It’s no secret that the Republican party is hemorrhaging voters in California. In all 300 of the state’s largest cities the percentage of Republicans has declined, according to the Sacramento Bee.
An increasing number of voters are declining to state a party preference at all. From 2009 to 2019, 1.8 million more people chose not to identify with one of the two major political parties — a growth of 64%.
Democrats have lost some voters too, but nowhere near the level experienced by Republicans.
“The proportion of voters registered as Democrats dropped in about 210 of the state’s 300 largest cities,” the Bee reports. “All told, Democratic registration in those 300 cities dropped slightly, going from 45.7 percent of the electorate in 2009 to 44.5 percent of the electorate in 2019.”
The Democratic Party still managed to increase its voters by around 845,000 thanks to population growth and new registrations.
The Bee has now compiled lists that show which cities lost the most Republicans and Democrats.
Some highlights:
- The largest percentage point drop in Republican voters occurred in the Inland Empire and Orange County, specifically Desert Hot Springs (-21); Cathedral City (-20); Rialto (-14); Palm Springs (-14); San Jacinto (-14); Coachella (-14); Lompoc (-13); Santa Ana (-13); Tustin (-13); and Anaheim (-13).
- The largest percentage point drop in Democratic voters occurred in the cities of Calexico (-11); Inglewood (-10); Compton (-9); San Fernando (-9); Oakdale (-8); Lynwood (-8); Pittsburg (-8); San Pablo (-7); Vallejo (-7); and Tulare (-7).
- Riverside County cities — Cathedral City, Palm Springs, and Desert Hot Springs — saw the largest increases in Democratic voters.
- The largest increases in no party preference voters were in Lathrop (+16); Coachella (+15); Calexico (+15); Watsonville (+15); and Fresno (+15).
Read more at the Sacramento Bee.
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