1946 California gubernatorial election

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1946 California gubernatorial election
Flag of California (1924-1953).png
  1942 November 5, 1946 1950  
  Earl Warren Portrait, half figure, seated, facing front, as Governor (cropped 3x4).jpg 3x4.svg
Nominee Earl Warren Henry R. Schmidt
Party Republican Prohibition
Alliance Democratic
Popular vote2,344,542180,579
Percentage91.64%7.06%

1946 California gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
County results
Warren:     80–90%     >90%

Governor before election

Earl Warren
Republican

Elected Governor

Earl Warren
Republican

The 1946 California gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1946.

Contents

It is notable for the incumbent Governor, Earl Warren, being nominated by both the Republican and Democratic parties. [1] Subsequently, Warren won re-election effectively unopposed, receiving more than 90% of the vote. He was the first Governor of the state to win two elections since Hiram Johnson in 1914.

Primary election results

Republican primary

The Republican primary occurred on June 5, 1946. Incumbent Governor Earl Warren won 91.10% of the vote.

Republican primary results [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Earl Warren (incumbent) 774,502 91.10%
Republican Robert W. Kenny 70,3318.27%
Republican William E. Riker 5,3590.63%
Total votes850,192 100.00%

Democratic primary

The Democratic primary occurred on June 5, 1946. Despite being a Republican, Earl Warren won 51.93% of the vote and the Democratic nomination.

Democratic primary results [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Earl Warren 593,180 51.93%
Democratic Robert W. Kenny 530,96846.49%
Democratic A. Beldon Gilbert9,8650.86%
Democratic William E. Riker 8,1750.72%
Total votes1,142,188 100.00%

Prohibition primary

Prohibition primary results [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Prohibition Henry R. Schmidt 1,786 100.00%
Total votes1,786 100.00%

General election results

1946 California gubernatorial election [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Earl Warren (incumbent) 2,344,542 91.64% +34.57%
Prohibition Henry R. Schmidt180,5797.06%+6.58%
Independent Archie Brown (write-in) [lower-alpha 1] 22,6060.88%
Independent James Roosevelt (write-in) [lower-alpha 2] 3,2100.13%
Independent Robert W. Kenny (write-in)1,6360.06%
Independent Albert Clark (write-in)8350.03%
Independent Robert W. Long (write-in)6790.02%
Scattering4,3120.17%
Majority2,163,96384.58%
Total votes2,558,399 100.00%
Republican hold Swing +76.20%

