2012 United States Senate election in California

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United States Senate election in California, 2012
Class 1 Senator →
Turnout	55.2% (voting eligible)
	Election results by county
U.S. senator before election; Dianne Feinstein; Democratic	Elected U.S. Senator ; Dianne Feinstein; Democratic

The 2012 United States Senate election in California took place on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the 2012 U.S. presidential election as well as other elections to the United States Senate and House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

The primary election on June 5 took place under California's new blanket primary law, where all candidates appear on the same ballot, regardless of party. In the primary, voters voted for any candidate listed, or write-in any other candidate. The top two finishers — regardless of party — advanced to the general election in November, even if a candidate managed to receive a majority of the votes cast in the June primary. In the primary, less than 15% of the total 2010 census population voted. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein announced her intention to run for a fourth full term in April 2011^[2] and finished first in the blanket primary with 49.5% of the vote. The second-place finisher was Republican candidate and autism activist Elizabeth Emken, who won 12.7% of the vote.

Feinstein and Emken contested the general election on November 6, with Feinstein winning re-election in a landslide, by 62.5% to 37.5%. Feinstein's 7.86 million votes set the all-time record for the most votes cast for one candidate in one state in one election, beating Senator Barbara Boxer's 6.96 million votes in 2004. This record was held until the 2016 presidential election in California, when Hillary Clinton won 8.75 million votes in the state.

Primary

Candidates

Democratic Party

Dianne Feinstein, incumbent U.S. senator since 1992^[3]
Colleen Shea Fernald
David Levitt, computer scientist and engineer^[4]
Nak Shah, environmental health consultant
Diane Stewart, businesswoman
Mike Strimling, attorney and former U.S. Peace Corps legal adviser

Republican Party

John Boruff, businessman^[5]
Oscar Alejandro Braun, businessman and rancher
Greg Conlon, businessman and CPA
Elizabeth Emken, candidate for the 11th congressional district in 2010^[6]^[7]
Rogelio Gloria, U.S. Naval Officer
Dan Hughes, businessman^[8]
Dennis Jackson
Dirk Konopik, former congressional aide^[7]
Donald Krampe
Robert Lauten
Al Ramirez, businessman^[9]
Nachum Shifren, rabbi and state senate candidate in 2010^[10]
Orly Taitz, dentist, Birther movement activist and candidate for California Secretary of State in 2010^[11]
Rick Williams, business attorney^[12]

Libertarian

Gail Lightfoot, retired nurse

Peace and Freedom

Kabiruddin Karim Ali, businessman
Marsha Feinland, retired teacher

American Independent

Don J. Grundmann, chiropractor

Polling

Results

United States Senate primary election in California, 2012^[13]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Dianne Feinstein (incumbent)	2,392,822	49.3%
	Republican	Elizabeth Emken	613,613	12.6%
	Republican	Dan Hughes	323,840	6.7%
	Republican	Rick Williams	157,946	3.3%
	Republican	Orly Taitz	154,781	3.2%
	Republican	Dennis Jackson	137,120	2.8%
	Republican	Greg Conlon	135,421	2.8%
	Republican	Al Ramirez	109,399	2.3%
	Libertarian	Gail Lightfoot	101,648	2.1%
	Democratic	Diane Stewart	97,782	2.0%
	Democratic	Mike Strimling	97,024	2.0%
	Democratic	David Levitt	76,482	1.6%
	Republican	Oscar Braun	75,842	1.6%
	Republican	Robert Lauten	57,720	1.2%
	Peace and Freedom	Marsha Feinland	54,129	1.2%
	Democratic	Colleen Shea Fernald	51,623	1.1%
	Republican	Donald Krampe	39,035	0.8%
	American Independent	Don J. Grundmann	33,037	0.7%
	Republican	Dirk Allen Konopik	29,997	0.6%
	Republican	John Boruff	29,357	0.6%
	Democratic	Nak Shah	27,203	0.6%
	Republican	Rogelio T. Gloria	22,529	0.5%
	Republican	Nachum Shifren	21,762	0.4%
	Peace and Freedom	Kabiruddin Karim Ali	12,269	0.3%
	Republican	Linda R. Price (write-in)	25	0.0%
Total votes			4,852,406	100.0%

Election contest

In July 2012, Taitz sued to block the certification of the primary election results, alleging "rampant election fraud", but her suit was denied.^[14]^[15]

Fundraising

Candidate (party)	Receipts	Disbursements	Cash on hand	Debt
Dianne Feinstein (D)	$12,673,306	$12,105,960	$865,541	$373,734
Elizabeth Emken (R)	$1,114,350	$1,110,209	$4,140	$4,479
Source: Federal Election Commission^[16]^[17]

