“Six Californias” Wouldn't Help Republicans: Study

Dividing blue California into six states wouldn't do much to improve the lots of Republicans hoping to gain more sway and political seats under a new proposal to split up the state, according to a new study,

Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper is the one pushing the idea that 38 million people is many for a single state. He's vying to get his "Six Californias" proposal on the 2016 ballot, where voters would decide whether to back his idea that splitting the state could be a solution to California's governing woes.

But even a state with a capital in San Diego or Fresno -- as "South California" and "Central California" might have, respectively -- would send mostly Democrats to Washington, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times about a study from a pair of UC Berkeley researchers. 

Of the six Californians, only "South California," which could include Orange County as well as San Diego and San Bernandino, would be "highly competitive" between the two parties. Central California would be a tossup -- as would "Jefferson," the land of Humboldt County marijuana growers as well as small-government activists.

The researchers, Jack Citrin and Ethan Rarick, based their guess on election returns from those areas.

All that said, the likelihood of Draper's measure passing is near-zero, the newspaper reported.

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