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California is a Democratic stronghold and considered to be one of the "Big Three" Democratic strongholds alongside New York and Illinois. Originally a swing state following statehood, California began regularly supporting Republicans by large margins for the first half of the 20th century, with Herbert Hoover calling the state home. This changed with the passing of Civil Rights laws by Democrats in the 1960s and the subsequent rightward shift of the Republican Party. Still, the party remained competitive with Democratic candidates until 1992. Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan elected president carrying and residing in the state. This changed in 1992 amidst a struggling economy, when California flipped from Republican to elect Bill Clinton President. Republicans still won statewide contests in the state until the late 2000s, with Arnold Schwarzenegger elected governor as part of a recall effort.
The following table indicates the party of elected officials in the U.S. state of California:
- Governor
- Lieutenant Governor
- Attorney General
- Secretary of State
- Treasurer
- Controller
- Insurance Commissioner
- California Superintendent of Public Instruction
The table also indicates the historical party composition in the:
- Board of Equalization
- State Senate
- State Assembly
- State delegation to the U.S. Senate
- State delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives
For years in which a presidential election was held, the table indicates which party's nominees received the state's electoral votes.
Note that ties on the Board of Equalization are broken by the vote of the State Controller.