Before Trump, arguably the best known celebrity-turned-politician was Arnold Schwarzenegger, being elected governor of California as a Republican following the 2003 recall of then-governor Gray Davis. Schwarzenegger was initially vulnerable going into his reelection bid, as a special election in 2005 that pit Schwarzenegger against public employee unions and legislative Democrats resulted in a total defeat for Schwarzenegger, with voters rejecting all of his proposals* and his approval rating seeing a significant decline as a result. However, in a rare move for a politician, Schwarzenegger publically apologized and (more commonly following a stinging defeat) moved to the center by working with Democrats in the legislature. This bipartisanship and "his ability to learn from his mistakes" helped Schwarzenegger's political comeback, as by October, most polls showed him winning re-election comfortably. It is worth noting, however, that Schwarzenegger was also helped by his Democratic opponent, Phil Angelides. Angelides faced a brutal Democratic primary over his support of raising taxes on the rich, attacks the Schwarzenegger campaign picked up on after the primary. While Angelides tried to tie Schwarzenegger to the Iraq War and George W. Bush, as Barbara O'Connor, a political analyst at Cal State Sacramento, told NPR: "voters just don't see [Schwarzenegger] as a hardcore Republican partisan". In the end, Schwarzenegger saw the comeback polls predicted, winning re-election in a landslide 17% victory. Schwarzenegger's strength came from rural areas, suburbs, and some Democratic-leaning urban areas, although he primarily won by dominating among centrist voters, while Angelides did best in Los Angeles and the Bay Area. As of 2025, this is the last time Republicans won an election statewide (in conjunction with the concurrent Insurance Commissioner race) or were elected Governor of California. 

In 2016, California voted on retiring Senator Barbara Boxer's (D) replacement. The blanket primary saw California Attorney General Kamala Harris and Representative Loretta Sanchez of the 46th District, both Democrats, advance to the general election, marking the first (but not the last) time Republicans were locked out of a Senate race in California. Following the primary, polls consistently showed Harris in the lead by double digits, and the general election reflected that reality. Despite efforts to appeal to Republicans and broaden a base of support, Sanchez lost to Harris by over 20 points. However, Sanchez was able to win her Orange-County-based district by 17.5%, doing best in the western and southern portions of the district. This success did not translate across the county, however, as Harris won Orange by slightly less than 10%. With her victory, Harris made history as the first biracial woman elected to the Senate.

For over a century, Los Angeles County Sheriffs had been continuously re-elected and, for an even longer streak, had not been Democrats. However, in 2018 that all changed. Four years prior, voters had elected Jim McDonnell (U*) after the department was rocked by a jail abuse corruption scandal that resulted in the conviction of former Sheriff Lee Baca and 20 other officials. Following a settlement with the DOJ in 2015 over discriminatory misconduct from LASD officers in Lancaster & Palmdale prior to his tenure, McDonnell agreed to implement reforms to the Sheriff's office, such as improved training and a new policy regarding the use of force. Going into his re-election bid, McDonnell was heavily favored to win, at least until he was forced into an unexpected runoff against retired sheriff's lieutenant Alex Villanueva, despite the latter's lack of funding and name recognition. On the campaign trail, McDonnell touted the reforms made during his tenure, boosted by support from four out of five county supervisors, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, former L.A. Police Chief Charlie Beck, and L.A. County District Attorney Jackie Lacey. However, Villanueva countered that McDonnell hadn't done enough to reform the scandal-ridden department and pledged he would "clean house". Likewise, McDonnell wasn't the only one with powerful backers, as Villanueva received the support of the L.A. County Democratic Party and the Association of Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriffs union.