Foods wants to find a buyer as the produce giant enters Chapter 11 bankruptcy amid lagging canned goods sales. The 139-year-old co...

21 minutes ago

21 minutes ago

Del Monte Files for Bankruptcy. Gets Nearly $1B to Keep Producing Through Process

44 minutes ago

Who is Running for Fresno Area Offices in 2026? An Updated Look

CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) logo and U.S. flag are seen in this illustration taken May 6, 2025. (Reuters File)
55 minutes ago

CIA Review Finds Flaws but Does Not Dispute Finding Putin Sought to Sway 2016 Vote to Trump

1 hour ago

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

2 hours ago

Check Out Newest Downtown Mural. It’s a Spectacular Tribute to Fresno Artisans

A drone view of the Rio Grande River between Mexico and the United States in Presidio County, Texas, U.S., February 24, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

US Judge Blocks Trump Asylum Ban at US-Mexico Border, Says He Exceeded Authority

Fresno Fire officials are seeking help identifying a person of interest after a Thursday, June 26, 2025, house fire near Shields and Valentine was ruled arson. (Fresno FD)
3 hours ago

Fresno Fire Investigators Seek Public’s Help in Arson Case

A California Highway Patrol officer died early Wednesday, July 2, 2025, after a suspected medical emergency caused his patrol vehicle to crash in Los Angeles. (CHP)
3 hours ago

CHP Officer Dies in Line of Duty After Medical Emergency While on Patrol

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend