Thinking about the fact that candidates are actually campaigning in California despite having a very late primary, I’m wondering how the state could have more of an impact on the rest of the country.

Almost 1 out of every 8 people in the U.S. is Californian (~12%)¹ and if California were a separate country it would have the 8th largest economy in the world, but it doesn’t seem like we have a proportional say.

Hollywood probably magnifies cultural dominance (and accentuates the cultural divide with the rest of the country) but it’s scarcely a substitute for true political power.

Which got me thinking again about how partitioning the state would probably make it more relevant to national politics.

Partitioning states is very rare but has precedent. Kentucky and West Virginia were both carved out of Virginia and Maine seceded from Massachusetts. I know there have been many failed attempts at dividing large states like Texas and California, but I wonder if someday it might actually happen.