Editing West Coast of the United States (section)

===Ideology and party strength===
{{See also|Left Coast|Politics of Alaska|Politics of California|Politics of Hawaii|Politics of Oregon|Politics of Washington (state)}}

In politics, the West Coast usually refers to the contiguous coastal states of California, Oregon, and Washington because of their similar political leanings. In 2017, ''[[The Oregonian]]'' columnist [[David Sarasohn]] described the West Coast as a "[[Blue wall (U.S. politics)|blue wall]]" of shared values on [[Immigration to the United States|immigration]], [[Abortion in the United States|abortion]], [[Climate change in the United States|climate change]], and [[Civil liberties in the United States|civil liberties]].<ref name="West Coast blue wall">{{cite news |last1=Sarasohn |first1=David |title=David Sarasohn: Trump batters against West coast blue wall |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2017/12/david_sarasohn_trump_batters_a.html |work=The Oregonian |access-date=November 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114004555/https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2017/12/david_sarasohn_trump_batters_a.html |archive-date=November 14, 2020 |date=December 3, 2017}}</ref> By 2016, the West Coast states [[Decriminalization of non-medical cannabis in the United States|legalized marijuana]] after California [[Adult Use of Marijuana Act|voted]] to do so.<ref name="Amid tide of red">{{cite news |last1=Fuller |first1=Thomas |last2=Healy |first2=Jack |last3=Johnson |first3=Kirk |title=Amid Tide of Red on Electoral Map, West Coast Stays Defiantly Blue |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/12/us/west-coast-trump.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108122033/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/09/us/politics/marijuana-legalization.html |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |location=San Francisco |date=November 11, 2016}}</ref> According to a 2019 [[Pew Research Center]] poll, 72% of adults in Pacific states said that "climate change is affecting their local community at least some", higher than in any other region in the country.<ref name="Pew climate change">{{cite web |last1=Hefferon |first1=Meg |title=Most Americans say climate change impacts their community, but effects vary by region |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/12/02/most-americans-say-climate-change-impacts-their-community-but-effects-vary-by-region/ |publisher=Pew Research Center |access-date=November 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001112945/https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/12/02/most-americans-say-climate-change-impacts-their-community-but-effects-vary-by-region/ |archive-date=October 1, 2020 |date=December 2, 2019}}</ref>

Since [[1992 United States presidential election|1992]], the three states have voted for [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] in presidential elections without interruption, but Oregon and Washington also voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in [[1988 United States presidential election|1988]].<ref name="50 years of EC">{{cite news |last1=Monkovic |first1=Toni |title=50 Years of Electoral College Maps: How the U.S. Turned Red and Blue |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/23/upshot/50-years-of-electoral-college-maps-how-the-us-turned-red-and-blue.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108141347/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/23/upshot/50-years-of-electoral-college-maps-how-the-us-turned-red-and-blue.html |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |date=August 22, 2016}}</ref> 
[[File:US House 2022.svg|400px|thumb|After the [[2022 United States House of Representatives elections |2022 elections]], the Democratic Party controlled every single Western coastal seat in the [[United States House of Representatives]].]]
In the 2010s, Democrats strengthened their political power along the West Coast. After winning a [[2017 Washington's 45th state senate district special election|special election]] for a seat in the Washington state senate in 2017, Democrats built a [[government trifecta]] in all three West Coast states.<ref name="West Coast trifectas">{{cite news |last1=Weigel |first1=David |title=Democrats now control all branches of state government along the West Coast |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/democrats-now-control-all-branches-of-government-along-the-west-coast/2017/11/09/09b99d78-c406-11e7-aae0-cb18a8c29c65_story.html |access-date=November 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926140000/https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/democrats-now-control-all-branches-of-government-along-the-west-coast/2017/11/09/09b99d78-c406-11e7-aae0-cb18a8c29c65_story.html |archive-date=September 26, 2018 |date=November 9, 2017}}</ref> After the [[2022 U.S. House of Representatives elections]], Democrats controlled all congressional districts touching the Pacific.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mishanec |first=Nora |date=November 22, 2022 |title=Democrats now control all House seats along the Pacific Ocean for the first time in memory |work=San Francisco Chronicle |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/After-key-California-victories-Democrats-control-17604460.php}}</ref>

Hawaii is not usually considered part of the West Coast in the political definition, though it is considered a Democratic stronghold. Before achieving statehood in 1959, Hawaii became a state favorable to Democrats to the point that they sought statehood for the territory. [[Southern Democrats]] opposed the move because it would mean additional votes against their region on several issues.<ref name="Disputes over statehood">{{cite news |last1=Sprunt |first1=Barbara |title=Simmering Disputes Over Statehood Are About Politics And Race. They Always Have Been |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/08/21/902334807/simmering-disputes-over-statehood-are-about-politics-and-race-they-always-have-b |work=NPR News |access-date=November 13, 2020 |date=August 21, 2020}}</ref> Since achieving statehood, Hawaii consistently voted for Democrats in presidential elections, except in [[1972 United States presidential election in Hawaii|1972]] and [[1984 United States presidential election in Hawaii|1984]].<ref name="Slow path to extinction">{{cite news |last1=Eagle |first1=Nathan |title=The Hawaii Republican Party's Slow Path To Extinction |url=https://www.civilbeat.org/2018/08/the-hawaii-republican-partys-slow-path-to-extinction/ |work=Honolulu Civil Beat |access-date=November 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109035716/https://www.civilbeat.org/2018/08/the-hawaii-republican-partys-slow-path-to-extinction/ |archive-date=November 9, 2020 |date=August 7, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Bussewitz |first1=Cathy |title=Chang wins seat, securing all-Democrat Hawaii Senate |url=https://apnews.com/article/09ea30cdac804d48a5d3e54fb50fb035 |work=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=November 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113221748/https://apnews.com/article/09ea30cdac804d48a5d3e54fb50fb035 |archive-date=November 13, 2020 |date=November 9, 2016}}</ref>

Unlike the other West Coast states, Alaska has been a reliable state for Republicans in presidential elections. Since achieving statehood, Alaska has voted for the Democratic presidential candidate only once in [[1964 United States presidential election in Alaska|1964]]. In [[1960 United States presidential election in Alaska|1960]], the state narrowly voted for Republican [[Richard Nixon]] over Democrat [[John F. Kennedy]] and had voted for Republicans uninterrupted since [[1968 United States presidential election in Alaska|1968]].<ref name="Alaska long history">{{cite news |last1=Martinson |first1=Erica |title=Alaska has a long history of voting strongly Republican for president. Will it continue? |url=https://www.adn.com/politics/2016/11/05/alaska-has-a-long-history-of-voting-republican-in-presidential-elections-will-it-continue-this-year/ |work=Anchorage Daily News |access-date=November 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804173203/https://www.adn.com/politics/2016/11/05/alaska-has-a-long-history-of-voting-republican-in-presidential-elections-will-it-continue-this-year/ |archive-date=August 4, 2020 |date=November 5, 2016}}</ref>
All five West Coast states united in voting for Johnson in his 1964 landslide, while in [[1972 United States presidential election|1972]] and [[1984 United States presidential election|1984]], this occurred again as [[Richard Nixon|Nixon]] and [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] got support from all 5.