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California State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the California State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 7, 2014. The deadline was extended to March 12, 2014, in districts where the incumbent, if able to file for re-election, did not do so. Qualified write-in candidates were required to file by May 20, 2014.
Following the general election, there was no change to the majority control of the California State Senate. The Democrats controlled the chamber, but their hold on the chamber was diminished following the election. Their seats decreased from 27 to 25, as the Republicans picked up two seats to increase their number from 12 to 14. One seat remains vacant.
Incumbents retiring
A total of ten incumbents did not run for re-election in 2014. Those incumbents were:
| Name | Party | Current Office |
|---|---|---|
| Noreen Evans | Senate District 2 | |
| Darrell Steinberg | Senate District 6 | |
| Leland Yee | Senate District 8 | |
| Ellen M. Corbett | Senate District 10 | |
| Alex Padilla | Senate District 20 | |
| Ted Lieu | Senate District 28 | |
| Ronald S. Calderon | Senate District 30 | |
| Norma Torres | Senate District 32 | |
| Lou Correa | Senate District 34 | |
| Mark Wyland | Senate District 38 |
Majority control
- See also: Partisan composition of state senates
Heading into the November 4 election, the Democratic Party held the majority in the California State Senate:
| California State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 3, 2014 | After November 4, 2014 | |
| Democratic Party | 27 | 25 | |
| Republican Party | 12 | 14 | |
| Vacancy | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 40 | 40 | |
Qualifications
| Candidate ballot access |
|---|
 |
| Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. |
A candidate shall:
- A. Be at least 30 years of age, a U.S. citizen for nine years, and a resident of California when elected. U.S. Const. Art. I, §3
- B. Have a valid voter registration affidavit on file in the county of residence at the time nomination papers are obtained. §201
- C. Satisfy the following registration requirements:
- 1. Be registered with the political party whose nomination he or she is seeking for not less than three months immediately prior to the time the declaration of candidacy is presented to the county elections official or, if eligible to register for less than three months, for as long as he or she has been eligible to register to vote in California. §8001(a)(1)
- 2. Not have been registered as affiliated with any other qualified political party within twelve months immediately prior to the filing of the declaration of candidacy. §8001(a)(2)
Competitiveness
Candidates unopposed by a major party
In 7 of the 20 districts up for election in 2014, there was only one major party candidate running for election. A total of five Democrats and two Republicans were guaranteed election in November barring unforeseen circumstances.
Two major party candidates faced off in the blanket primary in 13 of the 20 districts up for election.
Primary challenges
One incumbent faced primary competition on June 8. Ten incumbents did not seek re-election in 2014 and another nine incumbents advanced past the primary without opposition. The state senator that faced primary competition was:
- District 24 incumbent Kevin De Leon (D) and Peter Choi (D) defeated William "Rodriguez" Morrison (D) in the blanket primary.
Retiring incumbents
Ten incumbent senators did not run for re-election, while 10 (50.0%) ran for re-election. A list of those incumbents, nine Democrats and one Republican, can be found above.
Issues
Top-two primary system
Since California implemented the top-two primary system, minor party and no party preference candidates have had a harder time making it onto the ballot. In 2012, minor parties put 21 candidates on the ballot in California. For the 10 years prior to that election, they averaged a combined 133 candidates on the ballot.[1] Additionally, in the 111 elections for federal or state office in which a minor party did place a candidate on the primary ballot against at least two major party candidates in a top-two primary system, no minor party candidate has placed first or second in order to move on to the general election.[2][3]
List of candidates
District 2
Note: Incumbent Noreen Evans (D) did not run for re-election.
- June 3 Blanket primary candidates:
Derek Knell: 19,733
Lawrence R. Wiesner: 48,401
Harry V. Lehmann: 8,060
November 4 General election candidates:
District 4
- June 3 Blanket primary candidates:
- Incumbent Nielsen first assumed office in 2013.
November 4 General election candidates:
District 6
Note: Incumbent Darrell Steinberg (D) did not run for re-election.
- June 3 Blanket primary candidates:
November 4 General election candidates:
District 8
- June 3 Blanket primary candidates:
November 4 General election candidates:
District 10
Note: Incumbent Ellen M. Corbett (D) did not run for re-election.
- June 3 Blanket primary candidates:
November 4 General election candidates:
District 12
- June 3 Blanket primary candidates:
November 4 General election candidates:
District 14
- June 3 Blanket primary candidates:
November 4 General election candidates:
District 16
- June 3 Blanket primary candidates:
November 4 General election candidates:
District 18
Note: Incumbent Jean Fuller (R) ran for re-election in District 16.
- June 3 Blanket primary candidates:
John P. "Jack" Lindblad: 4,392
November 4 General election candidates:
District 20
Note: Incumbent Alex Padilla (D) did not run for re-election.
- June 3 Blanket primary candidates:
November 4 General election candidates:
District 22
- June 3 Blanket primary candidates:
November 4 General election candidates:
District 24
- June 3 Blanket primary candidates:
November 4 General election candidates:
District 26
Note: Incumbent Holly Mitchell (D) ran for re-election in District 30.
- June 3 Blanket primary candidates:
November 4 General election candidates:
District 28
Note: Incumbent Ted Lieu (D) did not run for re-election.
- June 3 Blanket primary candidates:
November 4 General election candidates:
District 30
- June 3 Blanket primary candidates:
November 4 General election candidates:
District 32
Note: Incumbent Norma Torres (D) did not run for re-election.
- June 3 Blanket primary candidates:
November 4 General election candidates:
District 34
Note: Incumbent Lou Correa (D) did not run for re-election.
- June 3 Blanket primary candidates:
November 4 General election candidates:
District 36
Note: Incumbent Joel Anderson (R) ran for re-election in District 38.
- June 3 Blanket primary candidates:
November 4 General election candidates:
District 38
- June 3 Blanket primary candidates:
November 4 General election candidates:
District 40
- June 3 Blanket primary candidates:
November 4 General election candidates:
See also
External links
- California Secretary of State - Official primary election candidate list
- California Secretary of State - Official primary election results
- California Secretary of State - Official general election candidate list
- California Secretary of State - Official general election results
Footnotes
- ↑ Calnewsroom.com, "In statewide debut, top-two primary blocks third parties from June ballot," February 14, 2014
- ↑ Ballot Access News, "California Special Election Returns, State Senate District 23," March 26, 2014
- ↑ Ballot Access News, "Top-Two System Again Excludes All Minor Parties from General Election Campaign if At Least Two Major Party Members Ran," June 4, 2014