Results by county

CountyEarl Warren
Republican
Henry R. Schmidt
Prohibition
Archie Brown
Communist
All Others [lower-alpha 3]
Write-in
MarginTotal votes cast [3]
# %# %# %# %# %
Alameda 179,86488.32%19,4579.55%3,7761.85%543 [lower-alpha 4] 0.27%160,40778.77%203,640
Alpine 10698.15%21.85%00.00%00.00%10496.30%108
Amador 2,41692.39%1907.27%00.00%90.34%2,22685.12%2,615
Butte 12,53494.13%7825.87%00.00%00.00%11,75288.25%13,316
Calaveras 2,50794.78%1355.10%00.00%30.11%2,37289.68%2,645
Colusa 2,75095.52%1294.48%00.00%00.00%2,62191.04%2,879
Contra Costa 44,66889.92%3,9217.89%1,0102.03%770.16%40,74782.03%49,676
Del Norte 2,13895.02%1124.98%00.00%00.00%2,02690.04%2,250
El Dorado 3,88692.52%3147.48%00.00%00.00%3,57285.05%4,200
Fresno 48,15192.05%4,0517.74%900.17%20 [lower-alpha 5] 0.04%44,10084.30%52,312
Glenn 3,29395.23%1554.48%70.20%3 [lower-alpha 6] 0.09%3,13890.75%3,458
Humboldt 14,44695.03%6774.45%00.00%790.52%13,76990.57%15,202
Imperial 7,16793.91%4465.84%00.00%190.25%6,72188.06%7,632
Inyo 2,33794.42%1255.05%00.00%130.53%2,21289.37%2,475
Kern 32,49792.37%2,6087.41%00.00%780.22%29,88984.95%35,183
Kings 7,51293.88%4725.90%00.00%180.22%7,04087.98%8,002
Lake 3,01694.55%1645.14%00.00%100.31%2,85289.40%3,190
Lassen 3,56593.94%2235.88%00.00%7 [lower-alpha 7] 0.18%3,34288.06%3,795
Los Angeles 988,71090.57%81,3017.45%13,9491.28%7,670 [lower-alpha 8] 0.70%907,40983.12%1,091,630
Madera 5,57592.22%4577.56%00.00%130.22%5,11884.67%6,045
Marin 19,91295.15%7623.64%00.00%2521.20%19,15091.51%20,926
Mariposa 1,49294.85%754.77%60.38%00.00%1,41790.08%1,573
Mendocino 7,04893.92%3734.97%00.00%831.11%6,67588.95%7,504
Merced 11,26394.48%6585.52%00.00%00.00%10.60588.96%11,921
Modoc 1,84694.86%1005.14%00.00%00.00%1,74689.72%1,946
Mono 50294.36%305.64%00.00%00.00%47288.72%532
Monterey 20,67495.67%8343.86%00.00%1010.47%19,84091.81%21,609
Napa 10,78695.30%5224.61%00.00%100.09%10,26490.69%11,318
Nevada 6,48393.75%4326.25%00.00%00.00%6,05187.51%6,915
Orange 51,05893.13%3,6166.60%00.00%1510.28%47,44286.53%54,825
Placer 9,20992.33%7657.67%00.00%00.00%8,44484.66%9,974
Plumas 3,65293.28%2606.64%00.00%3 [lower-alpha 9] 0.08%3,39286.64%3,915
Riverside 33,19392.44%2,5527.11%00.00%1620.45%30,64185.33%35,907
Sacramento 54,14591.64%4,4647.56%3850.65%890.15%49,68184.09%59,083
San Benito 3,80796.80%1263.20%00.00%00.00%3,68193.59%3,933
San Bernardino 55,87492.07%4,5007.41%2270.37%880.15%51,37484.65%60,689
San Diego 115,66693.48%8,0746.52%00.00%00.00%107,59286.95%123,740
San Francisco 220,34492.15%16,7166.99%2,0560.86%00.00%203,62885.16%239,116
San Joaquin 37,29193.90%2,2905.77%1030.26%300.08%35,00188.13%39,714
San Luis Obispo 12,27794.16%6985.35%00.00%640.49%11,57988.80%13,039
San Mateo 47,67294.80%2,1834.34%3310.66%990.20%45,48990.46%50,285
Santa Barbara 22,30695.11%1,0204.35%00.00%1280.55%21,28690.76%23,454
Santa Clara 62,64194.28%3,3935.11%4100.62%00.00%59,24889.17%66,444
Santa Cruz 17,22494.22%9655.28%00.00%920.50%16,25988.94%18,281
Shasta 7,86294.45%4475.37%150.18%00.00%7,41589.08%8,324
Sierra 83695.65%374.23%00.00%10.11%79991.42%874
Siskiyou 7,50494.31%4535.69%00.00%00.00%7,05188.61%7,957
Solano 21,60994.93%1,1555.07%00.00%00.00%20,45489.85%22,764
Sonoma 22,69294.15%1,2195.06%1720.71%200.08%21,47389.09%24,103
Stanislaus 21,60892.67%1,6286.98%570.24%24 [lower-alpha 10] 0.10%19,98085.69%23,317
Sutter 4,48694.66%2535.34%00.00%00.00%4,23389.32%4,739
Tehama 3,83692.66%3047.34%00.00%00.00%3,53285.31%4,140
Trinity 1,79993.80%1095.68%00.00%100.52%1,69088.11%1,918
Tulare 23,36193.50%1,5876.35%00.00%360.14%21,77487.15%24,984
Tuolumne 4,30195.24%2034.50%120.27%00.00%4,09890.74%4,516
Ventura 19,01290.74%1,3406.40%00.00%6012.87%17,67284.34%20,953
Yolo 7,71994.28%4205.13%00.00%480.59%7,29989.15%8,187
Yuba 4,41493.38%2956.24%00.00%180.38%4,11987.14%4,727
Total2,344,54291.64%180,5797.06%22,6060.88%10,6720.42%2,163,96384.58%2,558,399

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Notes

  1. Affiliated with Communist Party
  2. Affiliated with Democratic Party
  3. These votes were Scattering unless otherwise noted in each county
  4. 247 for Kenny, 102 for Clark
  5. 2 for Roosevelt, 13 for Clark
  6. 2 for Kenny, 1 for Long
  7. 7 for Kenny
  8. 3,203 for Roosevelt, 1,370 for Kenny, 716 for Clark, 674 for Long
  9. 3 for Kenny
  10. 5 for Roosevelt, 7 for Kenny, 4 for Clark, 4 for Long

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References

  1. Newton, Jim (October 22, 2006). "The Earl Warren precedent". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 California Secretary of State. State of California Statement of Vote Primary Election June 4, 1946. Sacramento, California: State Printing Office. p. 4. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  3. 1 2 California Secretary of State. State of California Statement of Vote General Election November 5, 1946. Sacramento, California: State Printing Office. p. 4. Retrieved July 20, 2024.