California state elections in 2018 were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, with the primary elections being held on June 5, 2018. Voters elected one member to the United States Senate, 53 members to the United States House of Representatives, all eight state constitutional offices, all four members to the Board of Equalization, 20 members to the California State Senate, and all 80 members to the California State Assembly, among other elected offices.
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, which along with the United States House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the legislature of the United States. The Senate chamber is located in the north wing of the Capitol, in Washington, D.C.
The United States House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they comprise the legislature of the United States.
The State Board of Equalization (BOE) is a public agency charged with tax administration and fee collection in the state of California in the United States. The authorities of the Board fall into four broad areas: sales and use taxes, property taxes, special taxes, and acting as an appellate body for franchise and income tax appeals. The BOE is the only publicly elected tax commission in the United States. The board is made up of four directly elected members, each representing a district for four-year terms, along with the State Controller, who is elected on a statewide basis, serving as the fifth member. In June 2017, Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation stripping the Board of many of its powers, returning the agency to its original core responsibilities.
Pursuant to Proposition 14 passed in 2010, California uses a nonpartisan blanket primary. All the candidates for the same elected office, regardless of respective political party, run against each other at once during the primary. The candidates receiving the most and second-most votes in the primary election then become the contestants in the general election.
A nonpartisan blanket primary is a primary election in which all candidates for the same elected office, regardless of respective political party, run against each other at once, instead of being segregated by political party. It is also known as a jungle primary, or qualifying primary. In most cases there are two winners who advance to the general election, which must be a normal first-past-the-post election, in this case it is called a top-two primary.
Incumbent Democrat Dianne Feinstein won re-election.
Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein is an American politician serving as the senior United States Senator from California. She took office on November 4, 1992. A member of the Democratic Party, Feinstein was Mayor of San Francisco from 1978 to 1988.
United States Senate election in California, 2018 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Primary election | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
Democratic | Dianne Feinstein (incumbent) | 2,947,035 | 44.2 | |
Democratic | Kevin de León | 805,446 | 12.1 | |
Republican | James P. Bradley | 556,252 | 8.3 | |
Republican | Arun K. Bhumitra | 350,815 | 5.3 | |
Republican | Paul A. Taylor | 323,533 | 4.9 | |
Republican | Erin Cruz | 267,494 | 4.0 | |
Republican | Tom Palzer | 205,183 | 3.1 | |
Democratic | Alison Hartson | 147,061 | 2.2 | |
Republican | Rocky De La Fuente | 135,278 | 2.0 | |
Democratic | Pat Harris | 126,947 | 1.9 | |
Republican | John "Jack" Crew | 93,806 | 1.4 | |
Republican | Patrick Little | 89,867 | 1.3 | |
Republican | Kevin Mottus | 87,646 | 1.3 | |
Republican | Jerry Joseph Laws | 67,140 | 1.0 | |
Libertarian | Derrick Michael Reid | 59,999 | 0.9 | |
Democratic | Adrienne Nicole Edwards | 56,172 | 0.8 | |
Democratic | Douglas Howard Pierce | 42,671 | 0.6 | |
Republican | Mario Nabliba | 39,209 | 0.6 | |
Democratic | David Hildebrand | 30,305 | 0.5 | |
Democratic | Donnie O. Turner | 30,101 | 0.5 | |
Democratic | Herbert G. Peters | 27,468 | 0.4 | |
No party preference | David Moore | 24,614 | 0.4 | |
No party preference | Ling Ling Shi | 23,506 | 0.4 | |
Peace and Freedom | John Thompson Parker | 22,825 | 0.3 | |
No party preference | Lee Olson | 20,393 | 0.3 | |
Democratic | Gerald Plummer | 18,234 | 0.3 | |
No party preference | Jason M. Hanania | 18,171 | 0.3 | |
No party preference | Don J. Grundmann | 15,125 | 0.2 | |
No party preference | Colleen Shea Fernald | 13,536 | 0.2 | |
No party preference | Rash Bihari Ghosh | 12,557 | 0.2 | |
No party preference | Tim Gildersleeve | 8,482 | 0.1 | |
No party preference | Michael Fahmy Girgis | 2,986 | 0.0 | |
Green | Michael V. Ziesing (write-in) | 842 | 0.0 | |
No party preference | Ursula M. Schilling (write-in) | 17 | 0.0 | |
Democratic | Seelam Prabhakar Reddy (write-in) | 4 | 0.0 | |
Total votes | 6,697,720 | 100.00 | ||
General election | ||||
Democratic | Dianne Feinstein (incumbent) | 5,208,935 | 54.5 | |
Democratic | Kevin de León | 4,356,112 | 45.5 | |
Total votes | 9,565,047 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic hold |
Incumbent Democrat Jerry Brown was term-limited and was succeeded by Democratic Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom.
Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown Jr. is an American politician who served as the 34th and 39th Governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, Brown served as California Attorney General from 2007 to 2011. He was both the oldest and sixth-youngest Governor of California as a consequence of the 28-year gap between his second and third terms.
The Lieutenant Governor of California is a statewide constitutional officer and vice-executive of the U.S. state of California. The lieutenant governor is elected to serve a four-year term and can serve a maximum of two terms. In addition to basically ceremonial roles, serving as acting governor in the absence of the Governor of California and as President of the California State Senate, the lieutenant governor either sits on many of California's regulatory commissions and executive agencies.
Gavin Christopher Newsom is an American politician and businessman. He is the 40th governor of California, serving since January 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California from 2011 to 2019 and as the 42nd mayor of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011. He was sworn in as Governor of California on January 7, 2019.
California gubernatorial election, 2018 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Primary election | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
Democratic | Gavin Newsom | 2,343,792 | 33.7 | |
Republican | John H. Cox | 1,766,488 | 25.4 | |
Democratic | Antonio Villaraigosa | 926,394 | 13.3 | |
Republican | Travis Allen | 658,798 | 9.5 | |
Democratic | John Chiang | 655,920 | 9.4 | |
Democratic | Delaine Eastin | 234,869 | 3.4 | |
Democratic | Amanda Renteria | 93,446 | 1.3 | |
Republican | Robert C. Newman II | 44,674 | 0.6 | |
Democratic | Michael Shellenberger | 31,692 | 0.6 | |
Republican | Peter Y. Liu | 27,336 | 0.4 | |
Republican | Yvonne Girard | 21,840 | 0.3 | |
Peace and Freedom | Gloria Estela La Riva | 19,075 | 0.3 | |
Democratic | J. Bribiesca | 17,586 | 0.3 | |
Green | Josh Jones | 16,131 | 0.2 | |
Libertarian | Zoltan Istvan | 14,462 | 0.2 | |
Democratic | Albert Caesar Mezzetti | 12,026 | 0.2 | |
Libertarian | Nickolas Wildstar | 11,566 | 0.2 | |
Democratic | Robert Davidson Griffis | 11,103 | 0.2 | |
Democratic | Akinyemi Agbede | 9,380 | 0.1 | |
Democratic | Thomas Jefferson Cares | 8,937 | 0.1 | |
Green | Christopher N. Carlson | 7,302 | 0.1 | |
Democratic | Klement Tinaj | 5,368 | 0.1 | |
No party preference | Hakan "Hawk" Mikado | 5,346 | 0.1 | |
No party preference | Johnny Wattenburg | 4,973 | 0.1 | |
No party preference | Desmond Silveira | 4,633 | 0.1 | |
No party preference | Shubham Goel | 4,020 | 0.1 | |
No party preference | Jeffrey Edward Taylor | 3,973 | 0.1 | |
Green | Veronika Fimbres (write-in) | 62 | 0.0 | |
No party preference | Arman Soltani (write-in) | 32 | 0.0 | |
No party preference | Peter Crawford Valentino (write-in) | 21 | 0.0 | |
Republican | K. Pearce (write-in) | 8 | 0.0 | |
No party preference | Armando M. Arreola (write-in) | 1 | 0.0 | |
Total votes | 6,961,254 | 100.0 | ||
General election | ||||
Democratic | Gavin Newsom | 6,594,053 | 61.3 | |
Republican | John H. Cox | 4,156,584 | 38.7 | |
Total votes | 10,750,637 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic hold |
Incumbent Democrat Gavin Newsom was term-limited and was succeeded by the Democratic former United States Ambassador to Hungary Eleni Kounalakis.
Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis is an American diplomat, politician and businesswoman serving as the 50th and current Lieutenant Governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first woman elected to the office.
California lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Primary election | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
Democratic | Eleni Kounalakis | 1,587,940 | 24.2 | |
Democratic | Ed Hernandez | 1,347,442 | 20.6 | |
Republican | Cole Harris | 1,144,003 | 17.5 | |
Democratic | Jeff Bleich | 648,045 | 9.9 | |
Republican | David Fennell | 515,956 | 7.9 | |
Republican | Lydia Ortega | 419,512 | 6.4 | |
Republican | David R. Hernandez | 404,982 | 6.2 | |
No party preference | Gayle McLaughlin | 263,364 | 4.0 | |
Libertarian | Tim Ferreira | 99,949 | 1.5 | |
Democratic | Cameron Gharabiklou | 78,267 | 1.2 | |
No party preference | Danny Thomas | 44,121 | 0.7 | |
No party preference | Marjan S. Fariba (write-in) | 18 | 0.0 | |
Total votes | 6,553,599 | 100.0 | ||
General election | ||||
Democratic | Eleni Kounalakis | 5,082,477 | 56.5 | |
Democratic | Ed Hernandez | 3,908,948 | 43.5 | |
Total votes | 8,991,425 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic hold |
Incumbent Democrat Xavier Becerra won his first election after his appointment and confirmation to the office on January 24, 2017.
Xavier Becerra is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 33rd and current Attorney General of California since 2017. Prior to becoming Attorney General, he was a member of the United States House of Representatives for California's 34th congressional district, who represented Downtown Los Angeles in Congress from 1993 to 2017. Becerra, a member of the Democratic Party, was Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.
California Attorney General election, 2018 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Primary election | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
Democratic | Xavier Becerra (incumbent) | 3,024,611 | 45.8 | |
Republican | Steven C. Bailey | 1,615,859 | 24.5 | |
Democratic | Dave Jones | 1,017,427 | 15.4 | |
Republican | Eric Early | 943,071 | 14.3 | |
Total votes | 6,600,968 | 100.0 | ||
General election | ||||
Democratic | Xavier Becerra (incumbent) | 6,647,262 | 62.8 | |
Republican | Steven K. Bailey | 3,929,442 | 37.2 | |
Total votes | 10,576,704 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic hold |
Incumbent Democrat Alex Padilla won re-election.
California Secretary of State election, 2018 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Primary election | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
Democratic | Alex Padilla (incumbent) | 3,475,633 | 52.6 | |
Republican | Mark P. Meuser | 2,047,903 | 31.0 | |
Democratic | Ruben Major | 355,036 | 5.4 | |
Republican | Raul Rodriguez Jr. | 330,460 | 5.0 | |
Libertarian | Gail Lightfoot | 155,879 | 2.4 | |
Green | Michael Feinstein | 136,725 | 2.1 | |
Peace and Freedom | C.T. Weber | 61,375 | 0.9 | |
Green | Erik Rydberg | 48,705 | 0.7 | |
Total votes | 6,611,716 | 100.0 | ||
General election | ||||
Democratic | Alex Padilla (incumbent) | 6,750,976 | 63.8 | |
Republican | Mark P. Meuser | 3,837,620 | 36.2 | |
Total votes | 10,588,592 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic hold |
Incumbent Democrat John Chiang left office to run for governor and was succeeded by Democratic State Board of Equalization member Fiona Ma.
