‘We want Trump’ chants break out in line for buses to rally
People line up to get on buses to be taken to a rally for Former President Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday in Coachella.
The enthusiasm among former President Donald Trump’s supporters at a rare California campaign rally on Oct. 12 was impossible to miss. Thousands endured triple-digit temperatures and long lines, spent hours in their cars driving to the eastern Coachella Valley site, and outfitted themselves in head-to-toe MAGA gear.
Yet among the state’s vulnerable Republican candidates — including those locked in heated races defending their U.S. House seats — the enthusiasm was notably muted, highlighting the precarious tightrope the GOP must walk in the deep-blue Golden State.
As registered California Democrats surpass Republicans nearly 2-to-1, Trump’s chance of winning the state’s 54 electoral votes is virtually nil. But control of the House in 2025 could hinge on a handful of hyper-competitive California districts, all controlled by vulnerable Republicans.
But only one attended the rally, longtime area Rep. Ken Calvert. Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Steve Garvey cited a conflicting event for his absence. Embattled Reps. Michelle Steel, Mike Garcia, David Valadao and John Duarte chose to forgo the rally to attend local canvassing and community events.
And though state GOP Chair Jessica Patterson did travel to Calhoun Ranch near Coachella to deliver remarks at the rally, there was little fanfare about the visit from the party or Republican officials. The party didn’t post about the rally whatsoever on its social media pages, instead highlighting local get-out-the-vote events.
What did Trump hope to accomplish through California event?
Trump has never captured more than 34% of the vote in California, and is widely expected to lose again. Latest polling from University of California Berkeley released Friday gives Harris a 22-point lead over Trump, with 57% of the vote to Trump’s 35%, while the Public Policy Institute of California’s September poll suggested an even wider 31-point margin between the two.
In a state where Trump is persona non grata for the majority of voters, his California stop raised many eyebrows. Perhaps he was angling to appeal to Latino voters? Or to attack his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, on her home turf? Or maybe it was a get-out-the-vote play, given the competitive undercard races in Southern California?
Patterson suggested it was the latter.
“I think that he is looking to make a difference in the next four years as president, and he can’t do that without a house majority and the House Majority comes right through California,” she told CapRadio Friday.
Democrats, too, underplayed the visit, though a Harris-Waltz campaign representative criticized Trump’s rally, contrasting it with Harris’ schedule for the day, which included helping volunteers pack up relief supplies for victims of Hurricane Helene.
“That’s the kind of leadership that you see from her right now, while Donald Trump is going to Coachella, California, which is not exactly a Trump stronghold for him electorally,” senior spokesperson for the Harris-Waltz campaign Ian Sams said in an interview with CNN. “Because he wants attention for himself, he wants to have a big rally with attention for himself.”
Who was willing to show up?
Yet if Trump wanted his time in California to boost Republican incumbents in the five most competitive House races, it appears only one candidate took him up on the offer. Calvert took several days to confirm to The Desert Sun whether he would attend the event held approximately two hours east of his hometown. He took the stage for a three-minute address, railing against Harris and California economic policies and only mentioning Trump for 30 seconds of the speech.
“Donald Trump is going to provide economic opportunities for American families across this great nation, including in our state,” he said, before urging people to register to vote.
Calvert’s 41st congressional district is the only one of the five competitive races that went to Trump in 2020, but recent polling by a trio of Southern California universities shows him neck-and-neck with Democratic challenger Will Rollins. In the other districts — California’s 13th, 22nd, 27th and 45th districts — topline poll results show Democrats in slight leads over Republican incumbents.
Kathryn Palmer is an elections fellow for USA TODAY. Reach her at kapalmer@gannett.com and follow her on X @KathrynPlmr.
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Publish date : 2024-10-15 03:20:00
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