1914 California gubernatorial election

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1914 California gubernatorial election
Flag of California (1911-1924).png
  1910 November 3, 1914 1918  
  Souvenir of the unveiling, dedication and presentation of the Abraham Lincoln G. A. R. memorial monument - dedicated to the veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865, at Long Beach, California, July 3rd, (14576262447).jpg JohnDFredericks 3x4.jpg
Nominee Hiram Johnson John D. Fredericks
Party Progressive Republican
Popular vote460,495271,990
Percentage49.69%29.35%

  J. B. Curtin 1913.png Noble Asa Richardson portrait crop.jpg
Nominee John B. Curtin Noble A. Richardson
Party Democratic Socialist
Popular vote116,12150,716
Percentage12.53%5.47%

1914 California gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
County results
Johnson:      30–40%     40–50%     50–60%
Fredericks:      30–40%     40–50%

Governor before election

Hiram Johnson
Progressive

Elected Governor

Hiram Johnson
Progressive

The 1914 California gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1914. The election saw Hiram Johnson re-elected in 1914 as governor of California on the Progressive Party ticket, nearly tripling his vote total from the 1910 California gubernatorial election.

Contents

Johnson was first elected governor in 1910 as a member of the Republican Party. Dissatisfaction with the conservatism of the William Howard Taft administration led many Republicans to join former President Theodore Roosevelt's Progressive Party. Johnson then ran as the Progressive Party's vice-presidential nominee in the 1912 presidential election. Despite losing the election, and winning California by fewer than 200 votes, Johnson was supremely popular in California.

Hiram Johnson became the first governor of California to be reelected since John Bigler in 1853, although he would not serve out his second term, resigning in 1917 to assume the United States Senate seat he had won in 1916. This was the first gubernatorial election in which Kern County, Glenn County, Lake County, [a] and Madera County did not back the Democratic candidate. It was also the first gubernatorial election since 1855 in which Colusa County, Mariposa County, and Merced County were not carried by a Democrat. This election ushered in a four decade period of Republican dominance in the state's gubernatorial races that was only interrupted once in 1938.

Progressive Party primary

Early in 1914, it was not immediately clear if Hiram Johnson would run for reelection as governor, run for the upcoming senate seat, or retire from public office. [1] On January 6, 1914 Johnson announced that he would indeed run for reelection under the banner of the Bull Moose Party. [2] Following this announcement, Hiram Johnson and other members of the Bull Moose Party began a massive voter registration campaign, to get potential voters to register as Progressives. [3]

Johnson officially kicked off his campaign in Los Angeles, where he gave a speech to a large crowd at the Simpson Auditorium. [4] There was no party competition against the popular Hiram Johnson, as he ran for governor unopposed and secured his nomination on August 26, 1914. [5]

Advertisement telling Republican voters to switch to the Progressive Party Register as a Progressive and do it now.jpg
Advertisement telling Republican voters to switch to the Progressive Party

Republican primary

Early in the year, John D. Fredericks announced that he was willing to run for governor, but qualified the statement by stating that he was willing to acquiesce to another qualified candidate. [6] The Republican party would fight an uphill battle due to losing the popular Hiram Johnson to the Progressive party. Republican stalwarts met at Santa Barbara in February of 1914, to discuss their strategy for the upcoming elections. Phillip A. Stanton and Leroy Wright lead the meeting, which was sponsored by Rudolph Spreckels. [7]

Fredericks spent over $14,000 on his primary campaign, a considerable amount compared to his primary opponents. 12,000 of those dollars were contributed from outside sources. [8]

General election campaign

While the campaigns were traveling across the state to appeal to the voters, there were efforts behind the scenes to stop several candidates from appearing on the general election ballots entirely due to a quirk in the laws regarding California's primary system.

The state Attorney General Ulysses S. Webb, was asked by Frank C. Jordan, the Secretary of State to clarify whether candidates can be on the November ballot, if they lose a primary election. Webb ruled that

"If a registered Progressive, seeking Republican and Democratic nominations, obtains the Progressive nomination, his name will go on the ballot, according to Webb's ruling, even though be loses the Republican and Democratic nominations. On the other hand, if he should lose the Progressive and gain both of the other nominations, he is out of the running and cannot even be an independent candidate. [9] "

As a result, members of the Republican Party threatened to file suit against the State if they allowed any progressive to run in the general election if they lost another party's primary, as the law indicated, "a candidate losing any party nomination shall not get on the November ballot." [10]

This greatly concerned members of the Progressive Party, many of whom cross-filed as Republicans, such as John Eshleman and Friend W. Richardson. [11]

General election results

1914 California gubernatorial election [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Progressive Hiram W. Johnson (incumbent) 460,495 49.69% +3.75%
Republican John D. Fredericks 271,99029.35%−16.59%
Democratic John B. Curtin 116,12112.53%−27.61%
Socialist Noble A. Richardson50,7165.47%−6.92%
Prohibition Clinton P. Moore27,3452.95%+1.45%
Scattering220.00%
Majority188,50520.34%
Total votes926,689 100.00%
Progressive hold Swing +14.55%

