1918 California gubernatorial election

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1918 California gubernatorial election
Flag of California (1911-1924).png
  1914 November 5, 1918 1922  
  William Dennison Stephens (1859-1944) portrait circa 1917 (cropped).jpg Theodore A. Bell LCCN2014693255 (cropped 2).jpg
Nominee William Stephens Theodore Arlington Bell
Party Republican Independent
Alliance Prohibition
Progressive
Popular vote387,547251,189
Percentage56.27%36.47%

1918 California gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
County results
Stephens:      40–50%     50–60     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%
Bell:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%

Governor before election

William Stephens
Republican

Elected Governor

William Stephens
Republican

The 1918 California gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1918. William Stephens had defeated James Rolph for the Republican nomination and won the general election in a landslide after Rolph was denied the Democratic Party's nomination. Stephens was the first governor elected with an absolute majority of the vote since Henry Gage in 1898 and won the highest share of the vote since Frederick Low in 1863.

Contents

Primary election

San Francisco mayor James Rolph, a Republican, cross-filed in both the Republican and Democratic primaries, won the Democratic primary, and received the most overall votes of any candidate in the primary election across all parties. However, because he failed to win his own party's nomination, he was barred from receiving the Democratic nomination thanks to the 1917 Hawson amendment to California electoral law, leaving the Democratic Party without a candidate. Incumbent Republican governor William Stephens won the Republican, Prohibition, and Progressive nominations. The only other primary candidate to advance to the general election was Socialist Henry H. Roser, running unopposed.

Republican primary results [1] [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican William Stephens 169,942 44.99%
Republican James Rolph 146,99038.91%
Republican J. O. Hayes24,6766.53%
Republican Walter Bordwell17,0384.51%
Republican Charles Fickert 13,2593.51%
Republican C. A. A. McGee4,0141.06%
Republican Francis J. Heney 1,5390.41%
Republican Thomas Lee Woolwine 2760.07%
Republican Henry H. Roser80.00%
Total votes377,742 100.00%
Democratic primary results [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic James Rolph 74,955 43.76%
Democratic Francis J. Heney 60,66235.41%
Democratic Thomas Lee Woolwine 28,87916.86%
Democratic William Stephens 6,2573.65%
Democratic J. O. Hayes3090.18%
Democratic Charles Fickert 910.05%
Democratic Walter Bordwell730.04%
Democratic C. A. A. McGee540.03%
Democratic Henry H. Roser100.01%
Total votes171,290 100.00%
Prohibition primary results [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Prohibition William Stephens 12,853 96.97%
Prohibition Francis J. Heney 1571.18%
Prohibition James Rolph 970.73%
Prohibition Walter Bordwell530.40%
Prohibition Thomas Lee Woolwine 350.26%
Prohibition J. O. Hayes310.23%
Prohibition Charles Fickert 210.16%
Prohibition C. A. A. McGee70.05%
Prohibition Henry H. Roser10.01%
Total votes13,255 100.00%
Progressive primary results [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Progressive William Stephens 5,142 53.44%
Progressive Francis J. Heney 3,41835.52%
Progressive James Rolph 9801.18%
Progressive J. O. Hayes260.27%
Progressive Walter Bordwell180.19%
Progressive Thomas Lee Woolwine 170.18%
Progressive Charles Fickert 130.14%
Progressive C. A. A. McGee60.06%
Progressive Henry H. Roser20.02%
Total votes9,622 100.00%
Socialist primary results [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Socialist Henry H. Roser 7,931 85.43%
Socialist James Rolph 7047.58%
Socialist Francis J. Heney 3824.11%
Socialist William Stephens 2142.31%
Socialist J. O. Hayes290.31%
Socialist Thomas Lee Woolwine 190.20%
Socialist Walter Bordwell30.09%
Socialist Charles Fickert 10.01%
Socialist C. A. A. McGee10.01%
Total votes9,284 100.00%

After the Democrats were left without a nominee, Theodore Arlington Bell, who had been the Democratic nominee for governor in 1906 and 1910, entered the race as an independent. His second-place finish in the general election indicated that Democrats regarded him as their de facto candidate.

