New Survey Shows GOP Losing Ground In California
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – California voters are an increasingly independent bunch, with a record number declining to join either the Democrats or the Republicans, with latest tally holding especially bad news for the California GOP.
The Secretary of State's first voter count since California's new districts were drawn, shows a record high in the "no party preference" category. Twenty-one percent prefer their independence, which is up from about 19 percent four years ago.
Since 2008, Democrats have grown from just under 43 percent to almost 44 percent, while Republicans have lost voters, from 33 percent to 30 percent.
KCBS' Doug Sovern Reports:
"The Republican party is in trouble in California," said Professor Jack Pitney, who teaches government studies at Claremont McKenna College. "The registration data are just one indication of that, but another would be the 2010 elections."
Pitney said that California is getting bluer and bluer, with the Democrats' nine point registration edge in 2008 growing to more than 13 percent now.
"One part of it is the large Latino population in California, which has always been Democratic and became more so during the 1990s as the immigration issue heated up," said Pitney.
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