The 1966 California gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1966. Incumbent Democratic Governor Pat Brown was defeated in his bid for re-election by Republican nominee and future President Ronald Reagan. As of the 2022 gubernatorial election, this is the last time an incumbent governor of California lost re-election, though one subsequent incumbent governor was recalled.
The 1986 California gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 1986. Incumbent Republican George Deukmejian won easily in this rematch over the Democratic challenger, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley. This was the largest gubernatorial victory since that of Earl Warren in 1946, who won 91.64% of the vote.
The 1861 California gubernatorial election took place on September 4, 1861. Incumbent Governor John G. Downey was not a candidate for renomination, as his Democratic Party had violently ruptured over the issue of slavery and secession. Downey was a Lecompton Democrat, those who favored slavery in the Kansas Territory and who were running as now as the Breckenridge or "Chivalry" Democrats. These Chivalry Democrats supported Attorney General John McConnell. Anti-slavery or anti-secession Democrats were the "Unionist" Democrats who favored John Conness.
The 1970 California gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1970. The incumbent governor, Republican Ronald Reagan, won re-election over Democrat and Speaker of the Assembly Jesse Unruh. This would be the closest victory of Ronald Reagan's entire political career.
The 1962 California gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1962. The Democratic incumbent, Pat Brown, ran for re-election against former U.S. vice president and 1960 Republican presidential nominee Richard Nixon. In his concession speech the following morning, Nixon accused the media of favoring his opponent Brown, stating that it was his "last press conference" and "You won't have Nixon to kick around any more." Six years later, Nixon was elected President of the United States, and exactly ten years after this press conference he was re-elected in a landslide.
The 1958 California gubernatorial election was held on Tuesday November 4. Incumbent governor Goodwin Knight initially ran for re-election to a third term, but eventually withdrew and ran for election to the Senate. Incumbent senator William Knowland switched places with Knight to run for governor, but was defeated in a landslide by Democratic Attorney General Pat Brown, who won the first of his two terms as governor of California.
The 1950 California gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1950. For the last time, Warren was reelected governor in a landslide over the Democratic opponent, James Roosevelt, the son of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The 1946 California gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1946.
The 1942 California gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1942. The election pitted incumbent Democratic Governor Culbert Olson against state Attorney General Earl Warren. Warren won in a landslide to become the 30th governor of California, receiving 57% of the vote to Olson's 42%.
The 1938 California gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1938. Culbert L. Olson defeated incumbent governor Frank F. Merriam to become the first Democrat elected Governor of California since James Budd in 1894. Merriam had angered the left and the right throughout his tenure as governor, leading a significant swing in favor of the Democratic party.
The 1930 California gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1930. For the third consecutive election, the incumbent governor was defeated in the Republican primary. After ousting incumbent C. C. Young in the primary, Mayor of San Francisco James Rolph proceeded to win a landslide over Democratic nominee Milton K. Young. Upton Sinclair was the Socialist nominee for the second consecutive election.
The 1926 California gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1926. After ousting incumbent governor Friend William Richardson in the Republican primary, lieutenant governor C. C. Young defeated Justus S. Wardell in a landslide, sweeping every county in the state, the first time this had occurred in a gubernatorial election in California. Writer and activist Upton Sinclair ran on the Socialist ticket, the first of three consecutive gubernatorial elections in which he appeared on the ballot.
The 1922 California gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1922. California State Treasurer Friend Richardson defeated incumbent Governor William Stephens in the Republican primary while Los Angeles County District Attorney Thomas L. Woolwine defeated Mattison B. Jones in the Democratic primary. Richardson would defeat Woolwine in the general election and would roll back many of the Progressive reforms made by Stephens and his predecessor, Hiram Johnson. Richardson's 59.69% vote share was the largest ever achieved by a gubernatorial candidate in California to that point, though that record would be broken in the next election.
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.
The 1914 California gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1914. Hiram Johnson was elected 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, with Johnson running as the 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. He was re-elected in 1914 as governor on the Progressive Party ticket, nearly tripling his vote from 1910 as a Republican, and was elected and reelected as U.S. senator many times until his death in 1945.
The 1932 United States presidential election in California took place on November 8, 1932 as part of the 1932 United States presidential election. State voters chose 22 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
The 1958 United States Senate election in California was held on November 4, 1958.
The 1898 California gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1898, to elect the governor of California. Republican lawyer Henry Gage defeated Democratic congressman James G. Maguire. For the eighth time in nine elections, the incumbent party failed to retain the governorship. However, that string of flips ended with this election as Republicans won the next nine consecutive gubernatorial elections in California.
The 1894 California gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1894, to elect the governor of California. Democratic former Congressman James Budd narrowly defeated Republican lawyer Morris M. Estee. Estee had previously run for governor in 1882, losing the prior election in a landslide. This was the seventh time in the previous eight gubernatorial elections that the incumbent party was ousted from the governorship.
The 1954 United States Senate special election in California was held on November 2, 1954, to elect a U.S. Senator to complete the unexpired term of Senator Richard Nixon, who resigned on becoming Vice President of the United States following the 1952 presidential election. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Thomas Kuchel, who had been appointed by Governor Earl Warren, won election to the remainder of the term, defeating Democratic nominee Sam Yorty.
