akashic
1876–2024
Congressional District 46·California

California 46th Congressional District votes the way the country votes.

A coastal Orange County seat where Democratic margins have deepened steadily

1876 — 2024·38 elections
CA
Latest
D+3
in 2024
Archetype
Bellwether
since the recent cycles
Population
297,358
2024 ACS

California 46th Congressional District, California: Bellwether district. In 2024, voted D+3%. Republican peak: R+60 in 1928.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
D+3MIT Election Lab
Political archetype
BellwetherAkashic typology
Population
297,3582024 5-year
Median household income
$116,2892024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
42.7%2024 5-year
Black
1.6%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
34.2%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+39 in 1912MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin
R+60 in 1928MIT Election Lab
D
CORREA, Jose LuisCongress 119 · Democratic

Predecessors: SANCHEZ, Loretta (2015–2017), SANCHEZ, Loretta (2013–2015), ROHRABACHER, Dana (2011–2013), ROHRABACHER, Dana (2009–2011)

Source · Voteview / Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal et al. (CC-BY).

2024 results by constituent county
1 counties · 1 D · 0 R
R+60
D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
38 presidential elections
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
D
+2.7%
64,97361,505130,682
D
+9.0%
76,45863,542142,968
D
+8.6%
57,29247,635112,480
R
−6.2%
48,13254,697105,449
R
−2.6%
51,61954,390108,363
R
−20.7%
39,37860,286101,010
R
−15.4%
36,80350,84391,195
R
−13.8%
30,76041,95981,207
R
−12.3%
28,82940,07191,349
R
−36.7%
25,26855,06381,276
R
−50.4%
19,37559,64579,846
R
−45.3%
16,59749,76373,283
R
−26.8%
21,81438,38261,751
R
−41.3%
16,61142,10761,678
R
−33.3%
13,98329,57846,842
R
−11.9%
16,58221,05837,680
R
−21.9%
10,52116,42727,013
R
−34.5%
5,15610,66215,956
R
−40.6%
3,0557,28410,417
R
−24.5%
2,7264,5647,497
R
−14.4%
2,6913,6066,335
R
−12.1%
2,6523,3886,105
D
+11.7%
2,8022,2075,096
D
+2.5%
2,2392,1254,628
R
−59.6%
7152,8723,619
R
−58.7%
2411,8702,777
R
−51.9%
3291,2021,681
R
−22.0%
6089961,761
O
+38.6%
41401,073
R
−22.2%
179305567
R
−36.4%
97250420
R
−8.9%
167202395
R
−5.6%
161181355
R
−5.1%
94108272
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Congressional elections · 17 Senate races

U.S. Senate

Source · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL), Senate. CC-BY 4.0.
YearWonD %R %Total
2024D58.9%41.1%15,348,846
2022D61.1%38.9%10,843,650
2018D100.0%0.0%11,113,364
2016D100.0%0.0%12,244,170
2012D62.5%37.5%12,578,511
2010D52.2%42.2%10,000,160
2006D59.4%35.0%8,541,476
2004D57.7%37.8%12,053,295
2000D55.8%36.6%10,623,608
1998D53.1%43.0%8,311,905
1994D46.7%44.8%8,514,089
1992D47.9%43.0%10,799,703
1988R44.0%52.8%9,743,598
1986D49.3%47.9%7,398,462
1982R44.8%51.5%7,805,450
1980D56.5%37.1%8,324,012
1976R46.9%50.2%7,470,586

Demographics

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
7.5%
English
7.3%
Irish
6.0%
American
4.5%
Italian
3.6%
French
1.4%
Polish
1.3%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 39.4 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
0.8%
85+
1.3%
2.1%
75–84
2.6%
4.4%
65–74
4.9%
6.5%
55–64
6.6%
6.6%
45–54
6.8%
6.7%
35–44
6.6%
7.2%
25–34
7.0%
4.5%
18–24
4.4%
8.1%
5–17
7.7%
2.7%
<5
2.5%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$116,289
Congressional District 46 ranks near the middle of US counties.
Congressional District 46$116,289
California$99,122
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
9.5%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 1810.7%
Working age (18–64)8.9%
Seniors (65+)12.0%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
53.6%
speak English only
Spanish24.3%
Asian & Pacific Islander15.8%
Other Indo-European4.9%
Other languages1.4%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Catholic & Orthodox
30.5%
Other Christian
9.8%
Baptist
2.8%
Non-Christian
2.5%
Mainline Protestant
1.9%
Pentecostal & Holiness
1.6%
Methodist
0.4%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 50.5% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

CA-46 anchors around Santa Ana and parts of Orange County, a region transformed by decades of Latino population growth. In 2024 the district returned an 18-point Democratic presidential margin, reflecting one of the sharper leftward shifts in Southern California's historically competitive county.

The Democratic margin in California 46th Congressional District has rarely exceeded thirty-nine points in modern history; the Republican margin has rarely exceeded sixty points. 2024 delivered the district to the Democratic candidate by three points.

Its demographics resemble the country more than they resemble most districts. A 43% non-Hispanic-white share, a 10% poverty rate, and a median household income of $116,289 — all within the broad national range.

Compare two places, side by side

Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →

Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Congressional District 46, California. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/0646/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Congressional District 46, California vote in 2024?
In 2024, Congressional District 46, California voted Democratic by 2.7 points (D+3), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 130,682 votes cast, 64,973 went Democratic and 61,505 went Republican.
What is Congressional District 46, California's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Congressional District 46, California as a "Bellwether" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 5 times, Republican 28 times, and other 1 times.
When did Congressional District 46, California last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Congressional District 46, California voted Republican was 2012.
How many people live in Congressional District 46, California?
Congressional District 46, California has a population of 297,358 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Congressional District 46, California?
Median household income in Congressional District 46, California is $116,289 — above the national median of $80,734. The California state median is $99,122.
What is the political history of Congressional District 46, California?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Congressional District 46, California from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 5 went Democratic and 28 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Bellwether" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.