1986 California gubernatorial election
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The 1986 California gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 1986. Incumbent Republican George Deukmejian won easily in this rematch over the Democratic challenger, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley. This was the largest gubernatorial victory since that of Earl Warren in 1946, who won 91.64% of the vote.
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November 4, 1986
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  Deukmejian: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Bradley: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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Primary election
Both major party candidates from 1982 were renominated with only token opposition.
Republican Party
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | George Deukmejian (incumbent) | 1,927,290 | 93.58% | |
| Republican | William H. R. Clark | 132,126 | 6.42% | |
| Total votes | 2,059,416 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic Party
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Bradley | 1,768,044 | 81.53% | |
| Democratic | Hugh G. Bagley | 141,218 | 6.51% | |
| Democratic | Charles Pineda Jr. | 109,001 | 5.03% | |
| Democratic | Eileen Anderson | 102,358 | 4.72% | |
| Democratic | Frank L. Thomas | 48,007 | 2.21% | |
| Total votes | 2,168,628 | 100.00% | ||
American Independent Party
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Independent | Gary V. Miller | 13,168 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 13,168 | 100.00% | ||
Libertarian Party
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Libertarian | Joseph Fuhrig | 9,123 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 9,123 | 100.00% | ||
Peace and Freedom Party
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peace and Freedom | Maria Elizabeth Muñoz | 3,508 | 69.78% | |
| Peace and Freedom | Cheryl Zuur | 1,519 | 30.22% | |
| Total votes | 5,027 | 100.00% | ||
General election results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | George Deukmejian (incumbent) | 4,506,601 | 60.54% | +11.27% | |
| Democratic | Tom Bradley | 2,781,714 | 37.37% | −10.72% | |
| Libertarian | Joseph Fuhrig | 52,628 | 0.71% | −0.32% | |
| Peace and Freedom | Maria Elizabeth Muñoz | 51,995 | 0.70% | −0.19% | |
| American Independent | Gary V. Miller | 50,547 | 0.68% | −0.04% | |
| Scattering | 66 | 0.00% | |||
| Majority | 1,724,887 | 23.17% | |||
| Total votes | 7,443,551 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | Swing | +21.99% | |||
Results by county
George Deukmejian carried all but two counties. As of 2024, this is most recent election in which a Republican gubernatorial candidate won Marin County, San Mateo County, and Santa Cruz County.
| County | George Deukmejian Republican |
Tom Bradley Democratic |
Joseph Fuhrig Libertarian |
Maria Elizabeth Muñoz Peace & Freedom |
Gary V. Miller American Independent |
Margin | Total votes cast[a][2] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Alameda | 174,555 | 47.79% | 181,445 | 49.68% | 3,164 | 0.87% | 3,783 | 1.04% | 2,280 | 0.62% | -6,890 | -1.89% | 365,227 |
| Alpine | 280 | 64.22% | 128 | 29.36% | 0 | 0.00% | 16 | 3.67% | 12 | 2.75% | 152 | 34.86% | 436 |
| Amador | 7,357 | 74.43% | 2,319 | 23.46% | 60 | 0.61% | 56 | 0.57% | 93 | 0.94% | 5,038 | 50.97% | 9,885 |
