2018 California elections

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.

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.

United States Congress

Vote by mail ballots being counted in Santa Clara County.

Senate

Main article: 2018 United States Senate election in California

Incumbent Democrat Dianne Feinstein won re-election.

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)	6,019,422	54.2
	Democratic	Kevin de León	5,093,942	45.8
Total votes			11,113,364	100.0
	Democratic hold

House of Representatives

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2018

Statewide constitutional offices

Governor

Main article: California gubernatorial election, 2018

Incumbent Democrat Jerry Brown was term-limited and was succeeded by Democratic Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom.

2018 California gubernatorial election

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	7,721,410	61.9
	Republican	John H. Cox	4,742,825	38.1
Total votes			12,464,235	100.0
	Democratic hold

Lieutenant Governor

Main article: 2018 California lieutenant gubernatorial election

Incumbent Democrat Gavin Newsom was term-limited and was succeeded by the Democratic former United States Ambassador to Hungary Eleni Kounalakis.

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	5,914,068	56.6
	Democratic	Ed Hernandez	4,543,863	43.4
Total votes			10,457,931	100.0
	Democratic hold

Attorney General

Main article: California Attorney General election, 2018

Incumbent Democrat Xavier Becerra won his first election after his appointment and confirmation to the office on January 24, 2017.

2018 California Attorney General election

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)	7,790,743	63.6
	Republican	Steven K. Bailey	4,465,587	36.4
Total votes			12,256,330	100.0
	Democratic hold

Secretary of State

Main article: 2018 California Secretary of State election

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)	7,909,521	64.5
	Republican	Mark P. Meuser	4,362,545	35.5
Total votes			12,272,066	100.0
	Democratic hold

Treasurer

Main article: 2018 California State Treasurer election

Incumbent Democrat John Chiang left office to run for governor and was succeeded by Democratic State Board of Equalization member Fiona Ma.

2018 California State Treasurer election

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	7,825,587	64.1
	Republican	Greg Conlon	4,367,816	35.9
Total votes			12,202,403	100.0
	Democratic hold

Controller

Main article: 2018 California State Controller election

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)	8,013,067	65.5
	Republican	Konstantinos Roditis	4,229,480	34.5
Total votes			12,242,547	100.0
	Democratic hold

Insurance Commissioner

Main article: 2018 California Insurance Commissioner election

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	6,186,039	52.9
	No party preference	Steve Poizner	5,515,293	47.1
Total votes			11,701,332	100.0
	Democratic hold

Superintendent of Public Instruction

Main article: 2018 California Superintendent of Public Instruction election

Incumbent Tom Torlakson was term-limited and was succeeded by Democratic state assemblymember Tony Thurmond.

California Superintendent of Public Instruction primary, 2018

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

California Superintendent of Public Instruction general election, 2018

Candidate		Votes	%
Tony Thurmond		5,385,912	50.9
Marshall Tuck		5,198,738	49.1
Total votes		10,584,650	100.0

Board of Equalization

Main article: 2018 California State Board of Equalization election

District 1

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	1,436,547	51.4
	Democratic	Tom Hallinan	1,355,782	48.6
Total votes			2,792,329	100.0
	Republican hold

District 2

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	2,482,171	72.8
	Republican	Mark Burns	927,949	27.2
Total votes			3,410,120	100.0
	Democratic hold

District 3

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	1,895,972	69.2
	Republican	G. Rick Marshall	815,829	30.1
Total votes			2,711,801	100.0
	Democratic hold

District 4

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	1,559,373	52.2
	Republican	Joel Anderson	1,427,566	47.8
Total votes			2,986,939	100.0
	Democratic gain from Republican

State Legislature

State Senate

Main article: California State Senate election, 2018

State Assembly

Main article: California State Assembly election, 2018

Statewide ballot propositions

June primary election

Since the passage of a law in November 2011, state primary elections may only feature propositions placed on the ballot by the state legislature.

• Proposition 68 - Passed

  A $4 billion bond measure to fund various parks, natural resources protection, climate adaptation, water quality and supply, and flood protection projects. Proponents argued that these projects will ensure and protect water resources, even during times of droughts. Opponents worried about adding more bonds to California's already existing debt.

• Proposition 69 - Passed

  A state constitution amendment that mandates that revenues generated by the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 can only be used for transportation purposes. Proponents argued that this will prevent the state legislature from redirecting these funds to non-transportation programs. Opponents argued that this will not fix or build new roads, nor would it protect gas tax revenues.

• Proposition 70 - Failed

  A state constitution amendment that would have required that revenue from cap and trade programs be collected in a special fund starting in 2024. The state legislature would then need a two-thirds majority vote to spend this money. Proponents argued that this will ensure that the state legislature will spend these funds wisely on high priority projects. Opponents argued that this will empower anti-environmental special interest groups because a two-thirds majority vote requirement will lead to more legislative gridlock.

• Proposition 71 - Passed

  A state constitution amendment to move the effective date of passed ballot measures from the day after the election to the fifth day after the Secretary of State certifies the results. Proponents wanted to make sure that future election results are officially certified before ballot measures go into effect. Opponents worried that this will prevent future ballot measures from retroactively taking effect, because there may be a scenario where a voter-approved ballot measure may need to be enforced as soon as possible.

• Proposition 72 - Passed

  A state constitution amendment to exclude rainwater capture systems completed on or after January 1, 2019 from property tax assessments. Proponents wanted more homeowners to install these systems to help conserve water, and not get taxed on them. There was no opposing argument submitted to the Secretary of State.

November general election

• Proposition 1 – Passed

  Veterans and Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2018. This mandatory proposition, placed by the state legislature and the Governor, will authorize $4 billion in bonds to fund various veterans' home loans and affordable housing programs. Supporters want such affordable housing, while opponents argue that there are better alternative solutions.

