congressional districtCalifornia 46th Congressional District
presidential margin
2004–2024 · Democratic minus Republican
2004R+2.1
2008D+16.4
2012D+20.8
2016D+34.2
2020D+28.2
2024D+16.1
net swing · 2004→2024D+18.2R+2.1 → D+16.1
vs. U.S. · 2024D+17.6D+16.1 vs R+1.5
presidential returns
2024 turnout 51.0% of 446,431 citizens 18+
Year
Democrat
Republican
Others
Total
CVAP
Turnout
2024
128,602
91,855
7,197
227,654
446,431
51.0%
2020
164,171
90,580
5,763
260,514
438,794†
59.4%
2016
130,103
60,760
12,113
202,976
416,345†
48.8%
2012
104,524
67,826
4,391
176,741
389,577†
45.4%
2008
101,137
72,572
587
174,296
372,261†
46.8%
2004
77,759
81,080
3,032
161,871
354,945†
45.6%
† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles from the constituent-county ACS trend anchored to the current figure. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
District by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupCA-46CaliforniaUnited States
Mexican52.9%32.3%11.3%
Salvadoran2.1%2.0%0.7%
Guatemalan1.3%1.3%0.5%
Spanish0.9%0.3%—
Puerto Rican0.7%0.6%1.8%
Colombian0.7%0.3%0.4%
Spaniard0.7%0.3%—
Cuban0.6%—0.7%
German5.4%6.8%12.5%
English5.3%6.3%9.5%
Irish4.4%5.9%9.4%
American3.3%2.8%5.3%
Italian2.6%3.4%4.8%
French1.0%1.3%1.6%
Polish0.9%0.9%2.2%
Scottish0.9%0.9%1.3%
Vietnamese4.6%1.7%0.6%
Chinese2.2%3.9%1.3%
Korean2.1%1.2%0.4%
Filipino1.7%3.3%0.9%
Asian Indian1.3%2.3%1.4%
Japanese0.6%0.6%0.2%
Taiwanese0.3%0.3%—
Pakistani0.2%——
African American†1.6%4.4%9.9%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
CA-46
California
United States
Median age
35.7
37.9
39.1
Age 18–24
8.9%
9.1%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
16.1%
15.6%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
CA-46
California
United States
Median household income
$93,299
$99,122
$84,427
Poverty rate
12.1%
12.0%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
44.1%
36.6%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
CA-46
California
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
46.4%
44.4%
22.3%
Spanish
24.3%
28.4%
13.6%
Other Indo-European
3.6%
3.4%
2.0%
Chinese (incl. Mandarin & Cantonese)
3.2%
3.5%
1.1%
Vietnamese
6.4%
1.5%
0.5%
Religious landscape
Measure
CA-46
California
United States
Catholic
—
26.2%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
9.0%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
55.2%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
California 46th Congressional District
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
−2.1%
2008
+16.4%
2012
+20.8%
2016
+34.2%
2020
+28.2%
2024
+16.1%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Federal officeholders only. State and local officeholders are planned for the next data pass.
Congressional elections · 17 House races · 17 Senate races
U.S. House
Each result reflects the U.S. House district as it was drawn for that election; redistricting has redrawn these lines over time, so they can differ from the current 120th-Congress district shown on the map above.
Source · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL), House. CC-BY 4.0.
Year
District
Won
Democratic
Republican
Total
2024
46
D
63.4%134,013
36.6%77,279
211,292
2022
46
D
61.8%78,041
38.2%48,257
126,298
2020
46
D
68.8%157,803
31.2%71,716
229,519
2018
46
D
69.1%102,278
30.9%45,638
147,916
2016
46
D
100.0%164,593
0.0%0
164,593
2014
46
D
59.7%49,738
40.3%33,577
83,315
2012
46
D
63.9%95,694
36.1%54,121
149,815
2010
46
R
37.8%84,940
62.2%139,822
224,782
2008
46
R
43.1%122,891
52.5%149,818
285,277
2006
46
R
36.7%71,573
59.6%116,176
195,052
2004
46
R
32.6%90,129
61.9%171,318
276,690
2002
46
R
34.5%60,890
61.7%108,807
176,265
2000
46
D
60.2%70,381
35.0%40,928
116,908
1998
46
D
56.4%47,964
39.3%33,388
85,002
1996
46
D
46.7%47,964
45.7%46,980
102,784
1994
46
R
37.2%33,004
57.1%50,616
88,697
1992
46
R
41.0%45,435
50.2%55,659
110,806
U.S. Senate
The statewide Senate race, counted in this district — aggregated from the precinct-level returns that fall inside its boundaries (not a statewide figure).
Votes · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL) precinct returns (CC BY 4.0); aggregated to the district over VEST precinct geometry (CC BY-NC 4.0).
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Total
2024
D
58.1%128,669
41.9%92,831
221,500
2022
D
61.1%6,621,621
38.9%4,222,029
10,843,650
2018
D
100.0%11,113,364
0.0%0
11,113,364
2016
D
100.0%12,244,170
0.0%0
12,244,170
2012
D
62.5%7,864,624
37.5%4,713,887
12,578,511
2010
D
52.2%5,218,441
42.2%4,217,366
10,000,093
2006
D
59.4%5,076,289
35.0%2,990,822
8,541,150
2004
D
57.7%6,955,728
37.8%4,555,922
12,053,242
2000
D
55.8%5,932,522
36.6%3,886,853
10,623,608
1998
D
53.1%4,410,056
43.0%3,575,078
8,311,905
1994
D
46.7%3,979,152
44.8%3,817,025
8,513,916
1992
D
47.9%5,173,467
43.0%4,644,182
10,799,436
1988
R
44.0%4,287,253
52.8%5,143,409
9,743,547
1986
D
49.3%3,646,672
47.9%3,541,804
7,398,462
1982
R
44.8%3,494,968
51.5%4,022,565
7,805,450
1980
D
56.5%4,704,098
37.1%3,091,671
8,324,012
1976
R
46.9%3,502,862
50.2%3,748,973
7,470,586
2024 U.S. Senate — every candidate counted in this district
Adam B Schiff · Democrat58.1%128,669
Steve Garvey · Republican41.9%92,831
CA-46 anchors around Santa Ana and parts of Orange County, a region transformed by decades of Latino population growth. In 2024 the district returned an 18-point Democratic presidential margin, reflecting one of the sharper leftward shifts in Southern California's historically competitive county.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 34.2 points in 2016 and a Republican high of 2.1 points in 2004. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 12.1 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 16.1 points.
A population of 759,104, a 18% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $93,299 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Congressional District 31 and Congressional District 52.
Akashic
Political twins — districts
The congressional districts whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
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California 46th Congressional District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/0646/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
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How did California 46th Congressional District vote in 2024?
In 2024, California 46th Congressional District voted Democratic by 16.1 points (D+16.1), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 227,654 votes cast, 128,602 went Democratic and 91,855 went Republican.
When did California 46th Congressional District last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which California 46th Congressional District voted Republican was 2004.
How many people live in California 46th Congressional District?
California 46th Congressional District has a population of 759,104 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in California 46th Congressional District?
Median household income in California 46th Congressional District is $93,299 — above the national median of $80,734. The California state median is $99,122.
What is the political history of California 46th Congressional District?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in California 46th Congressional District from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 5 went Democratic and 1 went Republican.
