List of governors of California
This is a list of Governors of California since California attained statehood in 1850, together with a list of the results of the Gubernatorial elections.
- For a description of the office and its responsibilities and privileges, see Governor of California.
- For Spanish, Mexican, Bear Flag, military and territorial governors of Alta California, see list of pre-statehood governors of California.
According to the California Elections Code, elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November(§1001). Each governor's term lasts 4 years and is not limitted by a term limit (though the longest serving governor was Earl Warren for 3 terms). The governor-elect takes the oath of office on the first Monday of January after the election. And the governor, subsequently, leaves office on that same day when a new governor is elected.
Prior to the gubernatorial elections, there is first a gubernatorial primary wherein each party can decide upon a candidate to nominate for the general elections.
List of Governors
Gubernatorial election
(winners are in bold)
| Year | First | Second | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Arnold Schwarzenegger Republican 4,206,284 48.6% |
Cruz Bustamante Democrat 2,724,874 31.5% | ||
| 2002 | Gray Davis Democrat 3,533,490 47.3% |
Bill Simon Jr. Republican 3,169,801 42.4% | ||
| 1998 | Gray Davis Democrat 4,860,702 58.0% |
Dan Lungren Republican 3,218,030 38.3% | ||
| 1994 | Pete Wilson Republican 4,777,674 55.3% |
Kathleen Brown Democrat 3,517,777 40.4% | ||
| 1990 | Pete Wilson Republican 3,791,904 48.7% |
Dianne Feinstein Democrat 3,525,197 46.3% | ||
| 1986 | George Deukmejian Republican 4,395,972 61% |
Tom Bradley Democrat 2,721,674 37% | ||
| 1982 | George Deukmejian Republican 3,881,014 |
Tom Bradley Democrat 3,787,669 | ||
| 1978 | Jerry Brown Democrat 3,435,034 56% |
Evelle J. Younger Republican 2,274,772 37% |
Ed Clark Independant ~368,039 6% | |
| 1974 | Jerry Brown Democrat 1,609,298 50.1% |
Houston I. Flournoy Republican 2,055,586 47.3% | ||
| 1970 | Ronald Reagan Republican 3,439,174 52.8% |
Jesse M. Unruh Democrat 2,938,607 45.1% | ||
| 1966 | Ronald Reagan Republican 3,742,913 57.6% |
Pat Brown Democrat 2,749,174 42.3% | ||
| 1962 | Pat Brown Democrat 3,037,109 51.9% |
Richard Nixon Republican 2,740,351 46.8% | ||
| 1958 | Pat Brown Democrat 3,140,076 59.8% |
William F. Knowland Republican 2,110,911 40.2% | ||
| 1953 | Goodwin J. Knight Republican Appointed | |||
| 1954 | Goodwin J. Knight Republican 2,290,519 56.8% |
Richard P. Graves Democrat 1,739,368 43.2% | ||
| 1950 | Earl Warren Republican 2,461,754 64.8% |
James Roosevelt Democrat 1,333,856 35.1% | ||
| 1946 | Earl Warren Republican Democrat Progressive 91.6% 2,344,542 |
Henry R. Schmidt Prohibition 180,579 7.1% | ||
| 1942 | Earl Warren Republican 1,275,237 57% |
Culbert L. Olson Democrat 932,995 42% |
Fred Dyster Prohibition 10,640 | |
| 1938 | Culbert L. Olson Democrat 1,391,734 52.5% |
Frank F. Merriam Republican 1,171,019 44% | ||
| 1934 | Frank F. Merriam Republican 1,138,629 |
Upton Sinclair Democrat 879,537 | ||
| 1930 | James Rolph, Jr. Republican 999,393 |
Milton M. Young Democrat 333,973 | ||
| 1926 | C. C. Young Republican 814,815 |
Justus S. Wardwell Democrat 282,451 | ||
| 1922 | Friend Richardson Republican 576,445 |
Thomas L. Woolwine Democrat 347,530 | ||
| 1918 | William D. Stephens Republican 387,547 |
Theodore A. Bell Democrat 251,189 | ||
| 1914 | Hiram Johnson Republican 460,495 |
John B. Curtin Democrat 271,990 | ||
| 1910 | Hiram Johnson Republican 177,191 |
Theodore A. Bell Democrat 154,835 | ||
| 1906 | James Gillett Republican 125,887 |
Theodore A. Bell Democrat 117,645 | ||
| 1902 | George Pardee Republican 146,332 |
Franklin K. Lane Democrat 143,783 | ||
| 1898 | Henry T. Gage Republican 148,354 |
James G. McGuire Democrat 129,261 | ||
| 1894 | James H. Budd Democrat 111,944 |
Morris M. Estee Republican 110,738 | ||
| 1890 | Henry Markham Republican 125,129 |
Edward B. Pond Democrat 117,184 | ||
| 1886 | Washington Montgomery Bartlett Democrat 84,965 |
John F. Swift Republican 84,316 | ||
| 1882 | George Stoneman Democrat 90,694 |
Morris M. Estee Republican 67,175 | ||
| 1879† | George Clement Perkins Republican 67,965 |
Hugh J. Glenn Democrat 47,667 | ||
| 1875 | William Irwin Democrat 61,509 |
Timothy G. Phelps Republican 31,322 |
John Bidwell Independent 29,752 |
William E. Lovett Prohibitionist 356 |
| 1871 Sept. 6th |
Newton Booth Republican 62,581 |
Henry Huntly Haight Democrat 57,520 | ||
| 1867 | Henry Huntly Haight Democrat (margin 7,458) |
George Congdon Gorham Republican |
Caleb T. Fay Indep. Republican | |
| 1863 | Frederick F. Low Unionist Republican 64,447 |
John Gately Downey Lecompton Democrat 44,843 | ||
| 1861 | Leland Stanford Republican 56,056 46.4% |
John R. McConnell Democrat 33,750 28% |
John Conness Union Democrat 30,944 25.6% | |
| 1859 | Milton Slocum Latham Democrat 62,255 |
John Currey A.L. Democrat 20,847 |
Leland Stanford Republican 10,110 | |
| 1857 | John B. Weller Democrat 57,661 |
Edward Stanly Republican |
George W. Bowie American | |
| 1855 | John Neeley Johnson American 51,157 |
John Bigler Democrat 46,225 | ||
| 1853 | John Bigler Democrat (margin 1,470) |
William Waldo Whig | ||
| 1851 | John Bigler Democrat 22,613 |
Pierson B. Reading Whig 21,531 |
- Notes
- † – Working Men party candidate: W.F. White; Prohibitionists, A.G. Clark.
- Prohibitionist party results from [1]
See also
External links
- Governors of California - Official Site from the State of California with Portraits and Biographies
- List of Governors of California when California Belonged to Mexico
- Election results for all gubernatorial elections
- List of Governors of California
- Election results 1990 to present
- Historical gubernatorial candidates
- California Elections Code