California State Treasurer election, 2018 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Primary election | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
Democratic | Fiona Ma | 2,900,606 | 44.5 | |
Republican | Greg Conlon | 1,357,635 | 20.8 | |
Republican | Jack M. Guerrero | 1,257,315 | 19.3 | |
Democratic | Vivek Viswanathan | 848,026 | 13.0 | |
Peace and Freedom | Kevin Akin | 148,282 | 2.3 | |
Total votes | 6,511,864 | 100.0 | ||
General election | ||||
Democratic | Fiona Ma | 6,687,515 | 63.5 | |
Republican | Greg Conlon | 3,844,061 | 36.5 | |
Total votes | 10,531,576 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic hold |
Incumbent Democrat Betty Yee won re-election.
California State Controller election, 2018 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Primary election | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
Democratic | Betty Yee (incumbent) | 4,033,197 | 62.1 | |
Republican | Konstantinos Roditis | 2,200,926 | 33.9 | |
Peace and Freedom | Mary Lou Finley | 261,876 | 4.0 | |
Total votes | 6,495,999 | 100.0 | ||
General election | ||||
Democratic | Betty Yee (incumbent) | 6,854,899 | 64.9 | |
Republican | Konstantinos Roditis | 3,712,400 | 35.1 | |
Total votes | 10,567,299 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic hold |
Incumbent Democrat Dave Jones was term-limited and was succeeded by Democratic state senator Ricardo Lara.
California Insurance Commissioner election, 2018 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Primary election | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
No party preference | Steve Poizner | 2,569,254 | 41.0 | |
Democratic | Ricardo Lara | 2,538,478 | 40.5 | |
Democratic | Asif Mahmood | 846,023 | 13.5 | |
Peace and Freedom | Nathalie Hrizi | 316,149 | 5.0 | |
Total votes | 6,269,904 | 100.0 | ||
General election | ||||
Democratic | Ricardo Lara | 5,248,510 | 52.0 | |
No party preference | Steve Poizner | 4,846,628 | 48.0 | |
Total votes | 10,095,138 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic hold |
Incumbent Tom Torlakson was term-limited and was succeeded by Democratic state assemblymember Tony Thurmond.
Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|
Marshall Tuck | 2,223,784 | 37.0 | |
Tony Thurmond | 2,136,919 | 35.6 | |
Lily Ploski | 984,932 | 16.4 | |
Steven Ireland | 658,786 | 11.0 | |
Douglas I. Vigil (write-in) | 83 | 0.0 | |
Thomas L. Williams (write-in) | 66 | 0.0 | |
Total votes | 6,004,570 | 100.0 |
Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|
Tony Thurmond | 4,659,603 | 50.8 | |
Marshall Tuck | 4,503,980 | 49.2 | |
Total votes | 9,163,583 | 100.0 |
Incumbent Republican George Runner was term-limited and was succeeded by Republican state senator Ted Gaines.
California's 1st Board of Equalization district election, 2018 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Primary election | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
Democratic | Tom Hallinan | 606,159 | 39.4 | |
Republican | Ted Gaines | 500,879 | 32.6 | |
Republican | Connie Conway | 283,477 | 18.4 | |
Republican | David Evans | 147,473 | 9.6 | |
Total votes | 1,537,988 | 100.0 | ||
General election | ||||
Republican | Ted Gaines | 1,279,356 | 52.4 | |
Democratic | Tom Hallinan | 1,160,912 | 47.6 | |
Total votes | 2,440,268 | 100.0 | ||
Republican hold |
Incumbent Democrat Fiona Ma left office to run for state treasurer and was succeeded by Democratic San Francisco supervisor Malia Cohen.
