Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
The Democratic Party is vying for congressional seats currently held by Republicans in Orange County in the hope that it will help tip the majority of the U.S. House of Representatives back in its favor.
The party sees vulnerability in historically red districts that flipped for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. Also, some Republican representatives won their last elections by narrow margins, and many of them are catching heat from anti-Trump constituents.
Democrats are already moving senior staff to Irvine in anticipation of the November 2018 election.
So, what is it about Orange County that makes it ripe for a Democratic power grab?
Take Two's A Martinez spoke with Fred Smoller, professor of political science at Chapman University in the city of Orange. They discussed the demographic changes in Orange County and what compels voters in the area to show up at the polls.
In 1990, the Republicans had a 22 percent advantage in Orange County. That advantage fell to 9 percent in 2015, and it's only 3 percent today. So there's a long-term trend in which Hispanics are replacing aging Whites.
Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump by 5 percent in the previous primary in June. Democrats out-voted Republicans by a huge majority. And we're seeing young people and Latinos favoring Democrats over Republicans.
*Quotes edited for clarity