The 2032 RNC: California Bound?

The Republican Party resurgence in California in recent years has gotten the attention of the national party as well as Democrats. In 2024 alone, the CAGOP saw a six figure increase of registered Republicans in only a years time, managed to flip Assembly seats for the first time in a Presidential election year since 1992,  helped passed numerous favored Propositions including the tougher on crime Proposition 36, and in the Senate, the state saw the first presidential year Senate seat flip since 1980.

Even some of the losses were wins, with Steve Garvey having the highest GOP vote total for a Senate candidate since 2010 and Donald Trump having the best showing for a Republican in California since 2004 and the third overall best since 1996. Plus, there was the GOP’s massive gains with critical voters like Latinos and independent voters.

And, so far this year, the GOP has managed to keep going strong in California, with special elections last month in the Assembly and state Senate all going for GOP candidates. The Republican Party is on the rise in California, and many in the party are starting to see the state as a place to grow even further in the coming years. So what is the next step? In recent years, a big step has placing the party National convention there – and for California, it’s about time.

For any party, there hasn’t been a national convention in California since 2000, when the DNC was at the then-Staples Center in Los Angeles. For the Republicans, the last national convention to be in California, or anywhere past the Rockies for that matter, was in 1996, when it was held down in San Diego at the San Diego Convention Center. Both Phoenix and Las Vegas have been considered in recent years, but not California. Since 2008, they have either been in the Great Lakes region (St. Paul 2008, Cleveland 2016, Milwaukee 2024) or the South (Tampa 2012, Charlotte 2020), with the South also getting the next one in Houston in 2028.

But, with the California GOP growing fast, a California city has now become a real option for 2032. Conventions have long a history of going in to help flip states in the near future, like what the DNC did in 1988 in Atlanta or what the GOP did with Minnesota and Wisconsin in 2008 and 2024 respectively. Choosing a California city would be bold to say the least, especially in Newsom or Harris are running that year. It can help flip the state, and if that fails, it is one hell of a statement. It would also help solidify the swing states of Arizona and Nevada similar to previous host selections hoping to solidify regional support.

2032 RNC

And the California Republican Party (CAGOP) told the Globe on Friday that they would be proud to bring the RNC to California in 2032.

“California is seeing a big shift. More and more people are tired of the way Democrats have been running things, and they’re starting to support Republican ideas like safe communities, government accountability, and lower costs,” said California Republican Party Chairwoman Corrin Rankin to the Globe on Friday.  “Having the Republican National Convention in California in 2032 is a real possibility. It would show the whole country that California is not lost, we’re ready to lead again. We’re building momentum, and we’d be proud to bring the GOP convention to our state.”

Houston got a 5 year head start when it was selected in 2023, meaning the 2032 convention will probably get an early selection as well. Lucky for the CAGOP and national party, there is no shortage of sites in California that meet the requirements, as well as the infrastructure of having a major airport, ample hotel rooms, a big convention center/arena to host it, as well as significant other infrastructure to make it run smoothly.

Los Angeles, Anaheim, Long Beach, San Diego, and Sacramento could all easily make the short list. San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose are also possible sites, but the RNC has not really been in support of an overly liberal cities hosting events in recent years, as hilarious as it would be to have San Francisco host the RNC (Well, the second – the 1964 RNC was in San Francisco). Los Angeles and Anaheim would be particularly strong choices, as they would both be coming off Olympic experience as a sort of proof of concept they could do it, not to mention both cities having a ton of arenas/stadiums/convention centers to choose from for venues. San Diego has proven their ability in the past, and Sacramento has not only a relatively new arena, but could be right in Newsom’s backyard. As for Republican experience, both Anaheim and Sacramento alternate hosting CAGOP conventions, meaning some convention infrastructure is in place there already.

As Rankin said, a Californian city getting the 2032 RNC is a real possibility. And Democrats wouldn’t exactly be happy about their crown jewel electoral vote state suddenly having the other party host their convention there.