Once a Republican stronghold, the hometown of the late President Richard Nixon can be expected to vote for Democrat Kamala Harris in this year’s election.
The last Republican to receive the most votes in Whittier – not a majority – was the late George H.W, Bush in 1992. Four years later, Democrat Bill Clinton defeated Republican Robert Dole by a 45% to 44% margin in Whittier and no Republican presidential candidate since then has won in Whittier.
Party registration also has changed, again beginning in 1996, when Los Angeles County reported the Democrats held a slender 1% lead. Now, Democratic registration makes up 48% of the city, while Republicans are at 26%. Decline-to-state is 19%.
Whittier Mayor Joe Vinatieri, who is a Republican, said he believes the change came in reaction to then-Gov. Pete Wilson’s anti-immigrant campaign in 1998.
“It brought out a lot of people who were Latino and were offended by it. Vinatieri said of the Wilson campaign.
“Those people voted Democrat because Wilson was a Republican,” he said. “I really think that was a sea change.”
However, Whittier was not unusual in changing from Republican to Democrat, said former Whittier Councilman Owen Newcomer, also professor emeritus of political science at Rio Hondo College.
“It was part of a statewide trend,” Newcomer said.
“We haven’t had a Republican governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger.”
Newcomer also pointed to what he called “Republicans in the late 90s turning hostile to minorities.”
And meanwhile, Latinos now make up a majority in California and about two-thirds in Whittier.
“Whittier is not unique,” he said. “Look at Orange County, where Democrats can win.”
Still while Whittier is now a blue town – least for presidential races – the City Council has fourRepublicans and one Democrat. And in the 2022 election, it had no Democrats.
The difference is that local elections are nonpartisan and voters don’t know what party a candidate is from, Newcomer said.
In addition, the elections are separate and turnout lower for national races, he said.
“Historically, lower turnout is better for Republicans,” Newcomer said.
Vinatieri said issues often are different on the two levels on why Republicans are doing better than Democrats in City Council elections.
“We don’t get into determining American foreign policy, military matters, Social Security, etc.,” he said.
“We make sure people are safe, we have a great police department, the streets drive well, kids have plenty of places to play, and the water is clean,” Vinatieri said.
“This has nothing to do with partisan politics.”
This also isn’t the first time that Whittier’s local leaders don’t reflect the national divide. In 1992, when Whittier still was a Republican stronghold, there were five Democrats on the council.
The then-Republican council members and candidates supported building new homes in the Whittier hills rather than protecting the area, and got on the wrong side of public opinion.
Mike Sprague is a columnist for the Whittier Daily News. He covered the region as a reporter for 45 years. He can be reached by [email protected].
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