| Butte | 40,546 | 70.81% | 15,518 | 27.10% | 398 | 0.70% | 348 | 0.61% | 448 | 0.78% | 25,028 | 43.71% | 57,258 |
| Calaveras | 8,221 | 74.77% | 2,531 | 23.02% | 73 | 0.66% | 75 | 0.68% | 95 | 0.86% | 5,690 | 51.75% | 10,995 |
| Colusa | 3,729 | 79.49% | 882 | 18.80% | 16 | 0.34% | 24 | 0.51% | 40 | 0.85% | 2,847 | 60.69% | 4,691 |
| Contra Costa | 159,105 | 63.31% | 87,117 | 34.67% | 1,491 | 0.59% | 1,644 | 0.65% | 1,951 | 0.78% | 71,998 | 28.65% | 251,308 |
| Del Norte | 4,213 | 65.80% | 2,026 | 31.64% | 42 | 0.66% | 51 | 0.80% | 71 | 1.11% | 2,187 | 34.16% | 6,403 |
| El Dorado | 26,068 | 73.57% | 8,605 | 24.29% | 206 | 0.58% | 193 | 0.54% | 361 | 1.02% | 17,463 | 49.28% | 35,433 |
| Fresno | 96,959 | 66.28% | 47,071 | 32.17% | 546 | 0.37% | 927 | 0.63% | 795 | 0.54% | 49,888 | 34.10% | 146,298 |
| Glenn | 5,728 | 80.45% | 1,246 | 17.50% | 38 | 0.53% | 26 | 0.37% | 82 | 1.15% | 4,482 | 62.95% | 7,120 |
| Humboldt | 22,534 | 54.58% | 17,608 | 42.65% | 293 | 0.71% | 491 | 1.19% | 363 | 0.88% | 4,926 | 11.93% | 41,289 |
| Imperial | 11,479 | 61.19% | 6,915 | 36.86% | 38 | 0.20% | 214 | 1.14% | 113 | 0.60% | 4,564 | 24.33% | 18.759 |
| Inyo | 4,862 | 71.79% | 1,753 | 25.88% | 63 | 0.93% | 45 | 0.66% | 50 | 0.74% | 3,109 | 45.90% | 6,773 |
| Kern | 86,547 | 68.23% | 37,973 | 29.93% | 716 | 0.56% | 610 | 0.48% | 1,007 | 0.79% | 48,574 | 38.29% | 126,853 |
| Kings | 12,256 | 69.07% | 5,205 | 29.33% | 45 | 0.25% | 125 | 0.70% | 113 | 0.64% | 7,051 | 39.74% | 17,744 |
| Lake | 10,994 | 67.42% | 4,904 | 30.07% | 99 | 0.61% | 110 | 0.67% | 199 | 1.22% | 6,090 | 37.35% | 16,306 |
| Lassen | 5,154 | 68.96% | 2,067 | 27.66% | 45 | 0.60% | 61 | 0.82% | 147 | 1.97% | 3,087 | 41.30% | 7,474 |
| Los Angeles | 1,090,138 | 52.96% | 930,576 | 45.21% | 12,862 | 0.62% | 13,158 | 0.64% | 11,514 | 0.56% | 159,562 | 7.75% | 2,058,248 |
| Madera | 12,939 | 70.55% | 4,951 | 27.00% | 54 | 0.29% | 165 | 0.90% | 230 | 1.25% | 7,988 | 43.56% | 18,339 |
| Marin | 51,693 | 56.47% | 37,686 | 41.17% | 1,001 | 1.09% | 781 | 0.85% | 379 | 0.41% | 14,007 | 15.30% | 91,450 |
| Mariposa | 3,844 | 70.06% | 1,513 | 27.57% | 26 | 0.47% | 45 | 0.82% | 59 | 1.08% | 2,331 | 42.48% | 5,487 |
| Mendocino | 13,710 | 55.96% | 10,054 | 41.04% | 209 | 0.85% | 349 | 1.42% | 177 | 0.72% | 3,656 | 14.92% | 24,499 |
| Merced | 21,426 | 68.86% | 9,105 | 29.26% | 99 | 0.32% | 199 | 0.64% | 286 | 0.92% | 12,321 | 39.60% | 31,115 |
| Modoc | 2,641 | 74.69% | 810 | 22.91% | 25 | 0.71% | 20 | 0.57% | 40 | 1.13% | 1,831 | 51.78% | 3,536 |
| Mono | 1,847 | 70.66% | 722 | 27.62% | 15 | 0.57% | 15 | 0.57% | 15 | 0.57% | 1,125 | 43.04% | 2,614 |
| Monterey | 46,195 | 63.30% | 25,408 | 34.81% | 414 | 0.57% | 544 | 0.75% | 421 | 0.58% | 20,787 | 28.48% | 72,982 |
| Napa | 26,445 | 68.14% | 11,456 | 29.52% | 251 | 0.65% | 282 | 0.73% | 375 | 0.97% | 14,989 | 38.62% | 38,809 |
| Nevada | 20,599 | 73.12% | 6,928 | 24.59% | 228 | 0.81% | 182 | 0.65% | 234 | 0.83% | 13,671 | 48.53% | 28,171 |
| Orange | 468,092 | 71.89% | 172,782 | 26.54% | 3,445 | 0.53% | 2,821 | 0.43% | 3,956 | 0.61% | 295,310 | 45.36% | 651,096 |
| Placer | 37,288 | 73.31% | 12,542 | 24.66% | 372 | 0.73% | 280 | 0.55% | 382 | 0.75% | 24,746 | 48.65% | 50,864 |
| Plumas | 4,827 | 68.19% | 2,096 | 29.61% | 36 | 0.51% | 78 | 1.10% | 42 | 0.59% | 2,731 | 38.58% | 7,079 |
