SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As ballots are still being counted in California, there are uncertain and mixed results for Democrats and progressive ballot initiatives. Some political experts believe it's still too early to say whether or not California is experiencing a 'red wave.'
"I definitely think that it is a surprising result," said Paul Mitchell, Vice President of Political Data.
With Republicans leading the race right now in the Senate, House and Donald Trump projected to be the next president, voters seem to have made a statement, nationally. However, Mitchell says it's still too early to say if that's the case in California.
"We're expecting to see a blue shift as we get closer to full complete count. And so to say now like, hey, it's a red wave would be premature," said Mitchell.
Mitchell believes with more than 16 million ballots still to be counted, California should see a spike in Democratic representation.
"I would say odds are Democrats are going to pick up a couple of these House seats, even though — literally at the moment we're talking — they are behind in all of them," said Mitchell.
Mitchell says the ballots that have yet to be counted are from a specific demographic.
"I think we're going to see more of the late vote comprise of younger voters, renters, minority voters, and those are going to break more democratic," he said.
One of the key groups in California the GOP managed to swing are the Latino voters. Mitchell believes it was fundamental to the success of the Trump campaign.
"Registration rates for Latinos have gotten more Republican. Now, they've gone from 17% or 18% Republican to 21% or 22% Republican," said Mitchell.
While Mitchell says the majority of minority voters in California are still voting Democratic, he believes the Democrats made a key mistake during the election cycle, starting with President Joe Biden.
"Democrats were saying, 'Trump is bad and ... Biden, you know, he can do this,' and then 100 days out switched and said, 'Oh, well, we mean Kamala now. I guess Biden can't do it,'" said Mitchell.
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) also chimed in on the early results saying he's not surprised the working class has abandoned the Democratic Party. He adds the American people are angry and want change while Democratic leadership continues to defend the status quo.
Ultimately, Mitchell says the next few days will show California's continued support for the Democratic Party.
"That late vote looks to be very progressive and very Democratic, and very democratic leaning. We will definitely shift these races 2,3,4,5 points towards the Democratic candidates," he said.
Because of Kamala Harris' loss, experts believe this is the time for many potential nominees to start planning for the 2028 election. Experts believe Governor Gavin Newsom is definitely on that list.
WATCH MORE ON ABC10: What does a second Trump term mean for California?
