United States Senate special election in California, 2022
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On November 8, 2022, there was a special election to fill the rest of the six-year term that Kamala Harris (D) was elected to in 2016. A primary was scheduled for June 7, 2022. The filing deadline was March 11, 2022.[1][2]
The special election became necessary after Kamala Harris (D) was elected Vice President of the United States.
| California voter? Dates you need to know.[3] | |
|---|---|
| Candidate Filing Deadline | March 11, 2022 |
| Primary Election | June 7, 2022 |
| General Election | November 8, 2022 |
| Voting information[4] | |
| Polling place hours | 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Primary Election Registration Deadline | May 23, 2022 |
| Primary Election Mail Ballot Deadline | Postmarked by June 7, 2022 Received by June 14, 2022 |
As of March 26, 2025, 17 special elections have been called during the 117th Congress. From the 113th Congress to the 116th Congress, 50 special elections were held. For more data on historical congressional special elections, click here.
This page focuses on California's United States Senate special election. For more in-depth information on the special primary election, see the following page:
Candidates and election results
General election
Special general election for U.S. Senate California
Incumbent Alex Padilla defeated Mark Meuser in the special general election for U.S. Senate California on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Alex Padilla (D) | 60.9 | 6,559,308 | |
| Mark Meuser (R) | 39.1 | 4,212,450 | ||
| Total votes: 10,771,758 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Special nonpartisan primary for U.S. Senate California
The following candidates ran in the special primary for U.S. Senate California on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Alex Padilla (D) | 55.0 | 3,740,582 | |
| ✔ | Mark Meuser (R) | 22.1 | 1,503,480 | |
| James P. Bradley (R) | 6.9 | 472,052 | ||
| Jonathan Elist (R) | 5.9 | 403,722 | ||
| Timothy Ursich Jr. (D) | 3.3 | 226,447 | ||
| Dan O'Dowd (D) | 2.8 | 191,531 | ||
| Myron Hall (R) | 2.1 | 143,038 | ||
| Daphne Bradford (Independent) | 1.6 | 112,191 | ||
| John Parker (Peace and Freedom Party) (Write-in) | 0.1 | 9,951 | ||
| Irene Ratliff (No party preference) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 12 | ||
| Total votes: 6,803,006 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Yvonne Girard (R)
Election analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
- Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
- State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
- Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.
Presidential elections
Cook PVI by congressional district
2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines
2012-2020
How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
| County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | |||||||
| Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
| Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
| Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
| Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
| New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
| Republican | |||||||
| Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
| Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
| Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
| Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
| New Republican | D | D | R | ||||
Following the 2020 presidential election, 83.3% of Californians lived in one of the state's 31 Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 8.3% lived in one of two Trending Democratic counties: Nevada and Orange. Overall, California was Solid Democratic, having voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2012, Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016, and Joe Biden (D) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in California following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
| California county-level statistics, 2020 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Democratic | 31 | 83.3% | |||||
| Trending Democratic | 2 | 8.3% | |||||
| Solid Republican | 23 | 7.8% | |||||
| New Democratic | 2 | 0.6% | |||||
| Total voted Democratic | 35 | 92.2% | |||||
| Total voted Republican | 23 | 7.8% | |||||
Historical voting trends
California presidential election results (1900-2020)
- 15 Democratic wins
- 15 Republican wins
- 1 other win
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | R | R | R | P[6] | D | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Statewide elections
This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.
U.S. Senate elections
The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in California.
| U.S. Senate election results in California | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Winner | Runner up |
| 2018 | 54.2% |
45.8% |
| 2016 | 61.8% |
38.2% |
| 2012 | 62.5% |
37.5% |
| 2010 | 52.1% |
42.5% |
| 2006 | 59.4% |
35.2% |
| Average | 58.0 | 39.8 |
Gubernatorial elections
- See also: Governor of California
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in California.
| Gubernatorial election results in California | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Winner | Runner up |
| 2018 | 61.9% |
38.1% |
| 2014 | 60.0% |
40.0% |
| 2010 | 53.8% |
40.9% |
| 2006 | 55.9% |
38.9% |
| 2003 | 48.6% |
31.5% |
| Average | 56.0 | 37.9 |
State partisanship
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of California's congressional delegation as of November 2022.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from California, November 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 2 | 42 | 44 |
| Republican | 0 | 11 | 11 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 53 | 55 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in California's top four state executive offices as of November 2022.
| State executive officials in California, November 2022 | |
|---|---|
| Office | Officeholder |
| Governor | |
| Lieutenant Governor | |
| Secretary of State | |
| Attorney General | |
State legislature
The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the California State Legislature as of November 2022.
California State Senate
| Party | As of November 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 31 | |
| Republican Party | 9 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 40 | |
California State Assembly
| Party | As of November 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 60 | |
| Republican Party | 19 | |
| Independent | 1 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 80 | |
Trifecta control
As of November 2022, California was a Democratic trifecta, with majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and control of the governorship. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.
California Party Control: 1992-2022
Seventeen years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Assembly | D | D | D | S | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Demographics
The table below details demographic data in California and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.
| Demographic Data for California | ||
|---|---|---|
| California | United States | |
| Population | 37,253,956 | 308,745,538 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 155,857 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 59.7% | 72.5% |
| Black/African American | 5.8% | 12.7% |
| Asian | 14.5% | 5.5% |
| Native American | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.4% | 0.2% |
| Two or more | 4.9% | 3.3% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 39% | 18% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 83.3% | 88% |
| College graduation rate | 33.9% | 32.1% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $75,235 | $62,843 |
| Persons below poverty level | 13.4% | 13.4% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
See also
- Special elections to the 117th United States Congress (2021-2022)
- United States Senate special election in California, 2022 (June 7 top-two primary)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "June 7, 2022, Statewide Direct Primary Election Calendar," accessed January 31, 2022
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Dates and Deadlines," accessed January 31, 2022
- ↑ California Secretary of Sate, "June 7, 2022, Statewide Direct Primary Election Calendar," accessed January 31, 2022
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Statewide Direct Primary Election - June 7, 2022," accessed January 31, 2022
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," accessed September 9, 2022
- ↑ Progressive Party
[[Category: Marquee, completed election, 2022]