Political party strength in California explained

California is a Democratic stronghold and considered to be one of the "Big Three" Democratic strongholds alongside New York and Illinois. Originally a swing state following statehood, California began regularly supporting Republicans by large margins for the first half of the 20th century, with Herbert Hoover calling the state home. This changed with the passing of Civil Rights laws by Democrats in the 1960s and the subsequent rightward shift of the Republican Party. Still, the party remained competitive with Democratic candidates until 1992. Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan elected president carrying and residing in the state. This changed in 1992 amidst a struggling economy, when California flipped from Republican to elect Bill Clinton President. Republicans still won statewide contests in the state until the late 2000s, with Arnold Schwarzenegger elected governor as part of a recall effort.

The following table indicates the party of elected officials in the U.S. state of California:

The table also indicates the historical party composition in the:

For years in which a presidential election was held, the table indicates which party's nominees received the state's electoral votes.

Note that ties on the Board of Equalization are broken by the vote of the State Controller.

1849–1990

YearExecutive officesBOEState LegislatureUnited States CongressElectoral
votes
class=unsortable Governor!class=unsortable Lieutenant
Governor!		class=unsortable Attorney
General!		class=unsortable Secretary
of State!		class=unsortable Treasurer!class=unsortable Controller!class=unsortable Supt. of
Pub. Inst.!		class=unsortable State
Senate!		class=unsortable State
Assem.!		class=unsortable U.S. Senator
(Class I)!		class=unsortable U.S. Senator
(Class III)!		class=unsortable U.S.
House
1849Peter Hardeman
Burnett (D)		John McDougal (D)Edward J. C. Kewen (D)William Van Voohies (D)Richard Roman (D)John S. Houston (D)no such
office		16NP36NP
1850John C. Frémont (D)William M. Gwin (D)1D, 1I
1851John McDougal (D)David C. Broderick (D)James A. McDougall (D)John Gage Marvin (D)10D, 4W, 2I18W, 17D, 1Ivacant
1852John Bigler (D)Samuel Purdy (D)Serranus Clinton Hastings (D)Winslow S. Pierce (D)26D, 2W41D, 21W, 1IJohn B. Weller (D)2DPierce/
King (D)
1853James W. Denver (D)20D, 7W41D, 22W
1854John R. McConnell (D)Selden A. McMeans (D)Samuel Bell (D)Paul K. Hubbs (D)26D, 8W68D, 12W
1855Charles R. Hempstead (D)26D, 7W42D, 36W, 2Ivacant
1856J. Neely Johnson (KN)Robert M. Anderson (KN)William T. Wallace (KN)David F. Douglass (KN)Henry Bates (KN)George W. Whitman (KN)16KN, 16D, 1W56KN, 23D, 1IBuchanan/
Breckinridge (D)
1857James L. English (KN)Edward F. Burton (KN)Andrew J. Moulder (D)19D, 11KN, 3R61D, 11R, 8KNDavid C. Broderick (D)William M. Gwin (D)
1858John B. Weller (D)Joseph Walkup (D)Thomas H. Williams (D)Ferris Foreman (D)Thomas Findley (D)Aaron R. Melony (D)27D, 5R, 3KN66D, 9R, 4KN, 1I
185930D, 4R, 1I72D, 8R
1860Milton Latham (D)John G. Downey (D)Johnson Price (D)Samuel H. Brooks (D)33D, 2R78D, 2RHenry P. Haun (D)Lincoln/
Hamlin (R)
John G. Downey (D)Isaac N. Quinn (D)Milton Latham (D)
1861Pablo de la Guerra (D)James S. Gillan (D)30D, 6R60D, 19, 1CUJames A. McDougall (D)3R
