California, California
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1892–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | +1.2% |
| 1896 | −0.6% |
| 1900 | −13.1% |
| 1904 | −34.9% |
| 1908 | −22.5% |
| 1912 | +41.8% |
| 1916 | +0.4% |
| 1920 | −41.9% |
| 1924 | −49.0% |
| 1928 | −30.5% |
| 1932 | +21.0% |
| 1936 | +35.3% |
| 1940 | +16.1% |
| 1944 | +13.5% |
| 1948 | +0.4% |
| 1952 | −13.6% |
| 1956 | −11.1% |
| 1960 | −0.5% |
| 1964 | +18.3% |
| 1968 | −3.1% |
| 1972 | −13.5% |
| 1976 | −1.8% |
| 1980 | −16.8% |
| 1984 | −16.2% |
| 1988 | −3.6% |
| 1992 | +13.4% |
| 1996 | +12.9% |
| 2000 | +11.8% |
| 2004 | +9.9% |
| 2008 | +24.0% |
| 2012 | +23.1% |
| 2016 | +30.0% |
| 2020 | +29.1% |
| 2024 | +20.1% |
DemocraticRepublican
34 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Democratic | Republican | Other | Margin | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 58.5%Harris9,276,179 | 38.3%Trump6,081,697 | 1.2%Kennedy197,645 | 15,865,475 | ||
| D | 63.4%Biden11,110,639 | 34.3%Trump6,006,518 | 1.1%Jorgensen187,895 | 17,531,845 | ||
| D | 61.5%Clinton8,753,792 | 31.5%Trump4,483,814 | 3.4%Johnson478,500 | 14,243,449 | ||
| D | 60.2%Obama7,854,285 | 37.1%Romney4,839,958 | 1.1%Johnson143,221 | 13,055,815 | ||
| D | 60.9%Obama8,274,473 | 36.9%McCain5,011,781 | 0.8%Nader108,381 | 13,583,083 | ||
| D | 54.3%Kerry6,745,485 | 44.4%Bush5,509,826 | 0.4%Badnarik50,165 | 12,421,859 | ||
| D | 53.4%Gore5,861,203 | 41.7%Bush4,567,429 | 3.8%Nader418,707 | 10,965,856 | ||
| D | 51.1%Clinton5,119,835 | 38.2%Dole3,828,380 | 7.0%Perot697,847 | 10,019,484 | ||
| D | 46.0%Clinton5,121,325 | 32.6%Bush3,630,574 | 20.6%Perot2,296,006 | 11,131,721 | ||
| R | 47.6%Dukakis4,702,233 | 51.1%Bush5,054,917 | 0.7%Paul70,105 | 9,887,064 | ||
| R | 41.3%Mondale3,922,519 | 57.5%Reagan5,467,009 | 0.5%Bergland49,951 | 9,505,041 | ||
| R | 35.9%Carter3,083,641 | 52.7%Reagan4,524,858 | 8.6%Anderson739,618 | 8,585,801 | ||
| R | 47.6%Carter3,742,284 | 49.3%Ford3,882,244 | 0.7%Macbride56,388 | 7,867,117 | ||
| R | 41.5%McGovern3,475,847 | 55.0%Nixon4,602,096 | 3.5%Schmitz289,919 | 8,367,862 | ||
| R | 44.7%Humphrey3,244,318 | 47.8%Nixon3,467,664 | 7.4%Wallace539,605 | 7,251,587 | ||
| D | 59.1%Johnson4,171,877 | 40.8%Goldwater2,879,108 | 0.1%Hass6,601 | 7,057,586 | ||
| R | 49.6%Kennedy3,224,099 | 50.1%Nixon3,259,722 | 0.3%Byrd22,757 | 6,506,578 | ||
| R | 44.3%Stevenson2,420,135 | 55.4%Eisenhower3,027,668 | 0.3%Andrews18,552 | 5,466,355 | ||
| R | 42.7%Stevenson2,197,548 | 56.3%Eisenhower2,897,310 | 0.9%Hallinan46,991 | 5,141,849 | ||
| D | 47.6%Truman1,913,134 | 47.1%Dewey1,895,269 | 5.3%Thurmond213,135 | 4,021,538 | ||
| D | 56.5%Roosevelt1,988,564 | 43.0%Dewey1,512,965 | 0.5%Thomas19,346 | 3,520,875 | ||
| D | 57.4%Roosevelt1,877,618 | 41.3%Willkie1,351,419 | 1.2%Thomas39,754 | 3,268,791 | ||
| D | 67.0%Roosevelt1,766,836 | 31.7%Landon836,431 | 1.3%Lemke35,615 | 2,638,882 | ||
| D | 58.4%Roosevelt1,324,157 | 37.4%Hoover847,902 | 4.2%Thomas95,907 | 2,267,966 | ||
| R | 34.2%Smith614,365 | 64.7%Hoover1,162,323 | 1.1%Thomas19,968 | 1,796,656 | ||
| R | 8.2%Davis105,514 | 57.2%Coolidge733,250 | 34.6%La Follette443,136 | 1,281,900 | ||
| R | 24.3%Cox229,191 | 66.2%Harding624,992 | 9.5%Debs89,867 | 944,050 | ||
| D | 46.6%Wilson466,289 | 46.3%Hughes462,516 | 7.1%Benson70,798 | 999,603 | ||
| O | 41.8%Wilson283,436 | 0.0%Taft0 | 58.2%Roosevelt394,508 | 677,944 | ||
| R | 33.0%Bryan127,492 | 55.5%Taft214,398 | 11.6%Debs44,735 | 386,625 | ||
| R | 27.0%Parker89,404 | 61.9%Roosevelt205,226 | 11.1%Debs36,915 | 331,545 | ||
| R | 41.2%Bryan124,985 | 54.4%McKinley164,755 | 4.4%Woolley13,264 | 303,004 | ||
| R | 48.5%Bryan144,766 | 49.2%McKinley146,688 | 2.3%Palmer6,965 | 298,419 | ||
| D | 43.8%Cleveland118,174 | 42.7%Harrison114,999 | 13.5%Weaver36,436 | 269,609 |
2026 election
On the ballot
Governoropen seat
Xavier BecerranomineeSteve Hiltonnominee
Open seat: incumbent Gavin Newsom (D) is term-limited. California top-two primary held June 2, 2026; Democrat Xavier Becerra (former HHS Secretary / ex-state AG) and Republican Steve Hilton (Trump-endorsed, ex-Fox host) advanced to the November general. Becerra led (~28%) with Hilton (~25%). Results certify July 10, 2026, but the top-two finishers are settled. Tom Steyer and Katie Porter did not advance.
