The politics in the Salinas, CA Metro Area are varied and diverse. There are several local councils and governing bodies that work to ensure the area remains vibrant and prosperous. The County Board of Supervisors (BOS) is the highest elected body in the county, with five members elected from districts to represent their constituents in various areas of policymaking. The City Councils of both Salinas and Marina, along with other local municipalities, make decisions on local issues such as taxes, land use regulation, zoning, public safety services, infrastructure development, economic development programs and more. Additionally, there are a number of special purpose districts such as water agencies and school boards which help to provide quality services to residents in these communities. These entities work collaboratively to create a better environment for residents and businesses throughout the region.
The political climate in Salinas Metro Area is very liberal.
In Salinas Metro Area 69.5% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 28.2% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 2.2% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, the Salinas metro area remained overwhelmingly Democratic, 69.5% to 28.2%.
The Salinas metro area voted Democratic in every Presidential election since 2000.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Salinas Metro Area is very liberal.
California is strongly liberal.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index is based on recent voting in national elections, federal campaign contributions by local residents, and consumer personality profiles.
VoteWord™
Displaying 20 years of Presidential voting, visualized in one word.
Salinas, California: D D D D D D
How It Works:
Here at BestPlaces, we were looking at the voting patterns since the 2000 election and realized that we could express the results of each election as one letter. R if the Republican Party candidate won, D for the Democrat and I for the Independent. The six elections (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) would be expressed as six-letter word (R R D R R).
Then we went a little further and added the dimension of magnitude. If the difference of victory was greater than 10 percent, the letter is upper case, and lower case if the difference was less than 10 percent. This allows us to see interesting voting patterns at just a glance.
Here's the VoteWord for Iowa d r d d r. In the last six elections the state has been closely contested, voting narrowly for the Republican Party candidate in 2016 and 2020 after voting for the Democratic Party in 2008 and 2012. Virginia (r r d d d D) has voted for the Democratic Party in the last four elections.
Individual Campaign Contributions in Salinas Metro Area
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 36,248 contributions totaling $3,800,659 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $105 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 5,494 contributions totaling $1,915,628 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $349 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)