Two-State Party: Nearly 30% of House Democrats from CA, NY

Democrats and the mainstream media have tried to paint Republicans as a regional — and predominantly Southern — party of white males, but nearly 30 percent of Democrats in the House will come from just two states — California and New York — when the next Congress convenes.

Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) on Wednesday said to “take a good look when the House convenes after this next Congress is sworn in” to see that the Republican party has gotten “white and more male,” while Democrats are “majority minority and female.”

But a University of Minnesota study found that when the 113th Congress convenes, a whopping 29.4% (59 of 201) of Democrats in the House will hail from California (38 members) and New  York (21 members).

The study analyzed 83 general election cycles dating back to 1850 and discovered 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.”

According to the study, “even though California and New York are two of three most populous states in the country,” the number of representatives from both states has “remained flat over the last 50 years.” 

However, during this 50-year period, the percentage of Democrats elected to the House from California and New York “has increased by more than two-thirds: from 17.4 percent in 1962 to 29.4 percent in January 2013.”

In fact, “California and New York hold 29.4 percent of seats in the Democratic caucus but just 18.4 percent of U.S. House seats overall.” This is an incredible +11.0-point differential. 

The study found the “largest previous differential was seen after the Civil War in 1866 when Democrats from” California and New  York “held 25.5 percent of their caucus’ seats and the total representatives from the two states accounted for 15.0 percent of House seats overall for a +10.5-point difference.”

In 2013, Democrats will control 21 of 27 seats in New York and 38 of the 53 seats in California (71.7%). 

According to the study, the last time Democrats “eclipsed” the 70% mark in the California delegation “was after the Election of 1936 when Democrats controlled 15 of 20 seats (75 percent).”