Democrats Gain, Republicans Continue to Bleed in Key Assembly District Voter Registration

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

New figures released by the Secretary of State show that the number of registered Democrats in key battlegrounds for legislative seats continues to soar while the number of Republicans registrants in these districts is sliding.

This boost in Democratic registration isn't simply a temporary lift propelled by interest in the February presidential primary. In every Assembly district in the state since the cutoff for registration for the February primary, Democratic registration has risen while Republican registration has declined. Overall, Democratic registration has inched up by .6 percent statewide. Meanwhile GOP numbers continue their free-fall, declining by .4 percent, in the period between January 22nd and April 4th.

That one percent swing could be critical in key legislative races around the state. And it's more bad news for the state's Republicans, who already are suffering from a poor candidate recruitment season and lackluster fundraising.

Donors take a hard look at these numbers when making decisions  about what close contests to plunge into with their support; these statistics make it an even more difficult sell for the GOP in what is shaping up to be a favorable Democratic climate because of top of the ticket races. That's especially true in legislative contests, where Independent Expenditures play a major role.

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