Since 1852, the U.S. presidential election has been contested in California 43 times, with Californians successfully voting for the winning candidate on 35 occasions, giving an overall success rate of 81 percent. California has awarded the majority of its electoral votes to the Republican Party in 23 elections, the Democratic Party in 19 elections, and the only year where a third party candidate won a majority was in 1912, where Theodore Roosevelt won the state while campaigning as the Progressive Party's nominee. Between 1952 and 1988, there was only one election that was not won by the Republican candidate, while all elections since 1992 have been won by the Democratic nominee. In the 2020 election, Joe Biden won the most populous state in the U.S. by a margin of almost thirty percent; with the Oakland-born Senator from California, Kamala Harris, as his running-mate.
Californian under-representation?
California was admitted to the union in 1850, and was granted just four electoral votes in its first three presidential elections. In the past two centuries, California's population has grown rapidly, largely due to a positive net migration rate from within the U.S. and abroad. Today, it has the highest population of any state in the U.S, with almost forty million people, and has therefore been designated 55 electoral votes; the most of any state. Although California has been allocated around ten percent of the total electoral votes on offer nationwide, The Golden State is home to roughly twelve percent of the total U.S. population, therefore a number closer to 65 electoral votes would be more proportional to the U.S.' population distribution. Despite this, California's total allocation will likely be reduced to 54 in the 2024 election.
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270towin.com. (December 16, 2020). Number of electoral votes from California designated to each party's candidate in U.S. presidential elections from 1852 to 2020 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved August 24, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1128983/california-electoral-votes-since-1852/
270towin.com. "Number of electoral votes from California designated to each party's candidate in U.S. presidential elections from 1852 to 2020." Chart. December 16, 2020. Statista. Accessed August 24, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1128983/california-electoral-votes-since-1852/
270towin.com. (2020). Number of electoral votes from California designated to each party's candidate in U.S. presidential elections from 1852 to 2020. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: August 24, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1128983/california-electoral-votes-since-1852/
270towin.com. "Number of Electoral Votes from California Designated to Each Party's Candidate in U.S. Presidential Elections from 1852 to 2020." Statista, Statista Inc., 16 Dec 2020, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1128983/california-electoral-votes-since-1852/
270towin.com, Number of electoral votes from California designated to each party's candidate in U.S. presidential elections from 1852 to 2020 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1128983/california-electoral-votes-since-1852/ (last visited August 24, 2024)
Number of electoral votes from California designated to each party's candidate in U.S. presidential elections from 1852 to 2020 [Graph], 270towin.com, December 16, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1128983/california-electoral-votes-since-1852/