1934 California gubernatorial election
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 County results Merriam: 30-40% 40–50% 50–60 60-70% 80-90% Sinclair: 30-40% 40–50% Haight: 30-40% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in California |
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The 1934 California gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1934. Held in the midst of the Great Depression, the 1934 election was amongst the most controversial in the state's political history, pitting conservative Republican Frank Merriam against former Socialist Party member turned Democratic politician Upton Sinclair, author of The Jungle. A strong third party challenge came from Progressive Raymond L. Haight, a Los Angeles lawyer campaigning for the political center. Much of the campaign's emphasis was directed at Sinclair's EPIC movement, proposing interventionist reforms to cure the state's ailing economy. Merriam, who had recently assumed the governorship following the death of James Rolph, characterized Sinclair's proposal as a step towards communism.
Democratic primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]- George Creel, investigative journalist
- Forest Dowey
- William H. Evans
- Z. T. Malaby
- W. J. McNichols
- Upton Sinclair, author and perennial Socialist Party candidate
- James E. Waddell
- Justus S. Wardell, nominee for Governor in 1926
- Milton K. Young, nominee for Governor in 1930
Results
[edit]Sinclair won the Democratic nomination in what was considered a political upset.[1]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Upton Sinclair | 436,220 | 51.68% | |
| Democratic | George Creel | 288,106 | 34.13% | |
| Democratic | Justus S. Wardell | 48,965 | 5.80% | |
| Democratic | Milton K. Young | 41,609 | 4.93% | |
| Democratic | James E. Waddell | 12,515 | 1.48% | |
| Democratic | Z. T. Malaby | 4,476 | 0.53% | |
| Democratic | Forest Dowey | 4,260 | 0.50% | |
| Democratic | W. J. McNichols | 3,616 | 0.43% | |
| Democratic | William H. Evans | 2,433 | 0.29% | |
| Democratic | Frank F. Merriam (write-in) | 1,035 | 0.12% | |
| Democratic | Raymond L. Haight (write-in) | 882 | 0.10% | |
| Total votes | 844,117 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]- Raymond L. Haight, Los Angeles attorney
- Frank Merriam, incumbent Governor since June 1934
- John R. Quinn, member, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
- C. C. Young, former Governor (1927–31)
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Frank F. Merriam (incumbent) | 346,329 | 41.94% | |
| Republican | C. C. Young | 231,431 | 28.03% | |
| Republican | John R. Quinn | 153,412 | 18.58% | |
| Republican | Raymond L. Haight | 84,977 | 10.29% | |
| Republican | Upton Sinclair (write-in) | 9,651 | 1.17% | |
| Total votes | 825,800 | 100.00% | ||
Minor party primaries
[edit]Socialist
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socialist | Milen C. Dempster | 2,521 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 2,521 | 100.00% | ||
Commonwealth
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth | Raymond L. Haight | 2,421 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 2,421 | 100.00% | ||
Progressive
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progressive | Raymond L. Haight | 1,344 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 1,344 | 100.00% | ||
Prohibition
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prohibition | Frank F. Merriam (write-in)[a] | 963 | 76.43% | |
| Prohibition | Upton Sinclair (write-in) | 297 | 23.57% | |
| Total votes | 1,260 | 100.00% | ||
Communist
