America
Democrats Want Out!
More in blue states say they’re open to secession.
S BY MATTHEW LYSIAK
ecession movements, tra- ditionally linked to conserva- tive strongholds, have taken on a new and unexpected
color: blue. Democrats — once firm supporters
of federal unity — are increasingly open to considering a national breakup. In at least 10 states — mainly coast-
al and urban strongholds — they are openly discussing or actively support- ing secession from the United States. Recent polls show strong support
for secession among Republicans, especially in the South, where 66% of GOP voters were open to forming a separate nation. However, the election, which
brought Donald Trump back to power along with a Republican-controlled Congress, changed the narrative as Democrats, who once dismissed seces- sion as a fringe idea, are now leading the conversation. A 2025 YouGov poll found that 47%
of West Coast Democrats and 39% of Northeastern Democrats are at least somewhat supportive of secession, a sharp increase from just 6% in 2021. Overall, about 40% of Joe Biden vot-
ers have considered a national breakup. Progressive activists, local leaders,
and everyday citizens are debating the idea of seceding from a nation they see as heading toward autocracy, including: The Cascadia movement, active in
parts of Washington and Oregon, has gained momentum among left-leaning advocates supporting an independent region based on progressive principles like social equity and indigenous rights. In New York state, Sen. Liz Krueger,
who chairs the New York State Sen- ate Finance Committee, proposed in
November that her state and its north- eastern neighbors join Canada. A 2024 YouGov poll found that 28%
of New Yorkers are open to secession, with Democrats significantly more like- ly to support it than Republicans. However, no state has driven the movement more than California. Recent polling shows that 44% of resi- dents would support a ballot measure promoting peaceful, legal secession. The Yes California Independence Committee, which supports peaceful sep- aration, is gathering the signatures need- ed for a 2026 ballot initiative to formally consider California’s independence. CalExit, an organization “dedicated
to educating the public about the facts around California independence,” has recently seen a surge in interest, according to founder Mar- cus Ruiz Evans. He says that separation
is necessary because the federal government no lon- ger reflects the interests of the people in the state, a trend that the actions of the second Trump administration have accelerated. “California values are totally dif-
fornia paid approximately $692 billion in federal taxes while receiving $609 billion in federal funding, resulting in a negative balance of about $83 billion. While California may currently be
the most prominent secession move- ment, smaller-scale efforts for complete independence, creating a new state, or merging with an existing one also continue in Republican strongholds across parts or all of New Mexico, New Hampshire, Louisiana, Washington, and Pennsylvania. However, despite the growing pas-
sion, these secession movements face tough obstacles. The Supreme Court’s 1869 ruling in
About
of Biden voters have considered a national breakup.
40%
ferent from American values, and they have been that way for a long time,” Evans told Newsmax, citing the state’s view on immigration policy and LGBTQ issues, neither of which cur- rently align with federal priorities, as prime examples of why residents have become disillusioned with the current administration. Furthermore, California contributes
more in federal taxes than it receives in federal spending. According to a 2022 Rockefeller Institute of Government report, Cali-
Texas v. White made it clear that states cannot unilaterally secede without approval from other states or a consti- tutional change — a nearly impossible hurdle, accord- ing to Ryan D. Griffiths, a Syracuse University pro- fessor and author of The Disunited States: Threats of Secession in Red and Blue America and Why They
Won’t Work. “Secessionism usually fails, and
when it works it does so in specific cir- cumstances where you have a unique and nationally distinct population that is regionally concentrated, with clear lines of division, and a specific admin- istration status that doesn’t apply to the rest of the country,” said Griffiths. “When we started in 2015 and began discussing California as a nation state, everyone laughed. No one is laughing now,” said Evans. “The pressure has been building for years, and secession could be a way to reduce some of that stress in hopes of avoiding an ugly alternative.”
SEPTEMBER 2025 | NEWSMAX 21
NERTHUZ©ISTOCK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100