California's 2nd Board of Equalization district election, 2018 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Primary election | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
Democratic | Malia Cohen | 723,355 | 38.7 | |
Republican | Mark Burns | 502,143 | 26.9 | |
Democratic | Cathleen Galgiani | 480,887 | 25.7 | |
Democratic | Barry Chang | 163,102 | 8.7 | |
Total votes | 1,869,487 | 100.0 | ||
General election | ||||
Democratic | Malia Cohen | 2,164,980 | 72.3 | |
Republican | Mark Burns | 830,335 | 27.7 | |
Total votes | 2,995,315 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic hold |
Incumbent Democrat Jerome Horton was term-limited and was succeeded by Democratic Santa Monica city councilmember Tony Vazquez.
California's 3rd Board of Equalization district election, 2018 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Primary election | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
Republican | G. Rick Marshall | 335,570 | 26.4 | |
Democratic | Tony Vazquez | 255,988 | 20.2 | |
Democratic | Cheryl C. Turner | 214,916 | 16.9 | |
Democratic | Scott Svonkin | 170,254 | 13.4 | |
Democratic | Nancy Pearlman | 160,105 | 12.6 | |
Democratic | Doug Kriegel | 44,962 | 3.5 | |
Democratic | Ben Pak | 44,588 | 3.5 | |
No party preference | Micheál "Me-Haul" O'Leary | 43,084 | 3.4 | |
Total votes | 1,269,467 | 100.0 | ||
General election | ||||
Democratic | Tony Vazquez | 1,625,898 | 69.2 | |
Republican | G. Rick Marshall | 725,266 | 30.8 | |
Total votes | 2,351,164 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic hold |
Incumbent Republican Diane Harkey left office to run for the United States House of Representatives and was succeeded by Democratic former San Diego city councilmember and perennial candidate Mike Schaefer.
California's 4th Board of Equalization district election, 2018 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Primary election | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
Republican | Joel Anderson | 492,122 | 31.2 | |
Democratic | Mike Schaefer | 269,044 | 17.0 | |
Republican | John F. Kelly | 263,294 | 16.7 | |
Democratic | David Dodson | 234,534 | 14.9 | |
Democratic | Ken Lopez-Maddox | 228,811 | 14.5 | |
Republican | Jim Stieringer | 58,642 | 3.7 | |
Republican | Nader F. Shahatit | 32,105 | 2.0 | |
Total votes | 1,578,552 | 100.0 | ||
General election | ||||
Democratic | Mike Schaefer | 1,268,338 | 51.0 | |
Republican | Joel Anderson | 1,217,983 | 49.0 | |
Total votes | 2,486,321 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
Since the passage of a law in November 2011, state primary elections may only feature propositions placed on the ballot by the state legislature. [1]
In California, a ballot proposition can be a referendum or an initiative measure that is submitted to the electorate for a direct decision or direct vote. If passed, it can alter one or more of the articles of the Constitution of California, one or more of the 29 California Codes, or another law in the California Statutes by clarifying current or adding statute(s) or removing current statute(s).
The 2005 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 8. During this off-year election, the only seats up for election in the United States Congress were special elections held throughout the year. None of these congressional seats changed party hands. There were also two gubernatorial races, state legislative elections in two states, numerous citizen initiatives, mayoral races in several major cities, and a variety of local offices on the ballot.
The California state elections, 2006 took place on November 7, 2006. Necessary primary elections were held on June 6. Among the elections that took place were all the seats of the California's State Assembly, 20 seats of the State Senate, seven constitutional officers, and all the seats of the Board of Equalization. Votes on retention of two Supreme Court justices and various Courts of Appeal judges were also held. Five propositions were also up for approval.
California Proposition 91 was a failed proposal to amend the California Constitution to prohibit motor vehicle fuel sales taxes that are earmarked for transportation purposes from being retained in the state's general fund. The proposition appeared on the ballot of the February primary election.
California's state elections were held November 2, 2004. Necessary primary elections were held on March 2. Up for election were all the seats of the State Assembly, 20 seats of the State Senate, and sixteen ballot measures.
