'Massacred': The California GOP hits a new low [View all]

[RandySF]

SACRAMENTO, California — First a Democratic gerrymander pushed California House Republicans to the brink of extinction. Now they’re fighting each other for scraps.

In a state where Republicans had long counted on congressional races to exert some influence in Washington, just four of California’s 52 House seats are now safe for the GOP. And a decades-long slide for the party has reached a new nadir as Republicans surveying the landscape use words like “demoralized,” “massacred” and “obliteration.”

“I’m sure Gavin Newsom and the Democrats are sitting back laughing and enjoying the havoc they’ve wreaked on the Republicans in California,” said Dave Gilliard, a veteran consultant who represents several House Republicans. “It’s going to be crazy next year, no doubt about it.”

The infighting began almost immediately. Less than 24 hours after Proposition 50 passed, Rep. Ken Calvert announced he’d run for one of the few remaining red seats, after his own Southern California district was redrawn to favor Democrats. He was followed quickly by Rep. Young Kim, who announced a $3.5 million ad buy that would begin in April of next year — an unusually long runway that looked like an effort to dominate the airwaves and drive up ad rates before Calvert could.


https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/08/california-gop-confronts-bleak-map-and-its-own-civil-war-00679331