In California it is because of Catholic immigration, but Reagan would have beat Barack Jimmy Carter, this election anyway, perhaps even taking California, we don’t know.
Reagan was a winner, Romney is a loser.
As a career politician, the liberal Mitt Romney has been running for office for 20 years and has won once, with less than 50%, and left that office with 34% approval, unable to run for reelection (although wanting to), spending 50 to 60 million dollars of his own money on all this anti-conservatism.
Reagan would not win California in 2012. How many Republicans hold office state wide in California? Is there even one?