California's state elections were held November 5, 2002. Necessary primary elections were held on March 5. Up for election were all the seats of the California State Assembly, 20 seats of the California Senate, seven constitutional officers, all the seats of the California Board of Equalization, as well as votes on retention of two Supreme Court justices and various appeals court judges. Seven ballot measures were also up for approval. Municipal offices were also included in the election.
The California state elections, November 2008 were held on November 4, 2008 throughout California. Among the elections taking place were those for the office of President of the United States, all the seats of California's delegation to the House of Representatives, all of the seats of the State Assembly, and all of the odd-numbered seats of the State Senate. Twelve propositions also appeared on the ballot. Numerous local elections also took place throughout the state.
California's state elections were held November 8, 1994. Necessary primary elections were held on June 7. Up for election were all the seats of the California State Assembly, 20 seats of the California Senate, seven constitutional officers, all the seats of the California Board of Equalization, as well as votes on retention of two Supreme Court justices and various appeals court judges. Ten ballot measures were also up for approval. Municipal offices were also included in the election.
California's state elections were held November 3, 1992. Necessary primary elections were held on March 3. Up for election were all the seats of the State Assembly, 20 seats of the State Senate, and fifteen ballot measures.
California's state general elections were held November 5, 1996. Necessary primary elections were held on March 26, 1996. Up for election were all eighty (80) seats of the State Assembly, twenty (20) seats of the State Senate, and fifteen (15) statewide ballot measures.
Proposition 39 was an initiative state constitutional amendment and statute which appeared on the November 7, 2000, California general election ballot. Proposition 39 passed with 5,431,152 Yes votes, representing 53.4 percent of the total votes cast. Proposition 39 was essentially a milder version of Proposition 26, which would have ended the Proposition 13 supermajority vote requirement altogether, but was defeated with 3,521,327 "Yes" votes, representing 48.7 percent of the total votes cast, in the March 7, 2000, California primary election.
The California state elections, November 2010 were held on November 2, 2010.
The California state elections was held on Election Day, November 6, 2012. On the ballot were eleven propositions, various parties' nominees for the United States presidency, the Class I Senator to the United States Senate, all of California's seats to the House of Representatives, all of the seats of the State Assembly, and all odd-numbered seats of the State Senate.
The California state elections, June 2012 were held on June 5, 2012 and included two propositions, primary elections for each party's nominee for President, and primary elections to determine the top-two candidates for California's Class I seat to the United States Senate, all of California's seats to the House of Representatives, all of the seats of the State Assembly, and all odd-numbered seats of the State Senate, who will compete against each other in a run-off on November 6, 2012.
Proposition 39 is a ballot initiative in the state of California that modifies the way out-of-state corporations calculate their income tax burdens. The proposition was approved by voters in the November 6 general election, with 61.1% voting in favor of it.
In California state elections, 2014 was the first year in which the top statewide offices were elected under the nonpartisan blanket primary, pursuant to Proposition 14, which passed with 53% voter approval in June 2010. Under this system, which first went into effect during the 2012 election year, all candidates will appear on the same ballot, regardless of party. In the primary, voters may vote for any candidate, regardless of their party affiliation. The top two finishers, regardless of party, then advance to face each other in the general election in November.
California Proposition 6 was a measure that was submitted to California voters as part of the November 2018 election. The ballot measure proposed a repeal of the Road Repair and Accountability Act, which is also known as Senate Bill 1. The measure failed with about 57% of the voters against and 43% in favor.
California Proposition 69 was a legislatively referred constitutional amendment that appeared on ballots in California in the June primary election in 2018. This measure put the revenue from the Road Repair and Accountability Act, which increased fuel taxes, in a "lockbox" so that it can only be used for transportation-related purposes. It also exempts said gas tax revenue from the previously existing appropriations mandate and expenditures limit. This state constitution amendment ensures that revenues from SB1 Gas Taxes established by the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 can only be used for transportation-related purposes.