California 48th Congressional District, California: Recent convert district. In 2024, voted D+16%. Democratic peak: D+44 in 1912.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+16MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- Recent convertAkashic typology
- Population
- 2,642,7062024 5-year
- Median household income
- $105,6252024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 47.9%2024 5-year
- Black
- 4.8%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 35.4%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+44 in 1912MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+43 in 1924MIT Election Lab
R
ISSA, Darrell
−1 liberal+1 conservative
Predecessors: STEEL, Michelle (2021–2023), ROUDA, Harley (2019–2021), ROHRABACHER, Dana (2017–2019), ROHRABACHER, Dana (2015–2017)
Source · Voteview / Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal et al. (CC-BY).
Constituent county margins for Congressional District 48, CAOne cell per constituent county, colored by 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic), ordered bluest first.
R+60D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 666,608 | 477,585 | 1,178,659 | ||
| D | 764,819 | 482,045 | 1,276,474 | ||
| D | 581,605 | 382,516 | 1,041,627 | ||
| D | 496,336 | 426,797 | 947,095 | ||
| D | 526,413 | 429,668 | 978,036 | ||
| R | 414,289 | 472,356 | 897,582 | ||
| R | 345,071 | 375,698 | 756,206 | ||
| R | 306,842 | 317,233 | 696,179 | ||
| D | 289,470 | 277,444 | 776,533 | ||
| R | 261,658 | 410,272 | 681,874 | ||
| R | 201,771 | 393,456 | 602,937 | ||
| R | 153,351 | 340,769 | 560,599 | ||
| R | 206,532 | 275,137 | 494,777 | ||
| R | 161,530 | 289,682 | 469,183 | ||
| R | 131,340 | 204,250 | 363,525 | ||
| R | 166,086 | 167,095 | 333,212 | ||
| R | 133,550 | 173,921 | 308,345 | ||
| R | 83,343 | 152,571 | 236,815 | ||
| R | 79,227 | 136,521 | 217,002 | ||
| R | 76,286 | 79,298 | 160,055 | ||
| D | 69,773 | 59,103 | 129,703 | ||
| D | 55,454 | 43,504 | 100,127 | ||
| D | 50,284 | 28,144 | 79,627 | ||
| D | 35,535 | 27,720 | 66,548 | ||
| R | 17,637 | 37,428 | 55,560 | ||
| R | 2,319 | 17,871 | 36,267 | ||
| R | 6,626 | 15,629 | 24,444 | ||
| R | 13,090 | 13,365 | 28,637 | ||
| O | 7,592 | 0 | 17,134 | ||
| R | 1,901 | 4,305 | 7,481 | ||
| R | 1,104 | 3,426 | 5,737 | ||
| R | 2,106 | 3,026 | 5,488 | ||
| D | 3,075 | 2,883 | 6,124 | ||
| R | 1,784 | 2,694 | 5,895 | ||
| R | 2,438 | 3,563 | 6,263 | ||
| R | 611 | 856 | 1,502 | ||
| R | 417 | 568 | 1,000 | ||
| R | 511 | 607 | 1,118 |
Congressional elections · 17 Senate races
U.S. Senate
| Year | Won | D % | R % | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | D | 58.9% | 41.1% | 15,348,846 |
| 2022 | D | 61.1% | 38.9% | 10,843,650 |
| 2018 | D | 100.0% | 0.0% | 11,113,364 |
| 2016 | D | 100.0% | 0.0% | 12,244,170 |
| 2012 | D | 62.5% | 37.5% | 12,578,511 |
| 2010 | D | 52.2% | 42.2% | 10,000,160 |
| 2006 | D | 59.4% | 35.0% | 8,541,476 |
| 2004 | D | 57.7% | 37.8% | 12,053,295 |
| 2000 | D | 55.8% | 36.6% | 10,623,608 |
| 1998 | D | 53.1% | 43.0% | 8,311,905 |
| 1994 | D | 46.7% | 44.8% | 8,514,089 |
| 1992 | D | 47.9% | 43.0% | 10,799,703 |
| 1988 | R | 44.0% | 52.8% | 9,743,598 |
| 1986 | D | 49.3% | 47.9% | 7,398,462 |
| 1982 | R | 44.8% | 51.5% | 7,805,450 |
| 1980 | D | 56.5% | 37.1% | 8,324,012 |
| 1976 | R | 46.9% | 50.2% | 7,470,586 |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
9.0%
English
7.9%
Irish
7.7%
Italian
4.1%
American
2.5%
French
1.8%
Polish
1.5%
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: 37.3 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$105,625
Congressional District 48 ranks near the middle of US counties.
Congressional District 48$105,625
California$99,122
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
10.3%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 1811.9%
Working age (18–64)9.9%
Seniors (65+)10.2%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
62.5%
speak English only
Spanish24.6%
Asian & Pacific Islander7.6%
Other Indo-European3.6%
Other languages1.7%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 58.5% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
CA-48 spans affluent beach cities from Huntington to Laguna Niguel, where college-educated suburban voters have made a once-safe Republican stronghold competitive — the 2024 presidential margin of R+3.6 reflects a district still moving.
The 2008 election was the turning point, when the Democratic candidate carried the district by ten points. The 2024 margin was sixteen points, in line with the district's new direction.
The demographics suggest why. A population of 2,642,706, a 48% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $105,625 situate the district in the broader realignment patterns of recent cycles.
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 48, California. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/0648/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Congressional District 48, California vote in 2024?
In 2024, Congressional District 48, California voted Democratic by 16.0 points (D+16), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 1,178,659 votes cast, 666,608 went Democratic and 477,585 went Republican.
What is Congressional District 48, California's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Congressional District 48, California as a "Recent convert" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 11 times, Republican 26 times, and other 1 times.
When did Congressional District 48, California last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Congressional District 48, California voted Republican was 2004.
How many people live in Congressional District 48, California?
Congressional District 48, California has a population of 2,642,706 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Congressional District 48, California?
Median household income in Congressional District 48, California is $105,625 — above the national median of $80,734. The California state median is $99,122.
What is the political history of Congressional District 48, California?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Congressional District 48, California from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 11 went Democratic and 26 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Recent convert" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.