California: where every election is a never-ending rerun of Blue’s Clues, minus the suspense. This is the state where the only red you see is on a wine tour through Napa, and Republicans are about as relevant as Blockbuster memberships. They call it the “Left Coast” for a reason, folks. California’s so blue it makes the ocean jealous, and anyone trying to run a red campaign might as well start a support group for lost causes.
Or is it?
Someone in my inner circle (I like to sound like I have an inner circle – that sounded intriguey and cool, didn’t it?!) floated around this simple graphic following the election:
As of my writing this, all of California has yet to be called (still “counting” votes), and in candor, I don’t even know the source my “inner circle” (intriguey) member used to obtain this graphic. So I googled. Here’s what I got from Ballotpedia for the State of California:
| Year | Democratic Representatives | Republican Representatives |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 46 | 7 |
| 2020 | 42 | 11 |
| 2022 | 40 | 12 |
| 2024 | 40 | 12 |
It ain’t much, but it’s something. Now, let’s do Colorado:
| Year | Democratic Representatives | Republican Representatives |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 4 | 3 |
| 2020 | 4 | 3 |
| 2022 | 5 | 3 |
| 2024 | 4 | 4 |
I know. I’m grasping at straws. It ain’t much, but it’s something. Results are not yet official for Colorado in 2024, but we are getting pretty darn close. Let’s take a look at the Colorado General Assembly (State Legislature).
Colorado House of Representatives:
In the 2014 elections, Republicans gained five seats, increasing their representation from 28 to 33 seats in the 65-member House. However, in subsequent elections, they lost ground:
- 2016: Republicans lost three seats, bringing their total to 30.
- 2018: They lost another three seats, reducing their count to 27.
- 2020: Republicans lost one more seat, holding 26 seats.
- 2022: They lost an additional five seats, bringing their total to 21.
Therefore, the last time Republicans gained seats in the Colorado House was in 2014.
Colorado Senate:
In the 2014 elections, Republicans gained one seat, shifting the balance from a 18-17 Democratic majority to a 18-17 Republican majority in the 35-member Senate. However, in the 2018 elections, they lost two seats, returning control to the Democrats with a 19-16 majority. In the 2020 elections, Republicans lost one more seat, resulting in a 20-15 Democratic majority. In the 2022 elections, they lost an additional two seats, bringing the balance to 23 Democrats and 12 Republicans.
Thus, the last time Republicans gained seats in the Colorado Senate was in 2014.
Ain’t none of that rosy if you’re a Republican. But the projections for 2024 provide some hope. In the House, young and smart Ryan Gonzales flipped House District 50 from Dem to Rep. Dan Woog will flip HD19 from Dem to Rep (it’s close, but it should hold). And what about Rebecca Keltie in House District 16. As of November 14, 2024, the race is exceptionally close, with Keltie leading by a mere seven votes over incumbent Democrat Stephanie Vigil—20,640 to 20,633. This razor-thin margin has triggered a mandatory recount, expected to commence next week. (KRDO)
But if Ms. Keltie holds. And if Mr. Woog holds. (That’s a couple of big butts, I know…) The Republicans wreck the Dems supermajority in the House, and damnit, that’s something!
In the State Senate, it’s a push, and Republicans hold at 12. In Weld County, Scott Bright easily flipped SD13 from blue to red.
In town councils and school boards and Boards of County Commissioners (the Pueblo BOCC is now all red) we need to pick these races – strategically – seat by seat – and put forward candidates who match the new paradigm, and then bust our ass for them. That would be a nice change from the king-making-crap pulled by Williams and his merry band of zanies.
I’m optimistic. I sense it, don’t you? People are waking up from being woke. In my perception, there’s been a noticeable shift as individuals grow weary of “woke” culture. I see it in various sectors, including entertainment and academia.
For instance, the New College of Florida reinstated a course on “wokeness,” describing the movement as a “cult” with “illiberal” methods, reflecting a pushback against progressive ideologies. (New York Post)
While I abhor pop culture (maybe I’m an “elitist” that way), it has seen a resurgence of conservative themes, with figures like Morgan Wallen and Zach Bryan dominating mainstream music, indicating a cultural pivot away from liberal-coded trends. (Vox) Granted, they are just tiny red ripples in a big blue pond, but it suggests a growing fatigue with “woke” culture, as more people advocate for a return to traditional values and open discourse.
My bottom line is this: Donald Trump’s new coalition energizes me. RFK, Jr. Tulsi. Pete Hegseth. Are you freakin’ kidding me?! It’s not the same deck chairs in the same blue suits being rearranged on the same sinking ship. It’s a coalition of disrupters, and that’s what we need.
When I ran for Congress, I used the term Colorado Common Sense. While the Dave Williams “Rino huntin'” crazies attacked the term as being, well, RINO, I don’t care – that dog hunts – and if you’re from Colorado, you know what Colorado common sense is. And my finger in the breeze tells me that the great sea of suburban normies are waking from their comfort-induced coma, have grown tired of the crime and high prices and Venezuelan gangs-turned-landlords and gender insanity and gas lighting, and are responding to pragmatic leaders offering a modicum of common sense.
A new paradigm – a new coalition.
We need to study Trump’s win. Demographically and psycho-graphically. Then we need to replicate it in Colorado. Because the shift we’re starting to see in California can and will happen here if we ignore the fringes and come together to offer common sense solutions and results to the suburban normies just tired of the bullshit.