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Communist | Sam Darcy | 1,072 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 1,072 | 100.00% | ||
General election
[edit]Campaign
[edit]Negative campaigning funded by the film industry was used against Sinclair to favor the Merriam campaign, as depicted in the 2020 American biographical drama film Mank.[3] Hollywood studio bosses unanimously opposed Sinclair and their involvement in the campaign has been described as Hollywood's first intervention in electoral politics.[4] They pressured their employees to assist and vote for Merriam's campaign, and made false propaganda films attacking Sinclair, giving him no opportunity to respond.[5] Joseph M. Schenck threatened to move Twentieth Century Fox to Florida should Sinclair be elected.[6]
Louis B. Mayer's MGM and other film studios deducted a days pay from their employees to raise an anti-Sinclair fund that amounted to $500,000. Irving Thalberg was to lead MGM's anti-Sinclair campaign and the studio recruited Carey Wilson to create a series of anti-Sinclair propaganda films. These films, directed by Felix E. Feist, included fake newsreels of Sinclair supporters who were portrayed as bums and criminals. They were shown in Californian movie theaters, with one episode featuring hired actors as Sinclair supporters speaking with foreign accents.[7]
Big corporations in California were strongly opposed to Sinclair. Both Standard Oil of California and Pacific Mutual sent out a letter to their stockholders encouraging them to oppose Sinclair. Various corporations created front organisations to oppose his campaign, for instance the California Real Estate Association formed the 'Merriam for Governor Committee'.[8]
Upton Sinclair later stated that there was a "campaign of lying" against him during the campaign which was "ordered by the biggest businessmen in California and paid for with millions of dollars" that was carried out by newspapers, politicians, advertisers, and the film industry.[9] One survey of over 500 Californian newspapers found that over 90% supported Merriam, 5% supported Raymond Haight and the rest made no endorsement. The only newspaper surveyed which endorsed Sinclair was his own outlet Epic News.[6]
Although Sinclair did have some support from public figures. For instance the 'Author's League for Sinclair' was founded by Dorothy Thompson and Gene Fowler. Progressives like Charlie Chaplin,[10] Dorothy Parker, Donald Ogden Stewart, Lillian Hellman and Groucho Marx were also Sinclair supporters.[4]
Candidates
[edit]- Sam Darcy, organizer of the Marine Workers Industrial Union and 1934 waterfront strike (Communist)
- Milen C. Dempster (Socialist)
- Raymond L. Haight, Los Angeles attorney (Commonwealth-Progressive)
- Frank F. Merriam, incumbent Governor since June 1934 (Republican)
- Upton Sinclair, author and perennial Socialist Party candidate (Democratic)
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Frank F. Merriam (incumbent) | 1,138,620 | 48.87% | −23.28% | |
| Democratic | Upton Sinclair | 879,537 | 37.75% | +13.64% | |
| Progressive | Raymond L. Haight | 302,519 | 12.99% | +12.99% | |
| Communist | Sam Darcy | 5,826 | 0.25% | +0.25% | |
| Socialist | Milen C. Dempster | 2,947 | 0.13% | −3.52% | |
| Scattering | 273 | 0.01% | |||
| Majority | 259,083 | 11.12% | |||
| Total votes | 2,329,458 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | Swing | -36.93% | |||
Results by county
[edit]| County | Frank F. Merriam Republican |
Upton Sinclair Democratic |
Raymond L. Haight Progressive |
Sam Darcy Communist |
Milen C. Dempster Socialist |
Scattering Write-in |