1862Leland Stanford (R)John F. Chellis (R)Frank M. Pixley (R)William H. Weeks (R)Delos R. Ashley (R)Gilbert R. Warren (R)23D, 17R41D, 39R
1863John L. McCullogh (R)Benjamin B. Redding (R)Romualdo Pacheco (NU)George R. Oultan (R)John Swett (NU)31R, 9D63R, 17DJohn Conness (R)
1864Frederick Low (R)Tim N. Machin (R)35R, 5D70R, 10DLincoln/
Johnson (NU)
1865
186631R, 9D61R, 19D
1867Jo Hamilton (D)Henry L. Nichols (D)Antonio F. Coronel (D)Robert Watt (D)Oscar Penn Fitzgerald (D)Cornelius Cole (R)2D, 1R
1868Henry Huntly Haight (D)William Holden (D)21R, 19D52D, 28RGrant/
Colfax (R)
1869Eugene Casserly (D)
187026D, 12R, 2I67D, 10R, 3I
1871John Lord Love (R)Drury Melone (R)Ferdinand Baehr (R)James J. Green (R)Henry Nicholas Bolander (R)3R
1872Newton Booth (R)Romualdo Pacheco (R)22D, 17R, 1I54R, 25D, 1IGrant/
Wilson (R)
1873Aaron A. Sargent (R)3R, 1D
187418R, 14D, 834, 27R, 19DJohn S. Hager (D)
1875Romualdo Pacheco (R)William Irwin (D)Jo Hamilton (D)Thomas Bock (D)José Guadalupe Estudillo (D)James W. Mandeville (D)Ezra S. Carr (R)Newton Booth (AM)3D, 1R
1876William Irwin (D)James A. Johnson (D)William B. C. Brown (D)20D, 11I, 6R, 3ID64D, 12R, 4IHayes/
Wheeler (R)
1877Daniel M. Kenfield (R)3R, 1D
187827D, 10R, 2I, 1WPC55D, 24R, 1WPC2D, 2R
18793R, 1DJames T. Farley (D)3R, 1D
1880George C. Perkins (R)John Mansfield (R)Augustus L. Hart (R)Daniel M. Burns (R)John Weil (R)Frederick M. Campbell (R)23R, 10WPC, 7D46R, 18D, 16WPCHancock/
English (D)
188142R, 33D, 4WPC, 1GBJohn Franklin Miller (R)2D, 2R
1882
1883George Stoneman (D)John Daggett (D)Edward C. Marshall (D)Thomas Larkin Thompson (D)William A. January (D)John P. Dunn (D)William T. Weckler (D)3D, 1R32D, 8R61D, 19R6D
1884Denis J. Oullahan (D)Blaine/
Logan (R)
188520D, 20R60R, 20DLeland Stanford (R)5R, 1D
1886George Hearst (D)
Abram Williams (R)
1887Washington Bartlett (D)Robert Waterman (R)George A. Johnson (D)William C. Hendricks (D)Adam Herald (D)Ira G. Haitt (R)22D, 18R41R, 39DGeorge Hearst (D)4R, 2D
1888Robert Waterman (R)Stephen M. White (D)Harrison/
Morton (R)
188922D, 18R42D, 38R
1890
1891Henry Markham (R)John B. Reddick (R)William H. Hart (R)Edwin G. Waite (R)J.R. McDonald (R)Edward P. Colgan (R)J. W. Anderson (R)3R, 1D28R, 12D60R 19D, 1KNCharles N. Felton (R)
18928 - Cleveland/
Stevenson (D)
1 - Harrison/
Reid (R)
189322R, 18D45D, 31R, 2I, 2PopStephen M. White (D)
1894Albert Hart (R)George C. Perkins (R)
1895James Budd (D)Spencer G. Millard (R)William F. Fitzgerald (R)Lewis H. Brown (R)Levi Ratcliffe (R)Samuel T. Black (R)25R, 15D64R, 14D, 2Pop
1896William T. Jeter (D)McKinley/
Roosevelt (R)
189728R, 12D47R, 16Fus, 9Pop, 8D3R, 2D, 2Pop
1898Will S. Green (D)Charles T. Meredith (D)
1899Henry T. Gage (R)Jacob H. Neff (R)Tirey L. Ford (R)Charles F. Curry (R)Truman Reeves (R)Thomas J. Kirk (R)2R, 2D26R, 14D59R, 20D, 2Ivacant6R, 1D
1900Thomas R. Bard (R)7RMcKinley/
Roosevelt (R)
190134R, 6D60R, 20D
1902
1903George Pardee (R)Alden Anderson (R)Ulysses S. Webb (R)33R, 7D60R, 19D, 15R, 3D
1904Roosevelt/
Fairbanks (R)
190533R, 4, 3D72R, 4D, 4Frank Flint (R)8R
1906A. B. Nye (R)
1907James Gillett (R)Warren R. Porter (R)William R. Williams (R)Edward Hyatt (R)4R33R, 6D, 1I73R, 6D, 1I
1908Taft/
Sherman (R)
190930R, 9D, 1I60R, 20D
1910
1911Hiram Johnson (R)Albert Joseph Wallace (R)Frank C. Jordan (R)Edward D. Roberts (R)32R, 18D69R, 11DJohn D. Works (R)7R, 1D