General election results

1918 California gubernatorial election [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican William Stephens (incumbent) 387,547 56.27% +26.92%
Independent Theodore Arlington Bell 251,18936.47%
Socialist Henry H. Roser29,0034.21%−1.26%
Republican James Rolph (write-in)20,6052.99%
Scattering3260.05%
Majority136,35819.80%
Total votes688,670 100.00%
Republican hold Swing -0.54%

Results by county

CountyWilliam D. Stephens
Republican
Theodore A. Bell
Independent
Henry H. Roser
Socialist
James Rolph
Write-in
Scattering
Write-in
MarginTotal votes cast [3]
# %# %# %# %# %# %
Alameda 42,27656.72%27,33236.67%4,2885.75%6190.83%180.02%14,94420.05%74,533
Alpine 5682.35%913.24%34.41%00.00%00.00%4769.12%68
Amador 93346.39%88744.11%452.24%1467.26%00.00%462.29%2,011
Butte 3,63755.01%1,49622.63%2363.57%1,23518.68%70.11%2,14132.39%6,611
Calaveras 90555.52%65039.88%563.44%00.00%191.17%25515.64%1,630
Colusa 1,20054.05%72232.52%512.30%24711.13%00.00%47821.53%2,220
Contra Costa 4,53950.69%3,77842.19%5345.96%1031.15%00.00%7618.50%8,954
Del Norte 58564.36%26829.48%525.72%00.00%40.44%31734.87%909
El Dorado 95041.36%68129.65%753.27%59125.73%00.00%26911.71%2,297
Fresno 15,60766.99%6,67928.67%9444.05%670.29%00.00%8,92838.32%23,297
Glenn 1,68559.06%75726.53%772.70%33111.60%30.11%92832.53%2,853
Humboldt 5,97465.25%2,31725.31%4675.10%3894.25%90.10%3,65739.94%9,156
Imperial 2,74868.61%1,06626.62%1884.69%00.00%30.07%1,68242.00%4,005
Inyo 74464.64%31527.37%887.65%00.00%40.35%42937.27%1,151
Kern 5,89452.58%4,89743.68%4133.68%00.00%60.05%9978.89%11,210
Kings 3,28667.93%1,37528.43%1623.35%130.27%10.02%1,91139.51%4,837
Lake 1,03258.80%61935.27%874.96%00.00%170.97%41323.53%1,755
Lassen 1,06856.18%44423.36%824.31%30716.15%00.00%62432.82%1,901
Los Angeles 106,19863.78%54,03132.45%6,0943.66%630.04%1210.07%52,16731.33%166,507
Madera 1,76360.50%99434.11%1384.74%170.58%20.07%76926.39%2,914
Marin 2,81146.59%2,96149.08%2614.33%00.00%00.00%-150-2.49%6,033
Mariposa 60554.65%43939.66%585.24%50.45%00.00%16615.00%1,107
Mendocino 2,78052.17%2,28142.80%2685.03%00.00%00.00%4999.36%5,329
Merced 2,75163.62%1,33730.92%2084.81%280.65%00.00%1,41432.70%4,324
Modoc 93060.74%42827.96%543.53%1157.51%40.26%50232.79%1,531
Mono 11456.44%6733.17%209.90%10.50%00.00%4723.27%202
Monterey 3,73962.97%1,95432.91%1883.17%570.96%00.00%1,78530.06%5,938
Napa 1,80532.31%3,51162.84%1652.95%1061.90%00.00%-1,706-30.54%5,587
Nevada 1,89952.23%87524.06%1353.71%72719.99%00.00%1,02428.16%3,636
Orange 9,19273.17%2,98523.76%3843.06%00.00%20.02%6,20749.41%12,563
Placer 1,97844.23%93720.95%1212.71%1,43632.11%00.00%542 [lower-alpha 1] 12.12%4,472
Plumas 54051.28%25123.84%504.75%21220.13%00.00%28927.45%1,053
Riverside 7,18174.71%2,02121.03%4104.27%00.00%00.00%5,16053.68%9,612
