President-elect Donald Trump’s unpopularity in California does not seem to have hurt the other Republicans that ran for office in the state, even as Democrats made gains.
"Donald Trump got about a third of the vote in the state. That’s pretty devastating," says Democratic political consultant Darry Sragow, who tracks state races. "But you do not see that phenomenon resulting in a tsunami that swept all of the Republicans in California out to sea. That simply did not translate."
Democrats did regain the supermajority in the state Assembly, which they won in 2012 and then lost last election.
Sragow says, while ballots remain to be counted, it appears changing demographics and the normal rise and fall of Democratic votes account for the party’s gains.
In the June primary, more Republican voters cast ballots for state lawmakers than for president--suggesting that even as they skipped the top race, they still showed up to vote.
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