For much of U.S. history, California enjoyed an almost mythical place in the American consciousness. It was a land blessed with unmatched natural beauty and resources, and a place of opportunity that only the American West could offer.

But now, the California Dream devolves into a nightmare, as the Golden State has been ruined by decades of dreadful Democratic Party mismanagement. Radical policies have made life a misery for most Californians, and that sun-kissed land has become Paradise Lost.

American Greatness just polled the key battleground state of Arizona and asked voters there about their neighboring state. Only 18% reported that California is on the “right track.” The same poll, conducted by TIPP Insights, shows the presidential race in Arizona in a dead heat between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

As such, making deeply unpopular California an issue could well move enough votes in a tight race to prove determinative. This issue carries particular weight in Arizona and Nevada, because both of those swing states have large populations of California refugees — smart citizens who fled the cultural and political radicalism of California.

This theme can resonate nationwide, though, if Trump himself and those of us advocating for his reelection frame the issue properly, backed by the facts of life in Harris’s home state. The systemic problems of California have been created by a cabal of leftist politicians that includes Harris herself, plus Rep. Nancy Pelosi, and Gov. Gavin Newsom. These Bay Area politicians are deeply unpopular in America, especially away from the coasts. Therefore, the GOP can find political opportunity by highlighting California’s failed economy, declining culture, and globalist open border.

Economy

California has the highest poverty rate in America, per the calculations of the U.S. Census Bureau. That fact might surprise a lot of Americans, who would likely guess a southern or Appalachian state would claim that dubious title.

But the sky-high costs of living in California force masses there into the morass of poverty. Regarding that cost of living, consider that a gallon of gasoline presently costs $4.66 per gallon in California, the highest in the nation, compared to Tennessee, where gas is 37% cheaper at $2.86 per gallon. Such outlandish premiums may not matter much to Harris and Newsom, who are driven about in government cars at taxpayer expense, but such costs create stark anxiety for a struggling single mom with a long commute to work.

In addition, the fiscal profligacy of California serves as an echo of the damage Harris and President Joe Biden have wrought in Washington D.C. regarding nightmarish levels of overspending and debt. Californians now face a nearly $50 billion state deficit for the annual budget. In fact, the deficit has ballooned so massively there, that the budget shortfall soared to twice the level officially predicted just months ago. So, unless you prefer widespread poverty and crushing debt, it would be best for the rest of America to run away from the California model.

Culture

In California, a child can effectively switch sexes at school, and teachers and other educational officials may not notify the student’s parents of that life-altering decision. Here is NPR’s reporting on this lunacy: “The new law comes after several school districts in California passed policies requiring that parents be notified if a child requests to change their gender identification. That led to pushback by Democratic state officials, who say students have a right to privacy.”

In radical California, children are viewed primarily as the concerns of the state, rather than families — and the state will push toxic ideas upon vulnerable children simply to advance a radical ideology that sexualizes young children and rejects the reality of two immutable sexes. So, unless you want your little son Tommy to secretly become Tammy at school, it is probably best to repel the California way.

Tragically, Californians also deal with rampant crime, as leftist, Soros-backed prosecutors and Democrat politicians coddle criminals, even violent ones. Last year, there were 31,071 criminal acts of homicide or assault with a firearm in California, compared to 19,427 such acts in 2019, a stunning +60% surge in the most violent crimes since the Covid panic. Kamala Harris’s hometown of Oakland just reported the most stolen cars in history for the year 2023.

Migrants

The California legislature moved to give illegal migrants in the state up to $150,000 in taxpayer money to buy homes. Though Gov. Newsom stymied the measure, it received the enthusiastic support of Rep. Nancy Pelosi during her interview on Bill Maher’s show. More than any other Democrat powerbroker, Pelosi is responsible for moving Biden aside to hand Kamala Harris the nomination. Where does Harris stand on this radical plan, this reward to the masses who trespassed into America under her watch, ostensibly guarding America?

A significant number of those illegal migrants are not from Latin America. In just the last year and a half, over 55,000 Chinese nationals have crossed the U.S. southern border, primarily near the San Diego border area. Who are these Chinese migrants, and how could we possibly vet them? How many are Chinese Communist Party spies? In truth, we have no idea, yet they stream into Kamala’s California.

Given these harsh realities, no wonder the sensible citizens of Arizona insist on policies that contravene California’s. For much of U.S. history, California served as a magnet for ambitious dreamers. Those settlers established a land of plenty and opportunity amid topographical wonder. But California now leads America in migration out of the state.

It has become paradise lost.

Steve Cortes is former senior advisor to President Donald Trump, former commentator for Fox News and CNN, and president of the League of American Workers, a populist right pro-laborer advocacy group.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.