House Democrats shrinking towards becoming a two-state caucus
A Smart Politics analysis of 83 general election cycles dating back to 1850 finds that the Democratic Party now comprises a larger percentage of Californians and New Yorkers in the U.S. House than at any point since California joined the Union.
When the 113th Congress convenes in January, 29.4 percent of the 201-member Democratic caucus will hail from California (38 members) and New York (21 members).
That marks an increase from the two-state delegation’s collective previous all-time high of 28.1 percent recorded after the Republican tsunami of 2010 (increasing for a few months to 28.5 percent after Kathy Hochul’s win in NY-26 in 2011)…
While California and New York are two of the three most populous states in the country, it is important to note that the number of representatives from the two states collectively has remained relatively flat over the last 50 years.
Blowback
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I thought it was the Republicans who were the regional party?
vegconservative on November 20, 2012 at 2:18 PM
This is the most uninteresting thing I have read in a long while.
Didn’t anybody spot a Sasquatch or something today?
Rocks on November 20, 2012 at 2:23 PM
We own the House, Obama lost 10 million votes from his 2010 totals, we won independents, and 60 million of us came out for Romney, and I’m supposed to believe its over?
blatantblue on November 20, 2012 at 2:30 PM
sorry, 2008 totals.
blatantblue on November 20, 2012 at 2:31 PM
This was the first census since statehood that California did not gain a House seat.
crosspatch on November 20, 2012 at 2:32 PM
When your region is where the media and Hollywood are it doesn’t count.
ChrisL on November 20, 2012 at 2:32 PM
If you call “anywhere but CA and NY” a “region” you would be correct!
Mord on November 20, 2012 at 2:34 PM
That makes sense.
Foreigners largely think of the US as being SoCal, Manhattan, Miami Beach, and Orlando.
I’ll leave it there.
CorporatePiggy on November 20, 2012 at 2:40 PM
Good.
Night Owl on November 20, 2012 at 2:47 PM
THIS!
HotAir could do a lot better in not promoting the crap that says the Republicans are in dire straits. You’d thought we lost the election 70-30. We are a 50-50 country who a large part of that one half get a lot of free shit! I think next election we should just promise a $1000 bucks for each vote.
reddevil on November 20, 2012 at 2:51 PM
Repeal the 17th Amendment and the Senate would look the same.
batterup on November 20, 2012 at 2:52 PM
Only 30%? I expected a more dramatic number considering the headline. When a party is in the minority, its strongholds naturally make up a bigger part of its caucus. This is really meh.
Valkyriepundit on November 20, 2012 at 2:53 PM
Huh? How that? We have majorities in 31 state legislatures. Looks like a Republican super-majority to me.
Valkyriepundit on November 20, 2012 at 3:00 PM
Ahh sorry, misunderstood your post.
Valkyriepundit on November 20, 2012 at 3:01 PM
Resistance Is Futile.
— signed, Democratic Party and Media
tom on November 20, 2012 at 3:03 PM
Wrong. In 1960, New York had 43 reps and California had 30. Today, they have 27 and 53 respectively.
RadClown on November 20, 2012 at 3:18 PM
You notice how broke-ass CA and NY never talk about secession? Can’t they be talked into it?
Sugar Land on November 20, 2012 at 3:26 PM
Dems are whining that they only won 5 of 18 House seats in PA this year. But when they only have two seats that are entirely within Philadelphia, that is what happens. They’re also the victims of their own schemes, they drag low-IQ people to the polls and give them cards saying OBAMA, so all they voted for was Obama.
rockmom on November 20, 2012 at 3:34 PM
Obama did not lose 10 million from his 2008 totals. Romney won independents narrowly, but lost moderates by a massive margin. The GOP lost seats in the Senate and House.
It’s definitely not over, but the party has to figure out what is wrong and how to fix it before the 2014 elections.
AngusMc on November 20, 2012 at 4:00 PM
This.
Explains a lot of why state houses and down-ticket races didn’t get the same “Wave” 0bama got. I wonder how many ballots this year were marked only for Presidential and Senatorial races?
Sekhmet on November 20, 2012 at 4:07 PM
In 2008 Obama received 69 million and change votes
In 2012 results as of today show that he received 62 million and change votes. While Romney received 59 million and change.
So no he didn’t receive 10 million fewer votes it was only about 7 million fewer votes.
chemman on November 20, 2012 at 4:34 PM
Who do you want to eliminate from the tent to win back those “moderates?” That does seem to be what you are implying.
chemman on November 20, 2012 at 4:38 PM
Math isn’t your thing, huh?
73 < 80 (Seventy Three is less than Eighty) The house had 435 in 1960 as well.
MunDane68 on November 20, 2012 at 6:05 PM