Left Coast

Last updated
ElectoralCollege2016.svg
Election results from the 2016 United States presidential election by state, showing California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii as being "Blue States" (those that voted for the more socially liberal Democratic Party), and Alaska as being a "Red State" (those that voted for the more socially conservative Republican Party).
2016 Presidential Election by County.svg
Election results from the 2016 presidential election by county

Left Coast is a political expression that implies that the West Coast of the United States leans politically to the left or the expression can refer to states that lean politically left. The implication is that with the exception of Alaska, the states of California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii tend to vote for the Democratic Party, particularly in Coastal California, the Eugene and Portland metropolitan areas in Oregon, the Puget Sound region in Washington, and most of Hawaii. Also, it means that most people who live in the West Coast region have a generally more liberal or progressive attitude than the rest of the country. The phrase plays on the fact that the U.S. West Coast is on the left of the United States when viewing a map with north oriented at the top. [1] The term also applies to British Columbia's place in Canada, for the same reasons. [2]

Contents

In the United States, the expression is used pejoratively by right-leaning people, but proudly by people on the left. Conservative NewsMax columnist James Hirsen writes the "Left Coast Report", which puts down Hollywood celebrities and their scandals as well as providing conservative political commentary. [3] He has also written a book, Tales from the Left Coast: True Stories of Hollywood Stars and Their Outrageous Politics. On the other side, the term is used by cartoonist Ted Rall as the name of his left-leaning political comic strip. [4] Writer, voiceover actor, and gay rights activist Ben Patrick Johnson calls his video blog Life on the Left Coast. [5] Fundraiser and CEO of San Francisco-based nonprofit Tides, Drummond Pike, maintains a CEO blog entitled Notes from the Left Coast. [6]

Definitions

The term is also used in a neutral or non-political sense. The left coast has by far the most workers in STEM professions and will continue to be a leading tech hub for the United States. The gross product of the left coast was approximately $1.2 trillion. [7]

In Canada, the coastal strip of British Columbia, including Vancouver Island, is also referred to as the Left Coast. The use of the term "left coast" is not usually pejorative. For example, at the investiture to the Order of British Columbia of the painter Edward John Hughes by the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, Iona Campagnolo, in April 2006, she stated, "We have all occasionally heard of our beloved coast dismissed as the 'wet coast', the 'left' coast, even the 'rain coast', yet for most of us, these are 'terms of endearment'..." [8] [9]

History

Since 1992, the state of California has consistently voted Democratic in presidential elections. In the case of Oregon and Washington, and Hawaii, all three have voted Democratic since the 1988 presidential election. [10]

Virtually no Republicans have statewide office in those states. Oregon and Washington are notable for being so consistent in electing Democratic governors. Additionally, in the 2022 House of Representatives elections, all congressional districts directly bordering the Pacific Ocean (including Alaska and Hawaii) were won by Democrats. [11]

Similarly in Canada, the coastal parts of British Columbia votes consistently for left leaning Members of Parliament such as Liberals and New Democrats, though with some exceptions.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Northwest</span> Region of northwestern North America in Canada and the United States

The Pacific Northwest is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common conception includes the U.S. states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, and the Canadian province of British Columbia. Some broader conceptions reach north into Alaska and Yukon, south into northern California, and east into western Montana. Other conceptions may be limited to the coastal areas west of the Cascade and Coast mountains. The variety of definitions can be attributed to partially overlapping commonalities of the region's history, culture, geography, society, ecosystems, and other factors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Coast of the United States</span> Coastline in the United States

The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast, Pacific states, and the western seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the contiguous U.S. states of California, Oregon, and Washington, but sometimes includes Alaska and Hawaii, especially by the United States Census Bureau as a U.S. geographic division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western United States</span> One of the four census regions of the United States of America

The Western United States is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term the West changed. Before about 1800, the crest of the Appalachian Mountains was seen as the western frontier. The frontier moved westward and eventually the lands west of the Mississippi River were considered the West.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Coast Ranges</span> Series of mountain ranges along the Pacific coast of North America

The Pacific Coast Ranges are the series of mountain ranges that stretch along the West Coast of North America from Alaska south to Northern and Central Mexico. Although they are commonly thought to be the westernmost mountain range of the continental United States and Canada, the geologically distinct Insular Mountains of Vancouver Island lie further west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kanaka (Pacific Island worker)</span> 1800s–1900s Pacific Islander employed in British colonies

Kanakas were workers from various Pacific Islands employed in British colonies, such as British Columbia (Canada), Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Queensland (Australia) in the 19th and early 20th centuries. They also worked in California (USA) and Chile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon Treaty</span> 1846 treaty which ended the Oregon boundary dispute between the US and UK

The Oregon Treaty is a treaty between the United Kingdom and the United States that was signed on June 15, 1846, in Washington, D.C. The treaty brought an end to the Oregon boundary dispute by settling competing American and British claims to the Oregon Country; the area had been jointly occupied by both Britain and the U.S. since the Treaty of 1818.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 United States presidential election in Washington (state)</span> Election in Washington

The 2004 United States presidential election in Washington took place on November 2, 2004, and was part of the 2004 United States presidential election. Voters chose 11 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cascadia (independence movement)</span> Bioregion, proposed country in North America

The Cascadia independence movement is a bioregional movement based in the Cascadia bioregion of western North America. Potential boundaries differ, with some drawn along existing political state and provincial lines, and others drawn along larger ecological, cultural, political, and economic boundaries.

