Rotten boroughs in California
| District | Winner | Total Votes |
|---|---|---|
| California 34 (Los Angeles) | D+53.6 | 74,818 |
| California 31 (Los Angeles) | D+100 | 64,952 |
Neil Stevens has an interesting post at Redstate about "Rotten boroughs" in California, among other states. He points to some interesting issues. He points to illegal immigration more than I would and less to legal immigrants in the Los Angeles area, in particular.
I want to point to a different thing. The Caifornia GOP primary is winner-take-all by congressional district. That is, in some of these districts, like the ones to the right, there are 4-1 D-to-R registration rates. Assume turnout that is half of general election turnout. In CA-34, we are talking about 7,000 voters in a GOP primary. In CA-31, it is closer to 6,000. If it takes 40% to win these primaries, that means about 3,000 votes in CA-31 and 2,500 in CA-34. Compare that to heavily GOP districts in which 60k or more voters will allocate those delegates.
Is that right? Are the campaigns really prepared for the rotten boroughs of California?
