//‘The most misunderstood state’: why California’s not as liberal as you think

‘The most misunderstood state’: why California’s not as liberal as you think

Biden easily won the state, but votes for Congress and on gig work and affirmative action tell a different story

It took mere minutes after California polls closed on election night for networks to call the state for Joe Biden. Millions of votes in America’s most populous state were still to be counted, but Biden’s wide victory in California was guaranteed – the state is, after all, seen as a liberal bastion.

But zoom in on its sprawling 58 counties, and the solid-blue picture of California is blurred. Even with a rousing race for the White House luring new voters to the ballot box this year, congressional conservatives held on to their seats and Republicans are poised to pick up more in close races they lost in