1912Hiram Johnson (Prog)Roosevelt/
Johnson (Prog)
1913John S. Chambers (R)30R, 10D54R, 25D, 1Soc7R, 3D, 1I
1914
1915John Morton Eshleman (Prog)Friend Richardson (Prog)3R, 1D21R, 10D, 9Prog33R, 28Prog, 15D, 3Soc, 1ProhJames D. Phelan (D)4R, 3D, 2Prog, 1I, 1Proh
1916William Stephens (R)5R, 3D, 1Prog, 1I, 1ProhWilson/
Marshall (D)
1917William Stephens (R)C. C. Young (R)20R, 11D, 8P, 1I69R, 9D, 1Prog, 1ProhHiram Johnson (R)5R, 4D, 1Prog, 1Proh
1918
1919Will C. Wood (NP)32R, 7D, 1I70R, 10D9R, 2D
1920Harding/
Coolidge (R)
1921Roy C. Riley (R)33R, 7D73R, 7DSamuel M. Shortridge (R)
1922
1923Friend Richardson (R)Charles G. Johnson (R)36R, 3D, 1I76R, 4D
1924Coolidge/
Dawes (R)
192537R, 3D75R, 5D
1926
1927C. C. Young (R)Buron Fitts (R)William John Cooper (NP/R)4R35R, 5D74R, 6D10R, 1D
1928Hoover/
Curtis (R)
1929Herschel L. Carnahan (R)Vierling C. Kersey (NP)71R, 7D, 2I
1930
1931James Rolph (R)Frank Merriam (R)36R, 4D73R, 7D
1932Roosevelt/
Garner (D)
193335R, 5D55R, 25DWilliam Gibbs McAdoo (D)11D, 9R
1934Frank Merriam (R)vacant
1935George J. Hatfield (R)31R, 8D, 1I42R, 37D, 1I13D, 7R
1936
1937Harry B. Riley (R)Walter F. Dexter (NP/R)25R, 15D47D, 33R15D, 4R, 1Prog
1938
1939Culbert Olson (D)Ellis E. Patterson (D)Earl Warren (R)3R, 1D21R, 19D44D, 36RSheridan Downey (D)11D, 8R, 1Prog
1940Paul Peek (D)Roosevelt/
Wallace (D)
194124R, 16D42D, 38R10D, 10R
1942
1943Earl Warren (R)Frederick F. Houser (R)Robert W. Kenny (D)Frank M. Jordan (R)44R, 36D13D, 10R
1944Roosevelt/
Truman (D)
1945Roy E. Simpson (NP)24R, 20D42R, 37D, 1I16D, 7R
1946William Knowland (R)
1947Goodwin Knight (R)Frederick N. Houser (R)Thomas Kuchel (R)48R, 32D14R, 9D
1948Truman/
Barkley (D)
194926R, 14D45R, 35D12R, 11D
1950
1951Pat Brown (D)28R, 12D47R, 33DRichard Nixon (R)
1952Eisenhower/
Nixon (R)
1953Robert C. Kirkwood (R)29R, 11D53R, 27DThomas Kuchel (R)19R, 11D
1954Goodwin Knight (R)Harold J. Powers (R)2R, 2D
195522R, 18D47R, 23D
1956
1957A. Ronald Burton (R)20D, 20R42R, 38D17R, 13D
1958
1959Pat Brown (D)Glenn M. Anderson (D)Stanley Mosk (D)Bert A. Betts (D)Alan Cranston (D)4D26D, 14R47D, 33RClair Engle (D)16D, 14R
1960Nixon/
Lodge (R)
196130D, 10R24D, 14R
1962
1963Max Rafferty (NP/R)27D, 13R52D, 28R23D, 15R
1964Johnson/
Humphrey (D)
Thomas C. Lynch (D)Pierre Salinger (D)
196549D, 31RGeorge Murphy (R)
1966
1967Ronald Reagan (R)Robert Finch (R)Ivy Baker Priest (R)Houston Flournoy (R)21D, 19R42D, 38R21D, 17R
196820D, 20RNixon/
Agnew (R)
1969Edwin Reinecke (R)21R, 19D41R, 39DAlan Cranston (D)
1970H. P. Sullivan (R)
1971Evelle J. Younger (R)Jerry Brown (D)Wilson Riles (NP/D)21D, 19R43D, 37RJohn V. Tunney (D)20D, 18R
1972
197320D, 20R51D, 29R23D, 20R
1974John L. Harmer (R)
1975Jerry Brown (D)Mervyn Dymally (D)March Fong Eu (D)Jesse M. Unruh (D)Kenneth Cory (D)25D, 15R55D, 25R28D, 15R
1976Ford/
Dole (R)
197728D, 12R57D, 23RS. I. Hayakawa (R)29D, 14R
1978
1979Mike Curb (R)George Deukmejian (R)3D, 1R26D, 14R50D, 30R28D, 15R
1980Reagan/
Bush (R)
198147D, 33R22D, 21R
1982
1983George Deukmejian (R)Leo T. McCarthy (D)John Van de Kamp (D)Bill Honig (NP)25D, 15R48D, 32RPete Wilson (R)28D, 17R
1984
198547D, 33R
1986
1987Gray Davis (D)2D, 2R24D, 14R, 1I44D, 36R
1988Elizabeth Whitney (D)Bill Honig (NP/D)Bush/
Quayle (R)
1989Thomas W. Hayes (R)47D, 33R
1990