Margin | Total votes cast[11] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Alameda | 102,328 | 52.68% | 73,233 | 37.70% | 17,758 | 9.14% | 581 | 0.30% | 291 | 0.15% | 41 | 0.02% | 29,095 | 14.98% | 194,232 |
| Alpine | 158 | 87.29% | 13 | 7.18% | 10 | 5.52% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 145 | 80.11% | 181 |
| Amador | 1,946 | 52.00% | 981 | 26.22% | 802 | 21.43% | 9 | 0.24% | 4 | 0.11% | 0 | 0.00% | 965 | 25.79% | 3,742 |
| Butte | 8,041 | 47.82% | 5,932 | 35.28% | 2,795 | 16.62% | 29 | 0.17% | 18 | 0.11% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,109 | 12.54% | 16,815 |
| Calaveras | 1,524 | 45.83% | 1,232 | 37.05% | 553 | 16.63% | 8 | 0.24% | 5 | 0.15% | 3 | 0.09% | 292 | 8.78% | 3,325 |
| Colusa | 2,584 | 55.70% | 861 | 18.56% | 1,179 | 25.41% | 8 | 0.17% | 7 | 0.15% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,405[b] | 30.29% | 4,639 |
| Contra Costa | 15,540 | 45.52% | 15,591 | 45.67% | 2,894 | 8.48% | 80 | 0.23% | 28 | 0.08% | 7 | 0.02% | -51 | -0.15% | 34,140 |
| Del Norte | 1,221 | 49.39% | 1,106 | 44.74% | 129 | 5.22% | 4 | 0.16% | 12 | 0.49% | 0 | 0.00% | 115 | 4.65% | 2,472 |
| El Dorado | 1,744 | 33.37% | 1,681 | 32.17% | 1,766 | 33.79% | 23 | 0.44% | 12 | 0.23% | 0 | 0.00% | -22 | -0.42% | 5,226 |
| Fresno | 15,338 | 30.46% | 15,509 | 30.80% | 19,296 | 38.33% | 101 | 0.20% | 101 | 0.20% | 2 | 0.00% | -3,787[c] | -7.53% | 50,347 |
| Glenn | 2,342 | 46.00% | 1,456 | 28.60% | 1,286 | 25.26% | 2 | 0.04% | 5 | 0.10% | 0 | 0.00% | 886 | 17.40% | 5,091 |
| Humboldt | 9,179 | 50.95% | 6,448 | 35.79% | 2,271 | 12.61% | 79 | 0.44% | 38 | 0.21% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,731 | 15.16% | 18,015 |
| Imperial | 7,253 | 52.01% | 5,637 | 40.42% | 1,001 | 7.18% | 17 | 0.12% | 38 | 0.27% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,616 | 11.59% | 13,946 |
| Inyo | 1,514 | 57.39% | 877 | 33.24% | 232 | 8.79% | 11 | 0.42% | 4 | 0.15% | 0 | 0.00% | 637 | 24.15% | 2,638 |
| Kern | 14,798 | 48.59% | 11,348 | 37.26% | 4,197 | 13.78% | 49 | 0.16% | 60 | 0.20% | 2 | 0.01% | 3.450 | 11.33% | 30,454 |
| Kings | 3,633 | 41.18% | 2,326 | 26.37% | 2,848 | 32.28% | 5 | 0.06% | 9 | 0.10% | 1 | 0.01% | 785[b] | 8.90% | 8,822 |
| Lake | 2,317 | 56.54% | 1,338 | 32.65% | 433 | 10.57% | 1 | 0.02% | 9 | 0.22% | 0 | 0.00% | 979 | 23.89% | 4,098 |
| Lassen | 1,697 | 33.09% | 2,023 | 39.44% | 1,382 | 26.94% | 6 | 0.12% | 21 | 0.41% | 0 | 0.00% | -326 | -6.36% | 5,129 |
| Los Angeles | 457,755 | 47.45% | 405,331 | 42.02% | 98,348 | 10.20% | 2,238 | 0.23% | 822 | 0.09% | 142 | 0.01% | 52,424 | 5.43% | 964,636 |
| Madera | 2,204 | 32.84% | 2,441 | 36.37% | 2,043 | 30.44% | 16 | 0.24% | 8 | 0.12% | 0 | 0.00% | -237 | -3.53% | 6,712 |
| Marin | 9,756 | 54.50% | 6,494 | 36.28% | 1,555 | 8.69% | 43 | 0.24% | 49 | 0.27% | 5 | 0.03% | 3,262 | 18.22% | 17,902 |
| Mariposa | 1,089 | 46.80% | 865 | 37.17% | 354 | 15.21% | 7 | 0.30% | 12 | 0.52% | 0 | 0.00% | 224 | 9.63% | 2,327 |
| Mendocino | 6,178 | 62.87% | 2,763 | 28.12% | 794 | 8.08% | 68 | 0.69% | 23 | 0.23% | 1 | 0.01% | 3,415 | 34.75% | 9,827 |
| Merced | 4,123 | 35.52% | 3,727 | 32.10% | 3,727 | 32.10% | 18 | 0.16% | 13 | 0.11% | 1 | 0.01% | 396 | 3.41% | 11,609 |
| Modoc | 1,452 | 49.39% | 836 | 28.44% | 637 | 21.67% | 5 | 0.17% | 10 | 0.34% | 0 | 0.00% | 616 | 20.95% | 2,940 |
| Mono | 520 | 63.11% | 234 | 28.40% | 64 | 7.77% | 1 | 0.12% | 5 | 0.61% | 0 | 0.00% | 286 | 34.71% | 824 |
| Monterey | 11,083 | 61.53% | 5,585 | 31.01% | 1,285 | 7.13% | 40 | 0.22% | 16 | 0.09% | 4 | 0.02% | 5,498 | 30.52% | 18,013 |
| Napa | 5,750 | 58.96% | 2,806 | 28.77% | 1,175 | 12.05% | 11 | 0.11% | 11 | 0.11% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,944 | 30.19% | 9,753 |
