Rachel just said we in CA might decide the

[VOX]

9. That's the spirit!

True, the central Valley and the counties in the rain-shadow of the Sierra Nevada ("east coast&quot have been rural forever. Your local elections are indeed likely to result in Rs. But as far as statewide elections go, those counties simply don't have the numbers to make a dent in the tonnage of Democratic votes.

California's two major industries (not including the third = tourism) are solidly Blue -- science/tech and the TV/film industry. The bigger those entities become, the more employees needed (which getting around in populated areas is tough), and those people are predominately progressive Democrats.

The only downside to being so big and so liberal is that, with almost 40 million residents, California has 2 Democratic senators. Meanwhile, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and the two Dakotas have a population of about 4 million *combined*, and 12 Republican senators. 10 more votes on matters that affect us all. But don't listen to anyone who advocates chopping California up into 6-7 smaller states -- that's ALWAYS a right-wing ploy, even when it's presented as "progressive."