Donald Trump made a rare campaign visit to California over the weekend, at least in part trying to give a boost to several Republican Congress members who are fighting for their political survival in the deep-blue state.
Control over the House of Representatives will likely come down to a few races right here in Southern California. Jessica Millan Patterson, chair of the California Republican Party, joined KNX News’ daily political show Countdown 2024.
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Patterson said many Californians are “really upset and discouraged” by what’s happening in the state, particularly with the homelessness crisis.
“I have seen what four years of a Biden-Harris administration has done and I think many Californians and Americans have seen that too, and we remember what things were like under President Trump,” she said. “And I think that people are longing for those days, whether it's a better economy, whether it is safer streets or is a secure border.”
When asked about former President Donald Trump’s threat to withhold wildfire aid to the state of California, she refused to answer the question several times.
Patterson said she believes California Republicans are “in a really fantastic position” going into November’s election. She points out that in 2020, the party flipped four House seats – the first time a California seat switched from blue to red since 1994.
“What's most interesting is what we've seen in the last year since October of last year, we have picked up 250,000 new Republicans across the state. We have picked up Republican registration in every single assembly, senate and congressional district in every county in our state,” she said. “Not only that, but in that same time period, Democrats have lost 75,000 registrations.”
That success is partly due to the party’s engagement with the Latino community. Patterson said many Latinos in Southern California have switched their party registration from Democrat to Republican.
“We are seeing this movement because California Democrats have failed people in my community,” she said. “Whether it's having a better job to go to and being able to afford a house and provide for your family, or making sure that your kids are getting a great education.”
Asked about Trump’s recent comments about his political opponents being the “enemy from within” who should be “handled” by the National Guard or U.S. military, Patterson suggested that the “enemies within” actually referred to immigrants.
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Listen to the full episode above to hear from Laura Friedman, a Democratic candidate for the House seat formerly held by Adam Schiff, and catch new episodes of Countdown 2024 live at 2:30 p.m. every weekday through Election Day.
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