Left Coast

Left Coast is a political expression that implies that the West Coast of the United States leans politically to the left or the expression can refer to states that lean politically left. The implication is that with the exception of Alaska, the states of California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii tend to vote for the Democratic Party, particularly in Coastal California, the Eugene and Portland metropolitan areas in Oregon, the Puget Sound region in Washington, and most of Hawaii. Also, it means that most people who live in the West Coast region have a generally more liberal or progressive attitude than the rest of the country. The phrase plays on the fact that the U.S. West Coast is on the left of the United States when viewing a map with north oriented at the top.[1] The term also applies to British Columbia's place in Canada, for the same reasons.[2]

For other uses, see Left coast (disambiguation).
Map of the US House of Representatives as of the 118th Congress (2023-2025). Every district on the West Coast touching the Pacific Ocean, including Alaska and Hawaii, are represented by Democrats as shown in blue.

In the United States, the expression is used pejoratively by right-leaning people, but proudly by people on the left. Conservative NewsMax columnist James Hirsen writes the "Left Coast Report", which puts down Hollywood celebrities and their scandals as well as providing conservative political commentary.[3] He has also written a book, Tales from the Left Coast: True Stories of Hollywood Stars and Their Outrageous Politics. On the other side, the term is used by cartoonist Ted Rall as the name of his left-leaning political comic strip.[4] Writer, voiceover actor, and gay rights activist Ben Patrick Johnson calls his video blog Life on the Left Coast.[5] Fundraiser and CEO of San Francisco-based nonprofit Tides, Drummond Pike, maintains a CEO blog entitled Notes from the Left Coast.[6]

Definitions

The term is also used in a neutral or non-political sense. The left coast has by far the most workers in STEM professions and will continue to be a leading tech hub for the United States. The gross product of the left coast was approximately $1.2 trillion.[7]

In Canada, the coastal strip of British Columbia, including Vancouver Island, is also referred to as the Left Coast. The use of the term "left coast" is not usually pejorative. For example, at the investiture to the Order of British Columbia of the painter Edward John Hughes by the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, Iona Campagnolo, in April 2006, she stated, "We have all occasionally heard of our beloved coast dismissed as the 'wet coast', the 'left' coast, even the 'rain coast', yet for most of us, these are 'terms of endearment'..."[8][9]

History

Since 1992, the state of California has consistently voted Democratic in presidential elections. In the case of Oregon and Washington, and Hawaii, all three have voted Democratic since the 1988 presidential election.[10]

Virtually no Republicans have statewide office in those states. Oregon and Washington are notable for being so consistent in electing Democratic governors. Additionally, in the 2022 House of Representatives elections, all congressional districts directly bordering the Pacific Ocean (including Alaska and Hawaii) were won by Democrats.[11]

Similarly in Canada, the coastal parts of British Columbia votes consistently for left leaning Members of Parliament such as Liberals and New Democrats, though with some exceptions.

See also

References
  1. Hyslop, Stephen G. (April 5, 1996). Political Geography of the United States. Guilford Press. p. 65-68.
  2. Francis, Daniel. "Far Out on the Left Coast: British Columbia's Sense of Isolation and Belonging". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  3. James Hirsen's Left Coast Report website Archived 2003-07-01 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Today on Ted Rall - Comics by Ted Rall - GoComics". www.gocomics.com. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  5. Ben Patrick Johnson's video blog, Life on the Left Coast Archived 2008-04-07 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Notes from the Left Coast Archived 2009-07-31 at the Wayback Machine.
  7. "America's Next Decade - Forbes". Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  8. "Left Coast T-Shirt Co, San Luis Obispo, Screenprinting, Embroidery, Promotional Products". www.leftcoasttees.com. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  9. "Routledge Welcomes Left Coast Press - Routledge". Routledge.com. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  10. Monkovic, Toni (22 August 2016). "50 Years of Electoral College Maps: How the U.S. Turned Red and Blue". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  11. Mishanec, Nora (2022-11-22). "Democrats now control all House seats along the Pacific Ocean for first time in memory". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
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