| Nevada | 3,163 | 45.33% | 2,165 | 31.03% | 1,602 | 22.96% | 28 | 0.40% | 19 | 0.27% | 0 | 0.00% | 998 | 14.30% | 6,977 |
| Orange | 27,099 | 53.73% | 14,092 | 27.94% | 9,142 | 18.13% | 59 | 0.12% | 42 | 0.08% | 4 | 0.01% | 13,007 | 25.79% | 50,438 |
| Placer | 3,337 | 34.23% | 3,113 | 31.93% | 3,271 | 33.55% | 16 | 0.16% | 13 | 0.13% | 0 | 0.00% | 66[b] | 0.68% | 9,750 |
| Plumas | 1,213 | 36.64% | 1,226 | 37.03% | 858 | 25.91% | 2 | 0.06% | 12 | 0.36% | 0 | 0.00% | -13 | -0.39% | 3,311 |
| Riverside | 19,892 | 62.33% | 9,896 | 31.01% | 2,072 | 6.49% | 31 | 0.10% | 24 | 0.08% | 0 | 0.00% | 9,996 | 31.32% | 31,915 |
| Sacramento | 19,360 | 35.75% | 16,291 | 30.09% | 18,310 | 33.81% | 133 | 0.25% | 51 | 0.09% | 3 | 0.01% | 1,050[b] | 1.94% | 54,148 |
| San Benito | 2,931 | 65.25% | 1,251 | 27.85% | 296 | 6.59% | 6 | 0.13% | 8 | 0.18% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,680 | 37.40% | 4,492 |
| San Bernardino | 30,285 | 56.76% | 19,157 | 35.90% | 3,774 | 7.07% | 80 | 0.15% | 57 | 0.11% | 6 | 0.01% | 11,128 | 20.85% | 53,359 |
| San Diego | 44,422 | 50.76% | 32,073 | 36.65% | 10,759 | 12.29% | 185 | 0.21% | 69 | 0.08% | 0 | 0.00% | 12,349 | 14.11% | 87,508 |
| San Francisco | 115,047 | 50.91% | 87,850 | 38.88% | 21,499 | 9.51% | 1,116 | 0.49% | 433 | 0.19% | 32 | 0.01% | 27,197 | 12.04% | 225,977 |
| San Joaquin | 17,612 | 46.64% | 13,720 | 36.33% | 6,255 | 16.56% | 70 | 0.19% | 104 | 0.28% | 0 | 0.00% | 3,892 | 10.31% | 37,761 |
| San Luis Obispo | 6,422 | 47.11% | 5,093 | 37.36% | 2,063 | 15.13% | 34 | 0.25% | 19 | 0.14% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,329 | 9.75% | 13,631 |
| San Mateo | 18,448 | 52.29% | 13,022 | 36.91% | 3,669 | 10.40% | 92 | 0.26% | 40 | 0.11% | 6 | 0.02% | 5,426 | 15.38% | 35,277 |
| Santa Barbara | 14,429 | 60.29% | 7,735 | 32.32% | 1,702 | 7.11% | 53 | 0.22% | 11 | 0.05% | 2 | 0.01% | 6,694 | 27.97% | 23,932 |
| Santa Clara | 37,156 | 60.06% | 19,281 | 31.17% | 5,215 | 8.43% | 107 | 0.17% | 100 | 0.16% | 2 | 0.00% | 17,875 | 28.90% | 61,861 |
| Santa Cruz | 10,905 | 63.17% | 5,155 | 29.86% | 1,119 | 6.48% | 74 | 0.43% | 8 | 0.05% | 3 | 0.02% | 5,750 | 33.31% | 17,264 |
| Shasta | 3,283 | 42.75% | 2,819 | 36.71% | 1,543 | 20.09% | 7 | 0.09% | 28 | 0.36% | 0 | 0.00% | 464 | 6.04% | 7,680 |
| Sierra | 676 | 45.19% | 471 | 31.48% | 339 | 22.66% | 2 | 0.13% | 7 | 0.47% | 1 | 0.07% | 205 | 13.70% | 1,496 |
| Siskiyou | 4,202 | 39.19% | 3,514 | 32.77% | 2,953 | 27.54% | 16 | 0.15% | 37 | 0.35% | 0 | 0.00% | 688 | 6.42% | 10,722 |
| Solano | 6,728 | 44.57% | 5,112 | 33.87% | 3,206 | 21.24% | 29 | 0.19% | 19 | 0.13% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,616 | 10.71% | 15,094 |
| Sonoma | 15,329 | 57.41% | 8,164 | 30.58% | 3,070 | 11.50% | 90 | 0.34% | 43 | 0.16% | 3 | 0.01% | 7,165 | 26.84% | 26,699 |
| Stanislaus | 7,853 | 34.46% | 6,260 | 27.47% | 8,592 | 37.70% | 18 | 0.08% | 64 | 0.28% | 1 | 0.00% | -739 | -3.24% | 22,788 |
| Sutter | 2,872 | 47.01% | 1,980 | 32.41% | 1,244 | 20.36% | 8 | 0.13% | 5 | 0.08% | 0 | 0.00% | 892 | 14.60% | 6,109 |
| Tehama | 2,865 | 44.34% | 1,816 | 28.10% | 1,763 | 27.28% | 7 | 0.11% | 11 | 0.17% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,049 | 16.23% | 6,462 |
| Trinity | 889 | 40.21% | 993 | 44.91% | 308 | 13.93% | 13 | 0.59% | 8 | 0.36% | 0 | 0.00% | -104 | -4.70% | 2,211 |
| Tulare | 9,850 | 37.46% | 6,867 | 26.12% | 9,512 | 36.18% | 46 | 0.17% | 18 | 0.07% | 1 | 0.00% | 338[b] | 1.29% | 26,294 |
| Tuolumne | 1,580 | 36.62% | 1,940 | 44.96% | 785 | 18.19% | 0 | 0.00% | 10 | 0.23% | 0 | 0.00% | -360 | -8.34% | 4,315 |
