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California has been a bluish authorities since the U.S. began labeling states reddish oregon bluish backmost successful 2000 (more connected that later). With 54 electoral votes, California is 1 of the country's astir influential bluish states, but erstwhile was the past clip the authorities didn't ballot Democratic during the statesmanlike election?
To find the answer, you'd person to spell backmost a fewer decades to the 1988 statesmanlike election, erstwhile California enactment its electoral assemblage votes down George H. W. Bush.
This enactment wasn't an anomaly for the authorities of California, however. During the 20th century, California voted reddish successful 15 of the 25 statesmanlike elections.
But overall, since California voted for Bush, the authorities has voted for the Democratic campaigner for the past 8 consecutive elections.
On a section level, California has been beauteous backmost and distant successful presumption of voting reddish oregon blue. Between 1983 and 2011, a Republican held the presumption of Governor of California speech from Gray Davis (D), who was elected successful 1999 and was politician until 2003 erstwhile helium mislaid to histrion Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), who held the presumption until 2011.
However, aft Schwarzenegger, a Democrat has ever been the Governor of California with Jerry Brown (D) and Gavin Newsom (D).
Origins of reddish states and bluish states
While it seems similar a sanction that has been astir forever, the presumption reddish and bluish states person really not been astir for arsenic agelong arsenic you whitethorn think.
To find the origins of these names, you'd person to spell backmost to the twelvemonth 1976, according to NPR. During the predetermination that year, NBC, the archetypal all-color network, unveiled an illuminated colored map. If a authorities voted for Gerald Ford (R), the authorities would crook the colour bluish and if they voted for Jimmy Carter (D) it would crook reddish – the other colors of what the parties are associated with today.
The archetypal prime of bluish for Republicans was owed to bluish being the colour of the Union during the Civil War.
As much networks began switching to color, they excessively began utilizing colored maps for the election, but they did not hold connected what colour each enactment should be. This caused viewers who would power channels plentifulness of disorder arsenic what was bluish for Republicans connected NBC was reddish connected a antithetic network.
This disorder continued until 2000 erstwhile radical began casually referring to states that voted for George W. Bush (R) arsenic reddish states and states that voted for Al Gore (D) arsenic bluish states.
The presumption past became commonplace successful the governmental world, popular culture, and passim the country, with everyone agreeing that Democrats were bluish and Republicans were red.
