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California Attorney General election, 2022
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| California Attorney General |
|---|
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| Top-two primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: March 11, 2022 |
| Primary: June 7, 2022 General: November 8, 2022 Pre-election incumbent(s): Rob Bonta (Democratic) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in California |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2022 Impact of term limits in 2022 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022 |
| California executive elections |
| Governor Lieutenant Governor |
California held an election for attorney general on November 8, 2022. The primary was scheduled for June 7, 2022. The filing deadline was March 11, 2022. This was one of 30 elections for attorney general taking place in 2022. All 50 states have an attorney general who serves as the state's chief legal officer, responsible for enforcing state law and offering the state government advice on legal matters. In 43 states, the office was, at the time of the 2022 elections, an elected post. At the time of the 2022 elections, there were 27 Republican attorneys general and 23 Democratic attorneys general. Click here for an overview of all 30 attorney general elections that took place in 2022. A state government triplex refers to a situation where the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all members of the same political party. Heading into the 2022 elections, there were 23 Republican triplexes, 18 Democratic triplexes, and nine divided governments where neither party held triplex control.
In September 2022, Sabato's Crystal Ball released an analysis of state attorney general election competitiveness. California's attorney general election was rated as not competitive, meaning the seat was expected to stay in Democratic hands: "Bonta, who was appointed AG to succeed Xavier Becerra when Becerra was named Secretary of Health and Human Services, is seeking a term of his own in 2022. At one point, it looked like Bonta could get ensnared in the rising criticism of progressive prosecutors, including the now-recalled Chesa Boudin of San Francisco. And his Republican opponent in November, Nathan Hochman, is relatively non-ideological, with deep ties in Southern California and solid fundraising skills." Click here to read the analysis.[1]
Incumbent Rob Bonta won election in the general election for Attorney General of California.
For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:
Candidates and election results
General election
General election for Attorney General of California
Incumbent Rob Bonta defeated Nathan Hochman in the general election for Attorney General of California on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Rob Bonta (D) | 59.1 | 6,339,441 | |
| Nathan Hochman (R) | 40.9 | 4,390,428 | ||
| Total votes: 10,729,869 | ||||
| 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
Nonpartisan primary for Attorney General of California
Incumbent Rob Bonta and Nathan Hochman defeated Eric Early, Anne Marie Schubert, and Daniel Kapelovitz in the primary for Attorney General of California on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Rob Bonta (D) | 54.3 | 3,756,486 | |
| ✔ | Nathan Hochman (R) | 18.2 | 1,256,465 | |
| Eric Early (R) | 16.5 | 1,142,747 | ||
| Anne Marie Schubert (Independent) | 7.8 | 539,746 | ||
| Daniel Kapelovitz (G) | 3.2 | 219,912 | ||
| Total votes: 6,915,356 | ||||
| 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. | ||||
Campaign finance
General election
Primary election
Voting information
- See also: Voting in California
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
No candidate in this race completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
Past elections
2018
General election
General election for Attorney General of California
Incumbent Xavier Becerra defeated Steven C. Bailey in the general election for Attorney General of California on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Xavier Becerra (D) | 63.6 | 7,790,743 | |
| Steven C. Bailey (R) | 36.4 | 4,465,587 | ||
| Total votes: 12,256,330 (100.00% precincts reporting) | ||||
| 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
Nonpartisan primary for Attorney General of California
Incumbent Xavier Becerra and Steven C. Bailey defeated Dave Jones and Eric Early in the primary for Attorney General of California on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Xavier Becerra (D) | 45.8 | 3,024,611 | |
| ✔ | Steven C. Bailey (R) | 24.5 | 1,615,859 | |
| Dave Jones (D) | 15.4 | 1,017,427 | ||
| Eric Early (R) | 14.3 | 943,071 | ||
| Total votes: 6,600,968 | ||||
| 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. | ||||
2014
| Attorney General of California, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Kamala Harris Incumbent |
57.5% | 4,102,649 | |
| Republican | Ronald Gold | 42.5% | 3,033,476 | |
| Total Votes | 7,136,125 | |||
| Election results via California Secretary of State | ||||
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[3] | 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 | 39,538,223 | 331,449,281 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 155,857 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 56.1% | 70.4% |
| Black/African American | 5.7% | 12.6% |
| Asian | 14.8% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.4% | 0.2% |
| Other (single race) | 14.3% | 5.1% |
| Multiple | 7.9% | 5.2% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 39.1% | 18.2% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 83.9% | 88.5% |
| College graduation rate | 34.7% | 32.9% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $78,672 | $64,994 |
| Persons below poverty level | 12.6% | 12.8% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020). | ||
| **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
| California | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
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