Results by county

CountyHiram W. Johnson
Progressive
John D. Fredericks
Republican
John B. Curtin
Democratic
Noble A. Richardson
Socialist
Clinton P. Moore
Prohibition
Scattering
Write-in
MarginTotal votes cast [12]
# %# %# %# %# %# %# %
Alameda 47,32053.73%25,61229.08%7,9689.05%5,8006.59%1,3781.56%00.00%21,70824.65%88,078
Alpine 3132.63%4244.21%1717.89%44.21%11.05%00.00%-11-11.58%95
Amador 1,31137.88%1,04130.08%92926.84%1053.03%752.17%00.00%2707.80%3,461
Butte 6,20948.82%3,35726.39%1,89814.92%7295.73%5254.13%10.01%2,85222.42%12,719
Calaveras 1,29136.85%99028.26%93526.69%2085.94%792.26%00.00%3018.59%3,503
Colusa 1,22934.34%86624.20%1,20833.75%1403.91%1363.80%00.00%21 [b] 0.59%3,579
Contra Costa 6,96654.86%3,05024.02%1,65713.05%8656.81%1601.26%00.00%3,91630.84%12,698
Del Norte 49343.44%35531.28%16814.80%817.14%383.35%00.00%13812.16%1,135
El Dorado 1.15536.74%99231.55%74323.63%1875.95%662.10%10.03%1635.18%3,144
Fresno 14,09550.81%4,96417.90%5,56620.07%2,0857.52%1,0293.71%00.00%8,529 [b] 30.75%27,739
Glenn 1,52943.31%1,08030.59%63317.93%1373.88%1474.16%40.11%44912.72%3,530
Humboldt 6,20252.87%3,69631.51%8307.08%8697.41%1331.13%00.00%2,50621.36%11,730
Imperial 3,46155.13%1,25519.99%87313.91%4376.96%2524.01%00.00%2,20635.14%6,278
Inyo 87640.07%60127.49%25811.80%37817.29%733.34%00.00%27512.58%2,186
Kern 7,59048.84%3,80724.49%3,17820.45%7714.96%1961.26%00.00%3,78324.34%15,542
Kings 1,86232.38%2,09236.38%1,13319.70%3536.14%3115.41%00.00%-230-4.00%5,751
Lake 61224.33%90035.79%58723.34%28311.25%1335.29%00.00%-288-11.45%2,515
Lassen 1,13345.93%60224.40%40016.21%2178.80%1154.66%00.00%53121.52%2,467
Los Angeles 119,82453.58%65,48429.28%18,3318.20%11,1294.98%8,8793.97%50.00%54,34024.30%223,652
Madera 1,35838.83%71220.36%1,09331.26%2035.80%1313.75%00.00%265 [b] 7.58%3,497
Marin 4,06548.04%3,07136.29%87110.29%4124.87%430.51%00.00%99411.75%8,462
Mariposa 63841.70%22914.97%55736.41%593.86%473.07%00.00%81 [b] 5.29%1,530
Mendocino 3,08738.45%2,68133.39%1,58519.74%5046.28%1722.14%00.00%4065.06%8,029
Merced 2,29739.45%1,40224.08%1,47025.25%4066.97%2474.24%00.00%827 [b] 14.20%5,822
Modoc 93040.75%53223.31%60926.69%1376.00%743.24%00.00%32114.07%2,282
Mono 18741.74%12327.46%7115.85%5412.05%132.90%00.00%6414.29%448
Monterey 3,53143.67%2,69733.36%1,31316.24%2733.38%2713.35%00.00%83410.32%8,085
Napa 3,23441.13%3,07739.13%1,09813.96%3164.02%1381.76%00.00%1572.00%7,863
Nevada 2,83053.70%94918.01%1,10120.89%2955.60%951.80%00.00%1,729 [b] 32.81%5,270
Orange 7,30441.72%6,09634.82%2.18412.47%8154.66%1,1096.33%00.00%1,2086.90%17,508
Placer 3,84659.03%1,41621.73%70510.82%3755.76%1732.66%00.00%2,43037.30%6,515
Plumas 1,04252.36%52726.48%23211.66%1567.84%331.66%00.00%51525.88%1,990
Riverside 6,33748.87%4,02631.05%1,1468.84%7545.81%7055.44%00.00%2,31117.82%12,968
Sacramento 16,95458.00%8,66129.63%2,2847.81%9653.30%3671.26%00.00%8,29328.37%29,231
San Benito 1,23440.77%1,18439.11%45415.00%1013.34%541.78%00.00%501.65%3,027
San Bernardino 8,78741.07%7,63435.68%2,0969.80%1,3676.39%1,5107.06%00.00%1,1535.39%21,394
San Diego 14,15240.49%14,36541.10%2,8648.19%1,8795.38%1,6944.85%10.00%-213-0.61%34,955
San Francisco 72,25754.70%36,60627.71%16,16712.24%6,3464.80%7230.55%40.00%35,65126.99%132,103
San Joaquin 8,89844.48%5,75928.79%3,84819.24%8054.02%6943.47%00.00%3,13915.69%20,004
San Luis Obispo 3,30348.48%1,89027.74%98214.41%4576.71%1812.66%00.00%1,41320.74%6,813
San Mateo 5,20854.76%2,83929.85%1,00210.54%3924.12%690.73%00.00%2,36924.91%9,510
Santa Barbara 3,95242.42%2,76029.63%1,67517.98%5475.87%3824.10%00.00%1,19212.80%9,316
Santa Clara 14,26747.05%10,79235.59%3,33711.01%1,1083.65%8132.68%40.01%3,47511.46%30,321
Santa Cruz 4,23245.23%2,81430.07%1,41715.14%5405.77%3543.78%00.00%1,41815.15%9,357
Shasta 2,71145.68%1,56726.40%81113.66%64010.78%2063.47%00.00%1,14419.28%5,935
Sierra 56846.33%41033.44%14912.15%725.87%272.20%00.00%15812.89%1,226
Siskiyou 2,66341.66%1,74727.33%1,34220.99%4837.56%1572.46%00.00%91614.33%6,392
Solano 5,46751.05%2,83726.49%1,67915.68%5445.08%1831.71%00.00%2,63024.56%10,710
Sonoma 7,69340.36%6,94536.44%2,96715.57%1,0305.40%4262.23%00.00%7483.92%19,061
Stanislaus 5,24543.74%2,20118.36%2,53021.10%8767.31%1,1389.49%00.00%2,715 [b] 22.64%11,990
Sutter 1,08334.33%1,46346.37%39712.58%973.07%1143.61%10.03%-380-12.04%3,155
Tehama 2,10841.29%1,22924.07%1,08421.23%3947.72%2905.68%00.00%87917.22%5,105
Trinity 65041.94%39925.74%26717.23%21113.61%231.48%00.00%25116.19%1,550
Tulare 6,48042.56%3,47922.85%3,34922.00%1,3698.99%5473.59%00.00%3,00119.71%15,224
Tuolumne 1,38539.25%49013.88%1,30937.09%3018.53%441.25%00.00%76 [b] 2.15%3,529
Ventura 2,78741.58%2,64939.53%82412.29%2954.40%1462.18%10.01%1382.06%6,702
Yolo 2,38339.51%1,91331.71%1,35322.43%2313.83%1522.52%00.00%4707.79%6,032
Yuba 2,15354.15%1,03325.98%58714.76%1293.24%741.86%00.00%1,12028.17%3,976
Total460,49549.69%271,99029.35%116,12112.53%50,7165.47%27,3452.95%220.00%188,50520.34%926,689

