With Democrat Gil Cisneros’ Win in California, the ‘Orange Curtain’ Turns Blue

By David Boddiger  |  November 18, 2018 | 3:51pm
Elections

The midterm elections have turned into a “blue tsunami” in California, as a win announced Saturday by Democrat Gil Cisneros in California’s 39th Congressional District means that all of Orange County is now blue.

Cisneros, a 47-year-old lottery winner and military vet, beat Republican Young Kim, who was vying to fill a House seat left vacant by her former boss, Rep. Ed Royce. And with that victory, all seven of the county’s congressional seats now belong to Democrats, the first time that’s happened since the 1930s, the Los Angeles Times noted.

Democrats, who picked up six House seats in the state, now control 45 districts out of 53, in addition to every statewide office and a supermajority in both chambers of the Legislature, essentially delivering a coup de grâce to the Republican Party in California.

“This campaign taught me so much. In one of the most diverse districts in the country I learned that for all of our differences, we all care about the same things,” Cisneros said in a statement announcing the victory. “We want our kids to feel safe at school, good jobs that allow us to provide for our families, affordable healthcare that ensures our loved ones receive the life-saving care they need, and a clean environment for our children and grandchildren. Most of all, we want to live in a world brought together by hope, not divided by hate.”

Cisneros’ campaign called the race one of the most expensive in the country, and said it was dominated by “the most false negative ads run this year.”

The victory follows another Democratic win announced Thursday by Katie Porter, who beat two-term Republican Rep. Mimi Walters in the 45th Congressional District, also in Orange County. That district has one of the highest median household income levels in the country, according to CNBC.

The assessment of this year’s midterms by California Republicans was grim. “I believe that the party has to die before it can be rebuilt. And by die — I mean, completely decimated,’’ GOP political consultant Mike Madrid told Politico. “There is no message. There is no messenger. There is no money. And there is no infrastructure.”

Republican strategist John Weaver earlier this week on Twitter—even before Cisneros’ victory was announced—blamed Donald Trump and candidates who aligned themselves with the president for the resounding losses.

“In one fell swoop Trump & Republicans who willingly handcuffed themselves to him have turned Orange County into a GOP wasteland,” he tweeted. “You want to see the future? Look no further than the demographic death spiral in the place once considered a cornerstone of the party.”

It’s often noted that Orange County has been considered a bastion of conservative politics for over half a century. It is the birthplace of Richard Nixon, the home of John Wayne, and a place where Ronald Reagan said that “good Republicans go to die,” according to CNN.

Here’s what it looks like now:

 
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