Inside the California GOP civil war after crushing midterm wipeout

California Republicans are blaming one another after major midterm losses left Democrats with a legislative supermajority and the party facing a leadership change. The defeat has exposed years of internal conflict over strategy, candidate support and fundraising, with party figures arguing that the divisions weakened Republicans.

The party may have lost as many as eight legislative seats, and Republican Assembly Leader Alexandra Macedo lost a traditionally safe Central Valley district to Democrat Hipolito Angel Cerros. Republicans will send four members to Congress; Gavin Newsom is due to hand the governorship to Xavier Becerra. Fundraising disputes include more than $6 million raised by Carl DeMaio’s Reform California since early 2025, over $32 million for the Proposition 39 campaign across two years, and $3.2 million raised by the state party by mid-October. Some Republicans blame poor coordination and spending; others accuse DeMaio of bullying candidates and pursuing his own political aims.