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Former President Barack Obama has declared that the mid-term elections in November will give Americans the chance, in his words, to "restore some sanity" by changing the control of Congress. (September 8)
AP

Former President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign to support California Congressional candidates on September 8, 2018, in Anaheim, California.(Photo: AP)

ANAHEIM, Calif. – One of the country's biggest battlefields has just attracted the biggest Democratic star, former President Barack Obama.

The question now is whether the party can capitalize on the visit to maintain the momentum needed to win congressional seats in November.

Obama's appearance Saturday – only his second after President Donald Trump's tear in a speech from Illinois – reflects how high stakes are in California's Orange County, known for Disneyland, surfing and right-wing politics.

"I am absolutely convinced that these candidates will win," Obama told a cheering crowd at the Anaheim Convention Center, surrounded by a crowd of Congressional hopefuls. But Republicans, who boast about two-thirds of the elected positions in the county – from Congress to local water boards – have their own plans for victory, backed by a strong economy.

It's the county that has long been theirs. Richard Nixon was born here, the airport bears the name of John Wayne and was the political base of colorful conservatives, like the old rep. Robert "B-1 Bob" Dornan.

Little by little, the Democrats have made inroads. Orange County has experienced an influx of Latino and Asian immigrants and is home to more and more high-tech companies with their white-collar workforce.

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After registering an 18.5-point advantage in 1999, Republicans saw their margin rise to 2.7 percentage points in May, according to the California Secretary of State's office. The biggest political shock occurred in the 2016 presidential election, when Orange County voters chose Hillary Clinton for Trump.

The goal for the Democrats now is to echo the anti-Trump sentiment and make themselves known in November.

"The big blue wave starts here in Orange County." Eric Bauman, chairman of the California Democratic Party, told hundreds of supporters before Obama's speech.

Among the congressional contests, one of the closest seems to be the one between Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher and Democratic challenger Harley Rouda. In June, the Los Angeles Times reported that the two men were locked in a dead heat.

Expect closer races. Given the trends in registration, Democrats are expected to head Orange County by 2020, predicts Fred Smoller, professor of political science at Chapman University in Orange, California. He said that immigrants are "much more moderate in their opinions," he said, leading them to join Democrats.

Republicans say that they are not worried. While Democrats are trying to accept the anti-Trump vote, the county's Republican party is trying to lure voters into issues closer and closer to home. In particular, officials say voters will be incentivized to forego the revival of the gas tax, passed by the California legislature controlled by the Democrats, to repair the roads. The question has already called for a state legislator through a reminder.

"Democrats have only one room to recover power and this is the House," said Fred Whitaker, president of the Orange County Republican Party. "Our constituents are so angry at what's happening in Sacramento."

It is the Democrats, he adds, who face a "gap of enthusiasm".

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