Source · Akashic 2026 forecast.
Congressional elections · 1248 House races · 17 Senate races
U.S. House
| Year | Seats won | D % | R % | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D 43 · R 9 | 60.5% | 39.2% | 15,111,243 | |
| D 40 · R 12 | 63.3% | 36.2% | 10,656,368 | |
| D 42 · R 11 | 66.3% | 33.7% | 16,724,901 | |
| D 46 · R 7 | 65.7% | 32.6% | 12,184,522 |
U.S. Senate
| Year | Won | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | D | 58.9%9,036,252 | 41.1%6,312,594 | 15,348,846 |
| 2022 | D | 61.1%6,621,621 | 38.9%4,222,029 | 10,843,650 |
| 2018 | D | 100.0%11,113,364 | 0.0%0 | 11,113,364 |
| 2016 | D | 100.0%12,244,170 | 0.0%0 | 12,244,170 |
| 2012 | D | 62.5%7,864,624 | 37.5%4,713,887 | 12,578,511 |
| 2010 | D | 52.2%5,218,441 | 42.2%4,217,366 | 10,000,093 |
| 2006 | D | 59.4%5,076,289 | 35.0%2,990,822 | 8,541,150 |
| 2004 | D | 57.7%6,955,728 | 37.8%4,555,922 | 12,053,242 |
| 2000 | D | 55.8%5,932,522 | 36.6%3,886,853 | 10,623,608 |
| 1998 | D | 53.1%4,410,056 | 43.0%3,575,078 | 8,311,905 |
| 1994 | D | 46.7%3,979,152 | 44.8%3,817,025 | 8,513,916 |
| 1992 | D | 47.9%5,173,467 | 43.0%4,644,182 | 10,799,436 |
| 1988 | R | 44.0%4,287,253 | 52.8%5,143,409 | 9,743,547 |
| 1986 | D | 49.3%3,646,672 | 47.9%3,541,804 | 7,398,462 |
| 1982 | R | 44.8%3,494,968 | 51.5%4,022,565 | 7,805,450 |
| 1980 | D | 56.5%4,704,098 | 37.1%3,091,671 | 8,324,012 |
| 1976 | R | 46.9%3,502,862 | 50.2%3,748,973 | 7,470,586 |
voter registration
Registered voters
By party of registration, over time
DemocraticRepublicanUnaffiliatedOther parties
| Year | Total registered | Democratic | Republican | Unaffiliated | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 21,885,545 | 10,261,998 | 5,225,578 | 4,930,549 | 1,467,420 |
| 2024 | 22,310,352 | 10,279,189 | 5,534,782 | 4,890,230 | 1,606,151 |
Source: California Secretary of State
Imperial County gave Hillary Clinton a 42-point margin in 2016, then flipped to Trump by 2024 — a reversal of more than 40 points in eight years.
- One of 2024’s biggest swings
- D+29.1 (2020) → D+20.1 (2024) — a 9-pt shift to Trump, 4th-largest of any state · MIT Election Lab
- The swing’s epicenter
- Imperial County (86% Hispanic): D+41.5 (2016) → R+0.9 (2024), a 42-point reversal; the Central Valley moved double digits · MIT Election Lab; ACS 2024
- Most non-English at home
- 44% speak a language other than English at home — 1st of 50 (Spanish 28%) · ACS 2024 5-year
- Proposition 50, 2025
- Voters approved (64%) a mid-decade Democratic House redraw — about 5 seats, answering Texas · California Secretary of State, Nov 2025
- Majority-minority
- Hispanic 40%, Asian 15%, White 34% — no group a majority; 39.3M residents · ACS 2024 5-year
- Open seat in 2026
- Gov. Newsom term-limited — Becerra (D) vs Hilton (R); no Senate race; 52 House seats · Akashic 2026 forecast
Political twins — states
The states whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Illinois
Illinois
72.1twin score
2000–2016 trajectory≠ % Latino
Nevada
Nevada
66.4twin score
% Catholic% White% Evangelical≠ population scale
New York
New York
63.8twin score
2008–2020 trajectory≠ 12-yr trend
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
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 →
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All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
California. Akashic. https://akashic.app/state/CA/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
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Largest cities in California
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Places within California
Frequently asked questions
How did California vote in 2024?
In 2024, California voted Democratic by 20.1 points (D+20.1), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 15,865,475 votes cast, 9,276,179 went Democratic and 6,081,697 went Republican.
When did California last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which California voted Republican was 1988.
How many people live in California?
California has a population of 39,287,377 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in California?
Median household income in California is $99,122 — above the national median of $80,734. The California state median is $99,122.
What is the political history of California?
Akashic tracks 34 presidential elections in California from 1892 to 2024. Of those, 17 went Democratic and 16 went Republican.