1991–present

YearExecutive officesBOEState LegislatureUnited States CongressElectoral
votes
class=unsortable Governor!class=unsortable Lieutenant
Governor!		class=unsortable Attorney
General!		class=unsortable Secretary
of State!		class=unsortable Treasurer!class=unsortable Controller!class=unsortable Insurance
Comm.!		class=unsortable Supt. of
Pub. Inst.!		class=unsortable State
Senate!		class=unsortable State
Assem.!		class=unsortable U.S. Senator
(Class I)!		class=unsortable U.S. Senator
(Class III)!		class=unsortable U.S.
House
1991Pete Wilson (R)Leo T. McCarthy (D)Dan Lungren (R)March Fong Eu (D)Kathleen Brown (D)Gray Davis (D)John Garamendi (D)Bill Honig (NP/D)2D, 2R25D, 14R, 1I46D, 34RJohn Seymour (R)Alan Cranston (D)26D, 19R
1992Clinton/
Gore (D)
1993David Dawson (NP)23D, 15R, 2I48D, 32RDianne Feinstein (D)Barbara Boxer (D)30D, 22R
1994Tony Miller (D)
1995Gray Davis (D)Bill Jones (R)Matt Fong (R)Kathleen Connell (D)Chuck
Quackenbush (R)		Delaine Eastin (NP/D)21D, 17R, 2I41R, 39D27D, 25R
199626D, 26R
199723D, 16R, 1I43D, 37R29D, 23R
1998
1999Gray Davis (D)Cruz Bustamante (D)Bill Lockyer (D)Phil Angelides (D)25D, 15R47D, 32R, 1G28D, 24R
2000J. Clark Kelso (R)27D, 25RGore/
Lieberman (D)
2001Harry W. Low (D)26D, 14R50D, 30R32D, 20R
2002
2003Kevin Shelley (D)Steve Westly (D)John Garamendi (D)Jack O'Connell (NP/D)25D, 15R48D, 32R33D, 20R
2004Arnold
Schwarzenegger
(R)		Kerry/
Edwards (D)
2005Bruce McPherson (R)
2006
2007John Garamendi (D)Jerry Brown (D)Debra Bowen (D)Bill Lockyer (D)John Chiang (D)Steve Poizner (R)34D, 19R
2008Obama/
Biden (D)
200950D, 29R, 1I
2010Abel Maldonado (R)
2011Jerry Brown (D)Gavin Newsom (D)Kamala Harris (D)Dave Jones (D)Tom Torlakson (NP/D)52D, 28R
201252D, 27R, 1I
201329D, 11R55D, 25R
201428D, 12R
2015Alex Padilla (D)John Chiang (D)Betty Yee (D)26D, 14R52D, 28R38D, 15R
2016Clinton/
Kaine (D)
2017Xavier Becerra (D)27D, 13R55D, 25RKamala Harris (D)39D, 14R
201826D, 14R
2019Gavin Newsom (D)Eleni Kounalakis (D)Fiona Ma (D)Ricardo Lara (D)Tony Thurmond
(NP/D)		3D, 1R29D, 11R60D, 20R46D, 7R
61D, 19R
61D, 18R, 1I
202045D, 7RBiden/
Harris (D)
2021Rob Bonta (D)Shirley Weber (D)31D, 9R60D, 19R, 1IAlex Padilla (D)42D, 11R
2022
2023Malia Cohen (D)32D, 8R62D, 18RLaphonza Butler (D)40D, 12R
2024
31D, 9R