Like many other U.S. states, the politics of Oregon largely concerns regional issues. Oregon leans Democratic as a state, with both U.S. senators from the Democratic party, as well as four out of Oregon's five U.S. Representatives. The Democratic candidate for president has won in Oregon in every election since 1988. Both houses of Oregon's legislative assembly have been under Democratic control since the 2012 elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ted Rall</span> American cartoonist, born 1963

Frederick Theodore Rall III is an American columnist, syndicated editorial cartoonist, and author. His political cartoons often appear in a multi-panel comic-strip format and frequently blend comic-strip and editorial-cartoon conventions. The cartoons used to appear in approximately 100 newspapers around the United States. He was president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists from 2008 to 2009.

In American politics, a libertarian Democrat is a member of the Democratic Party with political views that are relatively libertarian compared to the views of the national party.

Although in its early years of statehood Alaska was a Democratic state, since the early 1970s it has been characterized as Republican-leaning. Local political communities have often worked on issues related to land use development, fishing, tourism, and individual rights. Alaska Natives, while organized in and around their communities, have been active within the Native corporations. These have been given ownership over large tracts of land, which require stewardship. The state has an independence movement favoring a vote on secession from the United States, with the Alaskan Independence Party, but its membership has shrunk in recent decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States elections</span>

The 2008 United States elections were held on November 4. Democratic Senator Barack Obama of Illinois won the presidential election, by defeating his challenger, Senator John McCain and the Democrats bolstered their majority in both Houses of Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 United States elections</span>

The 2012 United States elections took place on November 6, 2012. Democratic President Barack Obama won election to a second term, though the Republican Party retained control of the House of Representatives. As of 2020, this is the most recent election cycle in which neither the presidency nor a chamber of Congress changed partisan control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States elections</span>

The 2016 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. Republican nominee Donald Trump defeated Democratic former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the presidential election, while Republicans retained control of Congress. This marked the first and most recent time Republicans won or held unified control of the presidency and Congress since 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1988 United States presidential election in Washington (state)</span> Election in Washington

The 1988 United States presidential election in Washington took place on November 8, 1988. All fifty states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1988 United States presidential election. Voters chose ten electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president. The State of Washington was won by Democratic Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, who was running against incumbent Republican Vice President George H. W. Bush of Texas. Dukakis ran with Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen, and Bush ran with Indiana Senator Dan Quayle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1984 United States presidential election in Oregon</span> Election in Oregon

The 1984 United States presidential election in Oregon took place on November 6, 1984. All fifty states and the District of Columbia were part of the 1984 United States presidential election. Voters chose seven electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue wall (U.S. politics)</span> American political term for states which consistently vote Democrat

"Blue wall" is a term used by political pundits to refer to 18 U.S. states and the District of Columbia that the Democratic Party consistently won in presidential elections between 1992 and 2012. George W. Bush, the only Republican president elected during this time, was able to narrowly win the electoral college in 2000 and 2004 only by winning states outside of the blue wall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">118th United States Congress</span> 2023–2025 meeting of U.S. legislature

The 118th United States Congress is the next meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It is scheduled to meet in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 2023, to January 3, 2025, during the final two years of Joe Biden's first term of presidency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 United States elections</span>

The 2024 United States elections are scheduled to be held, in large part, on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. During this presidential election year, the President of the United States and Vice President will be elected. In addition, all 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives and 34 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate will be contested to determine the membership of the 119th United States Congress. Thirteen state and territorial governorships and numerous other state and local elections will also be contested.

References

  1. Hyslop, Stephen G. (April 5, 1996). Political Geography of the United States. Guilford Press. p. 65-68.
  2. Francis, Daniel. "Far Out on the Left Coast: British Columbia's Sense of Isolation and Belonging". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  3. James Hirsen's Left Coast Report website Archived 2003-07-01 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Today on Ted Rall - Comics by Ted Rall - GoComics". www.gocomics.com. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  5. Ben Patrick Johnson's video blog, Life on the Left Coast Archived 2008-04-07 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Notes from the Left Coast Archived 2009-07-31 at the Wayback Machine .
  7. "America's Next Decade - Forbes" . Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  8. "Left Coast T-Shirt Co, San Luis Obispo, Screenprinting, Embroidery, Promotional Products". www.leftcoasttees.com. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  9. "Routledge Welcomes Left Coast Press - Routledge". Routledge.com. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  10. Monkovic, Toni (22 August 2016). "50 Years of Electoral College Maps: How the U.S. Turned Red and Blue". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  11. Mishanec, Nora (2022-11-22). "Democrats now control all House seats along the Pacific Ocean for first time in memory". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-12-02.