Top contributors

Dianne Feinstein	Contribution	Elizabeth Emken	Contribution
Pacific Gas and Electric Company	$120,700	Thomas H. Lee Partners	$10,000
JStreetPAC	$82,171	DevicePharm, Inc.	$7,500
General Atomics	$56,750	Troy Group	$7,500
Edison International	$54,250	Jelly Belly	$5,500
General Dynamics	$43,500	Autism Advocate	$5,000
BAE Systems	$40,000	Geier Group	$5,000
Diamond Foods	$31,599	Generations Healthcare	$5,000
Northrop Grumman	$30,800	Gingery Development	$4,000
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees	$30,000	MIR3, Inc.	$3,000
Wells Fargo	$27,250	Northrop Grumman	$2,800
Source: Center for Responsive Politics^[18]

Top industries

Dianne Feinstein	Contribution	Elizabeth Emken	Contribution
Lawyers/Law Firms	$565,129	Retired	$63,849
Retired	$463,058	Republican/Conservative	$35,800
Agribusiness	$367,132	Financial Institutions	$26,100
Real Estate	$334,321	Real Estate	$19,200
Lobbyists	$324,196	Business Services	$16,000
Financial Institutions	$321,744	Misc Finance	$12,750
Electric Utilities	$313,450	Printing & Publishing	$8,000
Entertainment Industry	$300,321	Food & Beverage	$6,000
Women's Issues	$207,449	Petroleum Industry	$6,000
High-Tech Industry	$205,789	Lawyers/Law Firms	$5,458
Source: Center for Responsive Politics^[19]

General election

Candidates

Dianne Feinstein (D), incumbent U.S. Senator
Elizabeth Emken (R), former Vice President of Autism Speaks^[20]

Debates

No debates were scheduled. Senator Feinstein decided to focus on her own campaign rather than debate her challenger.^[21]^[22]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Dianne Feinstein (D)	Elizabeth Emken (R)	Other	Undecided
The Field Poll	October 25–30, 2012	751	± 3.6%	54%	33%	—	13%
The Field Poll	October 17–24, 2012	815	± 3.6%	56%	32%	—	12%
LA Times/USC	October 15–21, 2012	1,440	± n/a	55%	38%	1%	6%
Reason-Rupe	October 11–15, 2012	508	± 5.1%	60%	34%	2%	5%
SurveyUSA	October 7–9, 2012	539	± 4.3%	54%	35%	—	10%
The Field Poll	September 6–18, 2012	902	± 3.4%	57%	31%	—	12%
SurveyUSA	September 9–11, 2012	524	± 4.2%	55%	37%	—	9%
CBRT Pepperdine	July 30–August 1, 2012	873	± 3.3%	46%	34%	—	21%
The Field Poll	June 21–July 2, 2012	848	± 3.5%	51%	32%	—	17%
SurveyUSA	May 27–29, 2012	1,575	± 2.5%	50%	34%	—	15%

Results

California's total population is 38 million.

United States Senate election in California, 2012
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Dianne Feinstein (Incumbent)	7,864,624	62.5%	+3.1%
	Republican	Elizabeth Emken	4,713,887	37.5%	+2.5%
Majority			3,150,737	25.0%	+.6%
Turnout			12,578,511	100.00%

