Elephant in the room: California GOP needs a Trump loss to move forward

The president’s dismal standing in California could continue to hamper efforts to revive state Republican Party

By MICHAEL SMOLENS

It’s a stark reality when a state political party likely would be better off if its incumbent president lost re-election, but that’s where the California GOP finds itself today.

President Donald Trump isn’t just greatly out of favor in the Golden State — as the 2016 election results and recent polls show — but he has energized and unified Democrats and like-minded independents like seemingly nothing else could.

The Republican Party has been on a downward slide in California for generations, in part because of changing demographics and political dynamics. But Trump’s election four years ago accelerated the pace. After the 2018 midterm election, California’s GOP congressional delegation was reduced to seven members in 53 districts, and Democrats regained a veto-proof, two-thirds majority in the state Legislature.

Over the last couple of years, the California Republican Party has chosen new leadership, stressed a more inclusive tone and sought to focus on California-centric issues. But Trump takes up almost all the political oxygen everywhere, and if he continues to do that for four more years, it adds to the degree of difficulty for state Republicans trying to get back in the game.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/columnists/story/2020-10-28/column-elephant-in-the-room-calif-gop-needs-a-trump-loss-to-move-forward

The Republican Party in California will remain toxic for decades.