• Proposition 2 – Passed

  No Place Like Home Act of 2018. This mandatory proposition, placed by the state legislature and the Governor, will allow revenue generated by 2004's Proposition 63, the 1 percent tax on incomes above $1 million, be used for $2 billion in bonds for homelessness prevention housing. Supporters say that this will help people get off the street, while opponents argue that diverting Prop. 63 revenue from the state's public mental health system may actually increase the homelessness.

• Proposition 3 – Failed

  Authorizes Bonds to Fund Projects for Water Supply and Quality, Watershed, Fish, Wildlife, Water Conveyance, and Groundwater Sustainability and Storage. Initiative Statute. Authorizes $8.877 billion in bonds to fund such infrastructure projects. Supporters favor funding such water projects, while opponents argue that it is not worth adding more bond debt if it is not going to produce new, usable water.

• Proposition 4 – Passed

  Authorizes $1.5 billion in bonds to funding construction at various hospitals providing children’s health care. Initiative Statute. Authorizes $1.5 billion in bonds to fund grants for construction and improvements at various children's hospitals. supporters favor such new hospital projects, while opponents would rather look for better ways to improve the state's overall health care system.

• Proposition 5 – Failed

  Changes Requirements for Certain Property Owners to Transfer Their Property Tax Base to Replacement Property. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute. Will amend 1978's Proposition 13 by allowing homeowners who are over 55 years old or severely disabled to transfer their property tax base from their old home to their new one, regardless of the new residence's property value, location, or their previous transfers. Supporters want to make it easier for seniors and the severely disabled when they move to a new residence, while opponents worry that public programs and services could be cut as a result of the potential loss of up to $1 billion of tax revenue.

• Proposition 6 – Failed

  Eliminates Recently Enacted Road Repair and Transportation Funding by Repealing Revenues Dedicated for those Purposes. Requires any Measure to Enact Certain Vehicle Fuel Taxes and Vehicle Fees be Submitted to and Approved by the Electorate. Initiative Constitutional Amendment. Repeals the fuel tax increases and vehicle fees under the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017. Any future increases would then require a mandatory proposition placed on the ballot. Supporters feel that the fuel taxes and vehicle fees are unfairly regressive, while opponents worry about the safety of roads and bridges if they do not get properly maintained.

• Proposition 7 – Passed

  Daylight Saving Time. This mandatory proposition, placed by the state legislature and the Governor, will repeal 1949's Proposition 12, allowing the state legislature to enact permanent daylight saving time, subject to approval by the U.S. Congress. Supporters cite the public health and safety drawbacks of the biannual time changes, while opponents say that it is not worth it having people, especially school children, having to walk in the dark in the morning during the winter months.

• Proposition 8 – Failed

  Authorizes State Regulation of Kidney Dialysis Clinics. Limits Charges for Patient Care. Initiative Statute. Among other requirements, mandates that kidney dialysis clinics issue refunds to their patients if their revenue exceeds 115 percent of their costs of direct patient care and health care quality improvements. Supporters want to protect patients from higher fees and from being overcharged, while opponents worry that these stricter requirements will force the closure of many of these clinics.

• Proposition 9 - Removed from the ballot by order of the California Supreme Court

  Division of California into Three States. Initiative Statute. Also known as the Cal 3 measure, this would have divided California into three U.S. states, subject to approval by the U.S. Congress. It was removed from the ballot by the California Supreme Court on July 18, 2018, for further legal review. In September, the court affirmed their removal of the measure along with banning any such measure to be on the ballot in the future.

• Proposition 10 – Failed

  Expands Local Governments’ Authority to Enact Rent Control on Residential Property. Initiative Statute. Repeals the Costa–Hawkins Rental Housing Act of 1995, lifting its limits on municipal rent control ordinances. Supporters argue that more local control will preserve affordable rents, while opponents worry that this will increase the local bureaucracy by allowing them to also regulate single-family homes and to also potentially add fees on top of the rents.

• Proposition 11 – Passed

  Requires Private-Sector Emergency Ambulance Employees to Remain on Call During Work Breaks. Changes Other Conditions of Employment. Initiative Statute. Among other requirements, would require private-sector emergency ambulance employees to remain on call during breaks, be trained in certain emergency situations, and receive paid mental health services from their employers. Supporters argue that these changes will help save lives during disasters and emergencies. There was no opposing argument submitted to the Secretary of State.

• Proposition 12 – Passed

  Establishes New Standards for Confinement of Certain Farm Animals; Bans Sale of Certain Non-Complying Products. Initiative Statute. Requires meats and eggs be produced from farm animals that are confined in areas greater than a specific amount of space. Any eggs and uncooked meat from animals not housed under these requirements would then be banned from being sold in the state. Supporters hope that this will help further stop animal cruelty on these farms. Opponents state that this legalizes cages until at least 2022, and claim some of the specific space regulations (such as only allowing a single square foot of space per hen) are not exactly animal-friendly.

See also

• Mister America, a fictional film about the 2018 election for district attorney of San Bernardino County

External links

• California Elections and Voter Information from the California Secretary of State
• Candidates at Vote Smart
• Candidates at Ballotpedia
• Campaign finance at National Institute on Money in State Politics

Official Board of Equalization District 1 campaign websites

• Ted Gaines (R) for Board of Equalization
• Tom Hallinan (D) for Board of Equalization

Official Board of Equalization District 2 campaign websites

• Mark Burns (R) for Board of Equalization
• Malia Cohen (D) for Board of Equalization

Official Board of Equalization District 3 campaign websites

• G. Rick Marshall (R) for Board of Equalization
• Tony Vazquez (D) for Board of Equalization