California had a unique role to play on the national stage in the 2024 election. When presented with a choice between President Donald Trump and his commonsense solutions for smarter governing or Kamala Harris, an extreme California Democrat who failed to dodge her past support of everything from defunding the police to banning straws, the decision was easy. In a historic victory, Americans re-elected President Trump to be our nation’s 47th president, and the radical leanings of a California Democrat were soundly rejected.
It turns out California is not the model state that California Democrats present it to be. It’s rather a cautionary tale for Americans in what not to do. Thanks to years of one party’s failed leadership, the once-golden state now sits near the top of all of the wrong lists. California has the nation’s largest homeless population, highest poverty rate, near the highest gas prices, near the highest unemployment rate, failing schools, and hundreds of thousands of residents fleeing to move to more affordable red states. It’s hardly a mystery why voters would rather avoid subjecting the entire country to this fate.
Thanks to years of one party’s failed leadership, the once-golden state now sits near the top of all of the wrong lists.
Following the November election, President Trump’s victory was not in isolation. By keeping a Republican majority in the U.S. House and flipping the majority in the U.S. Senate, he now has the support in Washington needed to implement his vision and put us on the pathway to success again. The American people voted for a more affordable nation, a safer nation, a secure border, and a return to a position of strength on the global stage – all areas that have been in great decline under the Biden-Harris administration.
There is no time to waste. My sincere hope for the new leadership in Washington is that they listen to the message voters sent them loudly and clearly in the election and get to work quickly in turning our nation around, because the California way is not going to go away quietly.
Almost immediately after President Trump’s victory, California Governor Gavin Newsom began to fight back. He called a special session of the California legislature and proposed setting aside tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to “Trump-proof” his state. Clearly, Newsom did not spend much time looking into the election results in his own state.
If he had, he would have seen that even in deep-blue California, President Trump increased his vote share in 45 out of 58 counties in comparison to 2020, while Kamala Harris lost vote share in all but one in comparison to Joe Biden. President Trump also flipped ten counties to red, including several with a majority-Latino population.
My sincere hope for the new leadership in Washington is that they listen to the message voters sent them loudly and clearly in the election and get to work quickly in turning our nation around because the California way is not going to go away quietly.
Nevertheless, in a thinly veiled effort to boost his 2028 prospects, Newsom is setting himself up to be the anti-Trump and continues to push California’s failed policies on the national stage. His leadership and the Democrat supermajorities that enable him in Sacramento have been an unmitigated disaster for Californians and have no business being forced upon the rest of the country.
It’s up to Republicans in Washington, from President Trump to his majorities in Congress, to stop that from happening. They have been given a mandate to govern by the American people and have an opportunity to have a real impact in the years ahead. I look forward to seeing all that they will accomplish together.
Jessica Millan Patterson is a wife, mother, and the Chairwoman of the California Republican Party. She is the first woman, first Latina and first millennial to serve as chair.