California, long known as a bastion of Democratic support, has recently experienced a subtle yet significant shift in its political landscape. Recent voter registration data reveals a slight reddening of the Golden State, with Republican registration increasing compared to the 2022 election, while both Democratic and No Party Preference—or independent—registrations have declined.
This redder tinge is largely driven by voters switching from other parties to Republican, and it marks a departure from the broader pattern of independent voters moving to Democratic registration. A closer look reveals some surprising trends, particularly among core Democratic constituencies such as Latinos, Blacks, and young people. (See our interactive feature for detailed registration data by geography.)
On the Republican side, gains have spanned all races, ethnicities, and age groups, but with notable variations. Latino voters have switched to the Republican Party at much higher rates while Black voters have more often moved to minor parties as well as to Republican. And older Californians have switched somewhat less overall—and more often from independent alone.
Even greater variation has occurred on the Democratic side. Despite a reputation as anchors of the Democratic coalition, more Black and Latino voters have switched from the Democratic Party than have other groups. The Democrats have also experienced a net loss of Asian American and white voters, but the rate has been small relative to the size of each group.
Young voters, also traditionally central to the Democratic coalition, have tended to switch away from the Democratic Party. This trend diminishes with age and actually reverses for the oldest Californians, who show a net gain in switching to the Democrats.