Sacramento 9,00443.64%5,51726.74%4382.12%5,67527.50%00.00%3,329 [lower-alpha 1] 16.13%20,634
San Benito 1,22756.94%85839.81%552.55%140.65%10.05%36917.12%2,155
San Bernardino 9,89969.56%3,90927.47%4222.97%00.00%00.00%5,99042.09%14,230
San Diego 16,33365.07%7,61830.35%1,1324.51%120.05%50.02%8,71534.72%25,100
San Francisco 36,09935.96%56,72656.51%5,2495.23%2,3022.29%60.01%-20,627-20.55%100,382
San Joaquin 9,47557.10%5,77634.81%7134.30%6303.80%00.00%3,69922.29%16,594
San Luis Obispo 3,12859.21%1,80634.19%3496.61%00.00%00.00%1,32225.02%5,283
San Mateo 3,90947.16%3,81746.05%4225.09%1381.66%30.04%921.11%8,289
Santa Barbara 4,69967.32%1,91527.44%3515.03%00.00%150.21%2,78439.89%6,980
Santa Clara 13,16759.53%8,07736.52%6993.16%1550.70%190.09%5,09023.01%22,117
Santa Cruz 4,01461.83%1,86328.70%2163.33%3996.15%00.00%2,15133.13%6,492
Shasta 1,94955.35%93726.61%1785.06%45012.78%70.20%1,01228.74%3,521
Sierra 37954.38%18125.97%223.16%11316.21%20.29%19828.41%697
Siskiyou 2,19648.49%1,36030.03%2164.77%75716.71%00.00%83618.46%4,529
Solano 3,25443.88%3,49747.15%2353.17%4305.80%00.00%-243-3.28%7,416
Sonoma 5,25841.77%6,69653.20%3662.91%2582.05%90.07%-1,438-11.42%12,587
Stanislaus 6,45966.92%2,79528.96%3463.58%480.50%40.04%3,66437.96%9,652
Sutter 1,09350.37%49522.81%562.58%52624.24%00.00%567 [lower-alpha 1] 26.13%2,170
Tehama 1,96361.73%73122.99%1243.90%36211.38%00.00%1,23238.74%3,180
Trinity 47552.37%24527.01%606.62%12714.00%00.00%23025.36%907
Tulare 8,92771.46%3,02524.21%5114.09%00.00%300.24%5,90247.24%12,493
Tuolumne 1,26356.18%82736.79%1576.98%10.04%00.00%43619.40%2,248
Ventura 3,24366.59%1,46530.08%1573.22%00.00%50.10%1,77836.51%4,870
Yolo 1,76547.07%1,23833.01%711.89%67618.03%00.00%52714.05%3,750
Yuba 96444.06%45120.61%562.56%71732.77%00.00%247 [lower-alpha 1] 11.29%2,188
Total387,54756.27%251,18936.47%29,0034.21%20,6052.99%3260.05%136,35819.80%688,670

Counties that flipped from Progressive to Independent

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 Margin over Rolph

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 California Secretary of State. Statement of Vote at Primary Election held on August 27, 1918 in the State of California. Sacramento, California: State Printing Office. pp. 4–8. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  2. Melendy, H. Brett (1964). "California's Cross-Filing Nightmare: The 1918 Gubernatorial Election". Pacific Historical Review . 33 (3). University of California Press: 317–330. doi:10.2307/3636839. ISSN   0030-8684. JSTOR   3636839.
  3. 1 2 California Secretary of State. Statement of Vote at General Election held on November 5, 1918 in the State of California. Sacramento, California: State Printing Office. p. 7. Retrieved July 19, 2024.