Without much fanfare, a California interest group staged a recent press conference in the state’s capital of Sacramento to announce its intention to form its own state.

The name is simple. They plan to call it New California, an area composed mostly of rural areas with a population of about 15 million. The heavily populated coastal areas would remain as California they say, describing the region as tyrannical and ungovernable, following “years of over taxation, regulation, and mono-party politics.”

The group predicts that New California will be the sixth largest state behind New York, and bigger than Illinois and Pennsylvania. It also says 25 to 27 seats in the House of Representatives will go to New California, with ‘old’ California becoming the second most populous state in the U.S. behind Texas and ahead of Florida. The “old” state also would lose those seats in the House.

“New California will demonstrate a governance system as modeled by the U.S. Declaration of Independence, Constitution and the Bill of Rights,” the group noted.

Such a “Calexit” idea is not new. A group called Yes California Independence was founded last year shortly after President Trump was elected. Four years ago, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist collected signatures to split the Golden State into a half-dozen states.

It’s an idea that draws an interested but wary reaction from fellow citizens.

“The founders of ‘New California’ read their Declaration of Independence in a hopeful step toward eventual statehood. A quarter of Americans think sections of states should have the right to secede and form a new state,” says a new Rasmussen poll. “While nearly one-third thinks we’ll be seeing more states breaking up in the future, it doesn’t mean they think it will be good for the United States.”

The survey finds that 26 percent of Americans think sections of individual states have the right to secede and form a new state. Fifty-one percent disagree and don’t think states should have that right, while 23 percent are not sure.

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