(RepublicanDaily.org) – California is a famously Left-leaning state; most political experts view its 55 electoral votes as guaranteed to Democrat candidates in presidential elections. However, not every part of California is staunchly Liberal. Orange County is a renowned Conservative stronghold.
The county’s residents bucked this trend in the mid-term elections in 2018, electing four Democrats and giving Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) a majority in the chamber. In 2020, however, Orange County unseated two of those representatives in favor of Republicans, Michelle Steele and Young Kim. Pelosi, who thought her party would expand its majority, saw it lose multiple seats across the US.
On Monday, December 14, the Orange County Register published an interview with the defeated Democratic candidates, Gil Cisneros and Harley Rouda. Both men discussed the reasons behind their losses, citing the unpopular “defund the police” movement. They also mentioned that Donald Trump’s presence on the ballot encouraged more Republican supporters to vote; in Cisneros’ district, an unprecedented 90% of people cast ballots.
.@TheDemocrats and political analysts are blaming “defund the police” and high Republican turnout, driven by enthusiasm for @POTUS @realDonaldTrump, for their party’s losses in Orange County, California, in 2020, after riding a “blue wave” in 2018.https://t.co/m59lsU7lya
— John McCann (@realJohnMcCann) December 15, 2020
It appears logical that Rouda and Cisneros have assessed the situation accurately. Radical ideas like the defunding of police might attract positive engagement on social media, but they’re never going to play well with ordinary voters.
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