California

California, which rapidly gained population during the Gold Rush of 1848, joined the union in September, 1850 as part of the Compromise of 1850. Until 2010, the state gained at least one electoral vote after each Census reapportionment (there was no reapportionment after the 1920 Census). In 1972, California reached 45 electoral votes, passing New York for most in the country. The state lost an electoral vote for the first time after the 2020 Census, but with 54 it will still have more than 10% of the 538 total.

While growth in the Latino population has helped make California a reliably Democratic state today, this was not always the case. In fact, from 1952 through 1988, Republicans won every presidential election except the landslide loss of Barry Goldwater in 1964. In 2020, Joe Biden won the state by about 30 points over Donald Trump. This marked the fourth consecutive election that the Democratic nominee has surpassed 60% in the state.