| Riverside | 155,318 | 65.10% | 78,891 | 33.06% | 947 | 0.40% | 1,092 | 0.46% | 2,350 | 0.98% | 76,427 | 32.03% | 238,598 |
| Sacramento | 207,086 | 68.05% | 91,660 | 30.12% | 1,592 | 0.52% | 1,974 | 0.65% | 2,014 | 0.66% | 115,426 | 37.93% | 304,326 |
| San Benito | 5,284 | 66.42% | 2,520 | 31.68% | 46 | 0.58% | 60 | 0.75% | 45 | 0.57% | 2,764 | 34.75% | 7,955 |
| San Bernardino | 166,483 | 63.76% | 89,584 | 34.31% | 1,206 | 0.46% | 1,336 | 0.51% | 2,490 | 0.95% | 76,899 | 29.45% | 261,099 |
| San Diego | 381,094 | 65.17% | 184,395 | 31.53% | 8,769 | 1.50% | 5,390 | 0.92% | 5,126 | 0.88% | 196,699 | 33.64% | 584,774 |
| San Francisco | 83,741 | 37.42% | 134,738 | 60.20% | 1,682 | 0.75% | 2,743 | 1.23% | 900 | 0.40% | -50,997 | -22.79% | 223,804 |
| San Joaquin | 76,297 | 71.32% | 28,817 | 26.94% | 452 | 0.42% | 623 | 0.58% | 793 | 0.74% | 47,480 | 44.38% | 106,982 |
| San Luis Obispo | 41,893 | 67.12% | 19,281 | 30.89% | 391 | 0.63% | 382 | 0.61% | 472 | 0.76% | 22,612 | 36.23% | 62,419 |
| San Mateo | 121,910 | 61.84% | 71,329 | 36.18% | 1,498 | 0.76% | 1,421 | 0.72% | 987 | 0.50% | 50,581 | 25.66% | 197,145 |
| Santa Barbara | 67,852 | 62.84% | 38,046 | 35.23% | 617 | 0.57% | 1,015 | 0.94% | 451 | 0.42% | 29,806 | 27.60% | 107,981 |
| Santa Clara | 227,285 | 59.87% | 142,907 | 37.64% | 3,894 | 1.03% | 2,920 | 0.77% | 2,650 | 0.70% | 84,378 | 22.22% | 379,656 |
| Santa Cruz | 37,525 | 50.54% | 34,831 | 46.91% | 615 | 0.83% | 839 | 1.13% | 434 | 0.58% | 2,694 | 3.63% | 74,244 |
| Shasta | 29,447 | 71.01% | 11,149 | 26.89% | 289 | 0.70% | 206 | 0.50% | 378 | 0.91% | 18,298 | 44.12% | 41,469 |
| Sierra | 1,053 | 66.98% | 474 | 30.15% | 7 | 0.45% | 13 | 0.83% | 25 | 1.59% | 579 | 36.83% | 1,572 |
| Siskiyou | 10,515 | 67.95% | 4,584 | 29.62% | 103 | 0.67% | 96 | 0.62% | 176 | 1.14% | 5,931 | 38.33% | 15,474 |
| Solano | 47,396 | 63.51% | 25,382 | 34.01% | 746 | 1.00% | 513 | 0.69% | 587 | 0.79% | 22,014 | 29.50% | 74,624 |
| Sonoma | 75,003 | 59.43% | 47,859 | 37.92% | 1,015 | 0.80% | 1,242 | 0.98% | 1,091 | 0.86% | 27,144 | 21.51% | 126,210 |
| Stanislaus | 53,505 | 71.05% | 20,481 | 27.20% | 342 | 0.45% | 417 | 0.55% | 556 | 0.74% | 33,024 | 43.86% | 75,301 |
| Sutter | 12,616 | 78.67% | 2,946 | 18.37% | 136 | 0.85% | 75 | 0.47% | 263 | 1.64% | 9,670 | 60.30% | 16,036 |
| Tehama | 10,463 | 71.10% | 3,932 | 26.72% | 83 | 0.56% | 75 | 0.51% | 163 | 1.11% | 6,531 | 44.38% | 14,716 |
| Trinity | 3,720 | 66.48% | 1,661 | 29.68% | 72 | 1.29% | 59 | 1.05% | 84 | 1.50% | 2,059 | 36.79% | 5,596 |
| Tulare | 44,335 | 71.72% | 16,287 | 26.35% | 344 | 0.56% | 334 | 0.54% | 519 | 0.84% | 28,048 | 45.37% | 61,819 |
| Tuolumne | 11,121 | 71.29% | 4,237 | 27.16% | 67 | 0.43% | 82 | 0.53% | 92 | 0.59% | 6,884 | 44.13% | 15,599 |
| Ventura | 118,640 | 67.20% | 54,893 | 31.09% | 966 | 0.55% | 960 | 0.54% | 1,098 | 0.62% | 63,747 | 36.11% | 176,557 |
| Yolo | 26,154 | 60.79% | 15,906 | 36.97% | 308 | 0.72% | 370 | 0.86% | 285 | 0.66% | 10,248 | 23.82% | 43,023 |
| Yuba | 8,594 | 72.37% | 2,982 | 25.11% | 71 | 0.60% | 40 | 0.34% | 188 | 1.58% | 5,612 | 47.26% | 11,875 |
| Total | 4,506,601 | 60.54% | 2,781,714 | 37.37% | 52,628 | 0.71% | 51,995 | 0.70% | 50,547 | 0.68% | 1,724,887 | 23.17% | 7,443,551 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
See also
Notes
- County totals do not include the write-in votes, which are only given as statewide totals in the Statement Of Vote