| Ventura | 11,015 | 54.07% | 6,560 | 32.20% | 2,740 | 13.45% | 29 | 0.14% | 26 | 0.13% | 0 | 0.00% | 4,455 | 21.87% | 20,370 |
| Yolo | 4,087 | 46.44% | 1,646 | 18.70% | 3,041 | 34.56% | 12 | 0.14% | 14 | 0.16% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,046[b] | 11.89% | 8,800 |
| Yuba | 2,603 | 49.81% | 1,601 | 30.64% | 1,003 | 19.19% | 3 | 0.06% | 16 | 0.31% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,002 | 19.17% | 5,226 |
| Total | 1,138,620 | 48.87% | 879,537 | 37.75% | 302,519 | 12.99% | 5,826 | 0.25% | 2,947 | 0.13% | 273 | 0.01% | 259,083 | 11.12% | 2,329,722 |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
[edit]Counties that flipped from Republican to Progressive
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Manchel, Frank (1990). Film Study An Analytical Bibliography · Volume 1. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. p. 226.
- ^ a b c d e f g California Secretary of State. Statement of Vote at Primary Election held on August 28, 1934 in the State of California. Sacramento, California: State Printing Office. pp. 5–7. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
- ^ Mitchell, Greg. ‘Mank’ and Politics: What Really Happened in 1934 California. New York Times, Dec. 7, 2020.
- ^ a b Saverio, Giovacchini (2001). Hollywood Modernism Film and Politics in the Age of the New Deal. Temple University Press. p. 44.
- ^ Cohen, Harvey G. (2015). "The Struggle to Fashion the NRA Code: The Triumph of Studio Power in 1933 Hollywood". Journal of American Studies. 50 (4): 1039–1066. doi:10.1017/S002187581500122X. ISSN 0021-8758. S2CID 147499614.
- ^ a b Singer, Donald L. (Winter 1974). "Upton Sinclair and the California Gubernatorial Campaign of 1934". Southern California Quarterly. 56 (4): 375–406. doi:10.2307/41171421. JSTOR 41171421.
- ^ Critchlow, Donald T. (2013). When Hollywood Was Right How Movie Stars, Studio Moguls, and Big Business Remade American Politics. Cambridge University Press. pp. 26–27.
- ^ American Fascism and the New Deal The Associated Farmers of California and the Pro-Industrial Movement. Lexington Books. 2013. pp. 58–9.
- ^ Sinclair, Upton (2023). I, Candidate for Governor And How I Got Licked. University of California Press. p. 99.
- ^ Maland, Charles J. (2021). Chaplin and American Culture The Evolution of a Star Image. Princeton University Press. pp. 135–6.
- ^ a b California Secretary of State. Statement of Vote at General Election held on November 6, 1934 in the State of California. Sacramento, California: State Printing Office. p. 5. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
Further reading
[edit]- Antognini, Richard. "The Role of A.P. Giannini in the 1934 California Gubernatorial Election." Southern California Quarterly 57.1 (1975): 53–86. online
- Barger, Bob. "Raymond L. Haight and the Commonwealth Progressive Campaign of 1934" California Historical Society Quarterly 43 (September, 1964), pp 219–30. online
- Hill, Patricia Lucy. "Upton Sinclair and the 1934 California gubernatorial election." (MS thesis, Portland State University, 1978) online.
- Larsen, Charles E. "The Epic Campaign of 1934." Pacific Historical Review 27.2 (1958): 127–147. online
- Mitchell, Greg. The campaign of the century: Upton Sinclair's race for governor of California and the birth of media politics (Random House, 1992).
- Rising, George G. "An EPIC Endeavor: Upton Sinclair's 1934 California Gubernatorial Campaign." Southern California Quarterly 79.1 (1997): 101–124. online
- Singer, Donald L. "Upton Sinclair and the California Gubernatorial Campaign of 1934." Southern California Quarterly 56.4 (1974): 375–406. online