California

California, which rapidly gained population during the Gold Rush of 1848, joined the union in September, 1850 as part of the Compromise of 1850. Until 2010, the state gained at least one electoral vote after each Census reapportionment (there was no reapportionment after the 1920 Census). In 1972, California reached 45 electoral votes, passing New York for most in the country. The state lost an electoral vote for the first time after the 2020 Census, but with 54 it will still have more than 10% of the 538 total.

While growth in the Latino population has helped make California a reliably Democratic state today, this was not always the case. In fact, from 1952 through 1988, Republicans won every presidential election except the landslide loss of Barry Goldwater in 1964. In 2020, Joe Biden won the state by about 30 points over Donald Trump. This marked the fourth consecutive election that the Democratic nominee has surpassed 60% in the state.

ELECTORAL VOTES

55
2020
54
2024

2024 ELECTION

Safe Democratic
2024 California Polls

Recent Presidential Elections

2020
63.5% 34.3%
2016
61.7% 31.6%
2012
60.2% 37.1%
2008
61.0% 37.0%
2004
54.3% 44.4%
2000
53.5% 41.7%
Show:

Presidential Voting History

State voted with the overall winning candidate

1976
R
1980
R
1984
R
1988
R
1992
D
1996
D
2000
D
2004
D
2008
D
2012
D
2016
D
2020
D

Electoral College Votes

Democratic
Republican
Progressive

Colored bars represent electoral votes by party. Tap or hover to see names.

U.S. Senate Voting History

Class 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
1
R
D
D
D
D
D
2
3
D
D
D
D
D
D
D

Data: MIT Election Data and Science Lab / Harvard Dataverse through 2018; 270toWin research. These are general election results for the years listed. Special elections, if any, are excluded.

There are three classes of Senators; one is up for election every second year. Each state has one Senator in two of the three classes.

U.S. House Voting History

District 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
1
D
D
R
D
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
R
R
R
R
R
R
2
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
3
D
D
D
D
D
D
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
R
4
D
D
D
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
D
5
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
R
6
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
7
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
8
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
R
R
R
R
R
D
9
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
10
D
D
D
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
R
R
R
D
D
D
11
D
D
D
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
12
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
13
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
R
14
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
15
D
D
D
D
D
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
16
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
17
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
18
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
19
R
R
R
D
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
20
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
R
21
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
D
R
D
22
R
R
R
R
R
D
D
D
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
23
D
D
D
R
R
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
R
R
R
R
R
R
24
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
R
R
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
25
D
D
D
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
D
R
D
26
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
R
R
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
27
D
D
D
R
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
R
28
D
D
D
R
R
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
29
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
30
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
31
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
R
D
D
D
D
D
32
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
33
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
34
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
35
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
36
D
D
D
D
D
D
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
37
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
38
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
39
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
R
R
R
D
R
D
40
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
R
41
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
R
42
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
D
43
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
44
D
D
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
45
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
D
D
R
46
R
R
D
D
D
R
R
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
47
R
R
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
48
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
D
R
R
49
D
R
R
R
D
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
D
D
D
50
D
D
D
D
D
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
D
51
R
R
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
52
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
53
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D

Data: The Princeton Gerrymandering Project through 2018; 270toWin research. These are general election results for the years listed. Special elections, if any, are excluded.

Vertical lines before 1992, 2002, 2012, and 2022 show Census-related redistricting breakpoints. Geographic borders associated with district numbers may have changed.

Governor Voting History

1978
D
1982
R
1986
R
1990
R
1994
R
1998
D
2002
R
2006
R
2010
D
2014
D
2018
D
2022
D

Data: Wikipedia through 2018; 270toWin research. These are general election results for the years listed. Special elections, if any, are excluded.