Party strength by number of registrations

Graphical summary
Political Party Registration Over Time
YearTotalDemocraticRepublicanIndependentAmerican Ind.GreenLibertarianNatural LawReformPeace & FreedomAmericans Elect
1999[1] [2] 14,853,121 46.72% 35.27% 12.89% 1.97% 0.66% 0.55% 0.43%
2001[3] [4] 15,577,686 45.57% 34.76% 14.43% 2.04% 0.91% 0.60% 0.35% 0.48%
2003[5] [6] 15,168,263 44.39% 35.22% 15.32% 1.95% 1.03% 0.59% 0.28%
2005[7] [8] 16,628,673 43.04% 34.49% 17.88% 1.99% 0.95% 0.54% 0.17% 0.40%
2007[9] [10] 15,682,358 42.52% 34.19% 18.83% 2.00% 0.89% 0.53% 0.37%
2009[11] [12] 17,334,275 44.52% 31.14% 19.99% 2.17% 0.67% 0.48% 0.32%
2011[13] [14] 17,186,531 44.04% 30.88% 20.41% 2.43% 0.66% 0.54% 0.34%
2013[15] [16] 18,055,783 43.93% 28.94% 20.86% 2.64% 0.63% 0.61% 0.34% 0.02%
2015[17] [18] 17,717,936 43.15% 27.98% 23.57% 2.71% 0.62% 0.69% 0.44%
2017[19] [20] 19,432,609 44.77% 25.87% 24.51% 2.63% 0.49% 0.73% 0.39%
2019[21] [22] 19,978,449 43.11% 23.57% 28.26% 2.59% 0.44% 0.77% 0.38%
2021[23] [24] 22,154,304 46.17% 24.14% 23.73% 3.07% 0.39% 0.92% 0.48%
2023[25] 21,980,768 46.89% 23.83% 22.48% 3.61% 0.44% 1.07% 0.57%

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Report of Registration - February 10, 1999 . California Secretary of State . 23 November 2021.
  2. Web site: Registration by Political Bodies Attempting to Qualify - February 10, 1999 . California Secretary of State . 23 November 2021.
  3. Web site: Report of Registration - February 10, 2001 . California Secretary of State . 23 November 2021.
  4. Web site: Registration by Political Bodies Attempting to Qualify - February 10, 2001 . California Secretary of State . 23 November 2021.
  5. Web site: Report of Registration - February 10, 2003 . California Secretary of State . 23 November 2021.
  6. Web site: Registration by Political Bodies Attempting to Qualify - February 10, 2003 . California Secretary of State . 23 November 2021.
  7. Web site: Report of Registration - February 10, 2005 . California Secretary of State . 23 November 2021.
  8. Web site: Registration by Political Bodies Attempting to Qualify - February 10, 2005 . California Secretary of State . 23 November 2021.
  9. Web site: Report of Registration - February 10, 2007 . California Secretary of State . 23 November 2021.
  10. Web site: Registration by Political Bodies Attempting to Qualify - February 10, 2007 . California Secretary of State . 23 November 2021.
  11. Web site: Report of Registration - February 10, 2009 . California Secretary of State . 23 November 2021.
  12. Web site: Registration by Political Bodies Attempting to Qualify - February 10, 2009 . California Secretary of State . 23 November 2021.
  13. Web site: Report of Registration - February 10, 2011 . California Secretary of State . 23 November 2021.
  14. Web site: Registration by Political Bodies Attempting to Qualify - February 10, 2011 . California Secretary of State . 23 November 2021.
  15. Web site: Report of Registration - February 10, 2013 . California Secretary of State . 23 November 2021.
  16. Web site: Registration by Political Bodies Attempting to Qualify - February 10, 2013 . California Secretary of State . 23 November 2021.
  17. Web site: Report of Registration - February 10, 2015 . California Secretary of State . 23 November 2021.
  18. Web site: Registration by Political Bodies Attempting to Qualify - February 10, 2015 . California Secretary of State . 23 November 2021.
  19. Web site: Report of Registration - February 10, 2017 . California Secretary of State . 23 November 2021.
  20. Web site: Registration by Political Bodies Attempting to Qualify - February 10, 2017 . California Secretary of State . 23 November 2021.
  21. Web site: Report of Registration - February 10, 2019 . California Secretary of State . 23 November 2021.
  22. Web site: Registration by Political Bodies Attempting to Qualify - February 10, 2019 . California Secretary of State . 23 November 2021.
  23. Web site: Report of Registration - February 10, 2021 . California Secretary of State . 23 November 2021.
  24. Web site: Registration by Political Bodies Attempting to Qualify - February 10, 2021 . California Secretary of State . 23 November 2021.
  25. Web site: Report of Registration - February 10, 2023 . California Secretary of State . 28 June 2023.

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