Throughout your piece, experts described the state of the G.O.P. in California as slouching toward irrelevance. Is there anything coming up that might hint at which direction it will now take?

I would take a look at the race for a new party chair. Moderate Republicans are arguing the party needs to move away from Mr. Trump, particularly on issues like immigration and global warming. But one of the most well-known candidates for state chair, Travis Allen, told me he thought the party was moving in the right direction and needed to continue its embrace of Mr. Trump. It’s not easy: While it might make sense for the party to distance itself from the president, that is not going to play well with many in the base who like Mr. Trump.

How realistic is the formation of a new, more moderate third party in California?

The easier path for Republicans wanting to make California a two-party state again — because, frankly, it really is not right now — is to figure out a way to rebuild the existing party. But there are Republicans I spoke to, like Kristin Olsen, the former Assembly minority leader, who says it might be time to just head out and create a third party. It’s worth keeping an eye on over the next year.

California Online

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