FILE: Aerial of the Bay Bridge with the downtown San Francisco skyline in the morning.

If you look at a map of the 2024 presidential election results, you can draw a squiggly line down the state of California, splitting it in two from north to south. The coastal area of the state voted overwhelmingly blue, while the inland area is almost entirely red (with the exception of three small counties bordering Nevada). Many of the rouge-colored counties flipped from blue to red in that most recent election, but new research analyzing the state’s political leanings has mapped out some core findings from California’s political divide. 

A recent report from the Public Policy Institute of California underscores many long-held stereotypes but also finds some key surprises.

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For example, there was once a strong divide between north and south in the state, with most areas surrounding Los Angeles leaning Republican. Some pockets still exist, but Orange County, known for its conservative strongholds, has made a steady shift left that’s helped dilute a historically conservative area. Instead, the report found California’s........

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