County	Feinstein	Votes	Emken	Votes
Alameda

References

^ Dr. Michael McDonald (February 9, 2013). "2012 General Election Turnout Rates". George Mason University. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
^ Marinucci, Carla (April 30, 2011). "US Sen. Dianne Feinstein on nuclear energy and her 2012 re-election: "My plan is to run"". San Francisco Chronicle Politics Blog.
^ Reston, Maeve (October 25, 2010). "Feinstein hints she'll run again in 2012". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
^ Milhalcik, Carrie. "Citizen candidate to challenge Dianne Feinstein in Senate race". Current TV.
^ Walker, Mark (December 1, 2011). "REGION: Ramona man running against Feinstein in 2012". North County Times. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
^ Van Oot, Torey (November 28, 2011). "Republican Elizabeth Emken to run against Sen. Dianne Feinstein". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
^ ^a ^b Richman, Josh (November 29, 2011). "Danville woman seeks GOP nod to take on Feinstein". Oakland Tribune. Contra Costa Times. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
^ Merl, Jean (February 6, 2012). "GOP businessman joins field challenging Sen. Dianne Feinstein". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
^ Archibald, Ashley (January 28, 2012). "Santa Monican hopes to unseat Feinstein". Santa Monica Daily Press. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
^ Surowski, Peter (May 18, 2011). "Rabbi Who Denounced Temecula Mosque Runs for Senate". Temecula Patch. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
^ "Orly Taitz Senate Campaign: 'Birther Queen' Running As GOP Candidate For U.S. Senate Seat In California". The Huffington Post. November 4, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
^ "Rick Williams for Senate".
^ "Statement of Vote (June 5, 2012, Presidential Primary Election)" (PDF). California Secretary of State. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
^ Wisckol, Martin (July 12, 2012). "O.C. 'birther' sues to block primary election results". The Orange County Register.
^ Wisckol, Martin (July 13, 2012). "O.C. 'birther' suit to block election results denied". The Orange County Register.
^ Federal Election Commission. "2012 House and Senate Campaign Finance for California FEINSTEIN, DIANNE". fec.gov.
^ Federal Election Commission. "2012 House and Senate Campaign Finance for California EMKEN, ELIZABETH". fec.gov.
^ Center for Responsive Politics. "Top Contributors 2012 Race: California Senate". opensecrets.org.
^ Center for Responsive Politics. "Top Industries 2012 Race: California Senate". opensecrets.org.
^ "Elizabeth Emken". ElizabethEmken.com. Retrieved 2016-11-02.
^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09gDvV_zHHk
^ http://www.ocregister.com/articles/emken-376332-feinstein-debate.html

External links

Official campaign sites

[VEP12-1] Dr. Michael McDonald (February 9, 2013). "2012 General Election Turnout Rates". George Mason University. Retrieved April 3, 2013.

[2] Marinucci, Carla (April 30, 2011). "US Sen. Dianne Feinstein on nuclear energy and her 2012 re-election: "My plan is to run"". San Francisco Chronicle Politics Blog.

[3] Reston, Maeve (October 25, 2010). "Feinstein hints she'll run again in 2012". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 3, 2011.

[4] Milhalcik, Carrie. "Citizen candidate to challenge Dianne Feinstein in Senate race". Current TV.

[5] Walker, Mark (December 1, 2011). "REGION: Ramona man running against Feinstein in 2012". North County Times. Retrieved February 12, 2012.

[6] Van Oot, Torey (November 28, 2011). "Republican Elizabeth Emken to run against Sen. Dianne Feinstein". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved November 28, 2011.

[ot-7] Richman, Josh (November 29, 2011). "Danville woman seeks GOP nod to take on Feinstein". Oakland Tribune. Contra Costa Times. Retrieved February 12, 2012.

[8] Merl, Jean (February 6, 2012). "GOP businessman joins field challenging Sen. Dianne Feinstein". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 12, 2012.

[9] Archibald, Ashley (January 28, 2012). "Santa Monican hopes to unseat Feinstein". Santa Monica Daily Press. Retrieved February 12, 2012.

[10] Surowski, Peter (May 18, 2011). "Rabbi Who Denounced Temecula Mosque Runs for Senate". Temecula Patch. Retrieved February 12, 2012.

[11] "Orly Taitz Senate Campaign: 'Birther Queen' Running As GOP Candidate For U.S. Senate Seat In California". The Huffington Post. November 4, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2011.

[12] "Rick Williams for Senate".

[13] "Statement of Vote (June 5, 2012, Presidential Primary Election)" (PDF). California Secretary of State. Retrieved December 1, 2017.

[14] Wisckol, Martin (July 12, 2012). "O.C. 'birther' sues to block primary election results". The Orange County Register.

[15] Wisckol, Martin (July 13, 2012). "O.C. 'birther' suit to block election results denied". The Orange County Register.

[16] Federal Election Commission. "2012 House and Senate Campaign Finance for California FEINSTEIN, DIANNE". fec.gov.

[17] Federal Election Commission. "2012 House and Senate Campaign Finance for California EMKEN, ELIZABETH". fec.gov.

[18] Center for Responsive Politics. "Top Contributors 2012 Race: California Senate". opensecrets.org.

[19] Center for Responsive Politics. "Top Industries 2012 Race: California Senate". opensecrets.org.

[Elizabeth_Emken_biography-20] "Elizabeth Emken". ElizabethEmken.com. Retrieved 2016-11-02.

[21] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09gDvV_zHHk

[22] ttp://www.ocregister.com/articles/emken-376332-feinstein-debate.html

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Primary

Candidates

Democratic Party

Republican Party

Libertarian

Peace and Freedom

American Independent

Polling

Results

Election contest

Fundraising

Top contributors

Top industries

General election

Candidates

Debates

Polling

Results

See also

References

External links