Analysis shows new California voters lean Dem + NRCC ads target vulnerable CA Dems

Andrew Sheeler
·3 min read

Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

NEW VOTERS LEAN DEMOCRATIC, NO PARTY PREFERENCE, PPIC ANALYSIS SHOWS

California has grown steadily more Democratic over the last decade, according to an analysis of voter registration by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California.

Between 2012 and 2020, 4.2 million people registered as Democrats and 3.5 million declared No Party Preference, according to the PPIC analysis. That’s compared to 1.8 million who registered as Republicans.

The analysis also found that more people dropped from Democratic Party voter rolls (2.2 million) than NPP (1.5 million) or Republican (1.6 million).

“Democrats may account for many dropped records, but California has more Democrats in the first place,” the PPIC noted.

All told, there was an overall increase of 2 million each for Democratic and NPP voters, while Republican voters grew by only 200,000.

According to the PPIC, the largest source of party transition in California has been from new voters, whether they are new to the state or new to voting entirely.

“These new registrants show a marked preference for No Party Preference and smaller party registration — and a slight preference for Democratic registration — over registering Republican. If these trends continue, Republican registration will continue to fall in years to come,” the analysis concluded.

DIGITAL AD CAMPAIGN TARGETS HARDER, LEVIN

Two California congressmen are among the 35 vulnerable Democratic U.S. House members targeted by a digital ad buy timed to coincide with the House GOP’s budget negotiations with President Joe Biden.

The five-figure buy, targeting Reps. Josh Harder and Mike Levin, comes from the National Republican Congressional Committee.

The ad, which you can watch here, slams Democratic House members, saying that they “maxed out our nation’s credit card with reckless spending.”

The spot comes as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, is locked in stalled negotiations with Biden — with a default looming if no action is taken.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“CNN has a responsibility to its audience, including women & girls across the country, watching (tonight’s) town hall with Donald Trump. 1 in 4 women are sexually assaulted in their lifetimes. Survivors — at a minimum — deserve equal airtime.”

- Rep. Ro Khanna, D-San Jose, after a jury found former President Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll, via Twitter.

Best of The Bee:

  • Sen. Dianne Feinstein returned to Washington on Tuesday for the first time since mid-February, her office said, giving Democrats a crucial vote that’s stymied their efforts to approve judges and pass key legislation, via David Lightman.

  • Many congressional Republicans support what they see as a logical way to keep key parts of the federal government running if it hits the current debt limit before there is an agreement to raise it: fund Social Security, Medicare and the military first. Everything else? It would be paid for in what they view as descending priority — if funding is available, via David Lightman.

  • The California agency responsible for regulating banks acknowledged Monday that it took too long to recognize the problems that led to the failure of the Silicon Valley Bank, via David Lightman.

  • Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised budget proposal, which he is expected to introduce Friday, sets the stage for a month of bitter debates over how to fill a multi-billion-dollar budget deficit in the upcoming fiscal year, via Maggie Angst and Lindsey Holden.