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Progressive

Counties that flipped from Progressive to Republican

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Notes

  1. Lake County was carried by the Southern Democratic candidate in 1861
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Margin over Curtain

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References

  1. "AUGURY OF SUCCESS". Napa Weekly Journal. January 2, 1914. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  2. "Johnson Out for Re-election FIGURES SHOW S.F. GAIN". San Francisco Call. January 6, 1914.
  3. "Governor Johnson is going after the voters". Salinas Index Journal. January 3, 1914. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  4. "JOHNSON FIRES THE FIRST GUN". Healdsburg Tribune. February 19, 1914. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  5. "CURTIN, JOHNSON, FREDERICKS WILL HEAD LEADING TICKETS Race is Close Between Conley and Angellotti.— Phelan, Heney and Knowland for United States Senate.— Maddux and Ferguson for State Senate.— Ellis Wins Nomination for Member of Assembly". Livingston Chronicle. August 29, 1914. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  6. "FREDERICKS IS WILLING Los Angeles Attorney Says He Is Ready to Make Republican Race for Governor". Riverside Daily Press. January 8, 1914. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  7. "OLD GUARD CONTROLS AT SANTA BARBARA Leroy Wright and Phil Stanton Are Managing Republican Conference. Program Will Evidently Suit General Otis of Times Fine". Riverside Daily Press. February 7, 1914. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  8. "FREDERICKS SPENT $14,896 TO GET G. O. P. NOMINATION Los Angeles Candidate Files Expense Account That Heads the Idst". San Mateo Leader. September 17, 1914. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  9. "A MUDDLE OF THE PRIMARY LAW". Chico Record. August 20, 1914. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  10. "A MUDDLE OF THE PRIMARY LAW". Chico Record. August 20, 1914. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  11. "BULL MOOSE MAY LOSE CANDIDATES Primary Law May Bar From November Election Those Defeated in Any Party Fight. REPUBLICANS TO TEST LAW Courts Will Be Asked for Mandamus Writs to Keep Names Off Final Ballot". Sacramento Daily Union. August 15, 1914. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  12. 1 2 California Secretary of State. Statement of Vote at the General Election held November 3, 1914 in the State of California. Sacramento, California: State Printing Office. p. 8. Retrieved July 18, 2024.