state senate districtCalifornia 36th State Senate District
presidential margin
2004–2024 · Democratic minus Republican
2004R+22.9
2008R+5.4
2012R+8.4
2016D+4.1
2020D+0.8
2024R+4.0
net swing · 2004→2024D+18.9R+22.9 → R+4.0
vs. U.S. · 2024R+2.5R+4.0 vs R+1.5
presidential returns
2024 turnout 68.6% of 702,799 citizens 18+
Year
Democrat
Republican
Others
Total
CVAP
Turnout
2024
224,762
244,148
13,530
482,440
702,799
68.6%
2020
260,825
256,398
10,190
527,413
691,110†
76.3%
2016
204,201
187,115
23,373
414,689
656,081†
63.2%
2012
180,629
214,738
10,071
405,438
613,834†
66.1%
2008
194,508
216,628
1,024
412,160
586,475†
70.3%
2004
151,350
242,964
5,198
399,512
559,117†
71.5%
† 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
Boundary 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 SD 36CaliforniaUnited States
German9.4%6.8%12.5%
English9.2%6.3%9.5%
Irish7.5%5.9%9.4%
American5.6%2.8%5.3%
Italian4.6%3.4%4.8%
French1.8%1.3%1.6%
Polish1.7%0.9%2.2%
Scottish1.7%0.9%1.3%
Vietnamese9.0%1.7%0.6%
Chinese4.5%3.9%1.3%
Korean4.2%1.2%0.4%
Filipino3.5%3.3%0.9%
Asian Indian2.6%2.3%1.4%
Japanese1.3%0.6%0.2%
Taiwanese0.6%0.3%—
Pakistani0.4%——
Mexican19.3%32.3%11.3%
Salvadoran0.8%2.0%0.7%
Guatemalan0.5%1.3%0.5%
Spanish0.3%0.3%—
Puerto Rican0.3%0.6%1.8%
Colombian0.3%0.3%0.4%
Spaniard0.3%0.3%—
Cuban0.2%—0.7%
African American†1.4%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 SD 36
California
United States
Median age
43.9
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 SD 36
California
United States
Median household income
$116,228
$99,122
$84,427
Poverty rate
8.9%
12.0%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
43.8%
36.6%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
CA SD 36
California
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
46.7%
44.4%
22.3%
Spanish
24.8%
28.4%
13.6%
Other Indo-European
3.6%
3.4%
2.0%
Chinese (incl. Mandarin & Cantonese)
3.2%
3.5%
1.1%
Vietnamese
6.2%
1.5%
0.5%
Religious landscape
Measure
CA SD 36
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 36th State Senate District
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
−22.9%
2008
−5.4%
2012
−8.4%
2016
+4.1%
2020
+0.8%
2024
−4.0%
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.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
R
46.6%Harris224,762
50.6%Trump244,148
2.8%
R+4.0
R+4.9
R+2.5
482,440
D
49.5%Biden260,825
48.6%Trump256,398
1.9%
D+0.8
R+3.3
R+3.6
527,413
D
49.2%Clinton204,201
45.1%Trump187,115
5.6%
D+4.1
D+12.5
D+2.0
414,689
R
44.6%Obama180,629
53.0%Romney214,738
2.5%
R+8.4
R+3.0
R+12.3
405,438
R
47.2%Obama194,508
52.6%McCain216,628
0.2%
R+5.4
D+17.6
R+12.6
412,160
R
37.9%Kerry151,350
60.8%Bush242,964
1.3%
R+22.9
—
R+20.5
399,512
current representation
Current officeholders
RTony StricklandState Senate · 36
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
California's 36th Senate District has shifted toward competitive territory, with its 2024 presidential result landing at R+1.2 — a narrow margin that signals genuine volatility in a state where such outcomes remain rare.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 4.1 points in 2016 and a Republican high of 22.9 points in 2004. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 4.9 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 4.0 points.
A population of 986,403, a 42% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $116,228 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State Senate District 37 and State Senate District 40.
Akashic
Political twins — state-senate districts
The state-senate 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 →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
California 36th State Senate District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/06036/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did California 36th State Senate District vote in 2024?
In 2024, California 36th State Senate District voted Republican by 4.0 points (R+4.0), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 482,440 votes cast, 224,762 went Democratic and 244,148 went Republican.
When did California 36th State Senate District last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which California 36th State Senate District voted Democratic was 2020.
How many people live in California 36th State Senate District?
California 36th State Senate District has a population of 986,403 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in California 36th State Senate District?
Median household income in California 36th State Senate District is $116,228 — above the national median of $80,734. The California state median is $99,122.
What is the political history of California 36th State Senate District?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in California 36th State Senate District from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 2 went Democratic and 4 went Republican.
