Californians Have Started a Movement to Secede

California Secession
Shutterstock
Shutterstock

A movement called "Calexit," named after Brexit, has been gaining momentum on social media since Tuesday evening when Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election.

The movement, which existed prior to the election and held a rally Wednesday in Sacramento, seeks to have California secede the United States and exist as its own country. The state, which overwhelmingly voted against president-elect Trump, holds the world's sixth largest economy in terms of GDP.  

Leading the way for the movement is the Yes California Independence Campaign. It assembled long before the election with the goal of holding a referendum in 2019.

Shervin Pishevar, an angel investor who was an early backer of Uber and Hyperloop One, previously said on Twitter that he would bankroll the campaign on Twitter and he reaffirmed that pledge to CNBC on Wednesday. 

"Yes, it's serious. It's the most patriotic thing I can do," Pishevar told CNN Money. "The country is [at] a serious crossroads." He added that he hopes the movement sparks a "national dialogue" with the country at a "tipping point."

Other Silicon Valley investors have since joined in, including Dave Morin, investor and founder or Path, as well as Marc Hemeon, former Google employee and founder/CEO of Design Inc.

The reactions on social media spanned from excitement about a "New California," as Pishevar called it, to disappointment in a divisionist response.

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Dustin Nelson is a News Writer with Thrillist. He holds a Guinness World Record, but has never met the fingernail lady. He’s written for Sports Illustrated, Men’s Journal, The Rumpus, and other digital wonderlands. Follow him @dlukenelson.