2018 United States Senate election in California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2018 United States Senate election in California took place on November 6, 2018, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent California, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections.
November 6, 2018
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| Turnout | 56.42% | |||||||||||||||
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Feinstein: 50–60% 60–70% de León: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | ||||||||||||||||
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Under California's non-partisan blanket primary law, all candidates appear on the same ballot, regardless of party. In the primary, voters may vote for any candidate, regardless of their party affiliation. In the California system, the top two finishers — regardless of party — advance to the general election in November, even if a candidate receives a majority of the votes cast in the primary election. Washington and Louisiana have similar "jungle primary" style processes for U.S. Senate elections, as does Mississippi for U.S. Senate special elections.
The candidate filing deadline was March 8, 2018, and the primary election was held on June 5, 2018.[1]
Democratic incumbent Dianne Feinstein won re-election in 2012 with 63% of the vote, taking the record for the most popular votes in any U.S. Senate election in history, with 7.86 million votes.[2] Feinstein, at the time, was the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. She turned 85 years old in 2018, leading some to speculate that she would retire in January 2019,[3][4] as her long-time colleague Barbara Boxer did in January 2017. However, Feinstein ran for re-election to her fifth full term, winning 44.2% of the vote in the top-two primary; she faced Democratic challenger Kevin de León in the general election, who won 12.1% of the primary vote.[5] For the second time since direct elections to the Senate began after the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, no Republican appeared on the general election ballot for the U.S. Senate in California. The highest Republican finisher in the primary won only 8.3 percent of the vote, and the 10 Republicans only won 31.2 percent of the vote among them. Briefly, during the early stages of the primary, Patrick Little, a Neo-Nazi running as a Republican polled at 18% which at the time put him in second place and the likely runoff candidate against Feinstein, however, his campaign collapsed after the media reported on his views.
In the general election, Feinstein defeated de León by an eight-point margin, 54% to 46%. This was Feinstein's closest election since 1994, as well as her last run for elected office, as she died in office in September 2023.[6]
Candidates
Democratic Party
Advanced to general
- Kevin de León, President pro tempore of the California State Senate[7][8][9]
- Dianne Feinstein, incumbent U.S. Senator[10]
Eliminated in primary
- Adrienne Nicole Edwards, Vice Chairwoman on the HDT Community Development Foundation board[11]
- Pat Harris, attorney[12][13]
- Alison Hartson, national director of Wolf PAC[14][15]
- David Hildebrand, legislative analyst[16][17]
- Herbert G. Peters, retired aerospace engineer and candidate for U.S. Senate in California in 2016[11]
- Douglas Howard Pierce[11]
- Gerald Plummer[11]
- Donnie O. Turner, Air Force veteran[11]
Withdrawn
- Topher Brennan[18]
- John Melendez, television writer and radio personality[19]
- Steve Stokes, candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2016[20]
Declined
- Ana Kasparian, co-host of The Young Turks[21]
- Joe Sanberg, entrepreneur and investor[22]
- Tom Steyer, hedge fund manager[23][24]
- Cenk Uygur, host of The Young Turks[25]
Republican Party
Declared
- Arun K. Bhumitra, businessman[11]
- James P. Bradley, businessman[26]
- Jack Crew, bus driver[26]
- Erin Cruz, published author[27]
- Rocky De La Fuente, entrepreneur and perennial candidate[28]
- Jerry Joseph Laws, candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2016[26]
- Patrick Little, neo-Nazi and Holocaust denier[29] (denounced by California Republican Party)
- Kevin Mottus, candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2016[11]
- Mario Nabliba, scientist[11]
- Tom Palzer, activist, retired city planner and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2016[26]
- Paul Allen Taylor, businessman[30]
Withdrawn
- Donald R. Adams, businessman[31]
- Gary Coson[32]
- John Estrada[33]
- Timothy Charles Kalemkarian, perennial candidate[34]
- Ernie Konnyu, former U.S. Representative[35]
- Caren Lancona, businesswoman[36]
- Jazmina Saavedra, businesswoman and activist[37]
- Stephen James Schrader, veteran[38]
Declined
- Kevin Faulconer, mayor of San Diego[39][40]
- Caitlyn Jenner, 1976 Olympic gold medalist and television personality[41]
- Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor and former Governor of California[42]
- Ashley Swearengin, former mayor of Fresno[43]
Libertarian Party
Declared
- Derrick Michael Reid, retired attorney and engineer and candidate for president in 2016[44]
Green Party
Declared
- Michael V. Ziesing (write-in)[45]
Peace and Freedom Party
Declared
- John Thompson Parker[26]
No party preference
Declared
- Colleen Shea Fernald, perennial candidate[26]
- Rash Bihari Ghosh[26]
- Tim Gildersleeve, businessman and researcher[46]
- Michael Fahmy Girgis[26]
- Don J. Grundmann, California Constitution Party chairman and perennial candidate[47] (Constitution Party)[a]
- Jason M. Hanania[26]
- David Moore (Socialist Equality Party)[a][48]
- Lee W. Olson[49]
- Ursula M. Schilling (write-in)[45]
- Ling Ling Shi, evangelist[50]
Withdrawn
Notes
Primary election
Endorsements
Dianne Feinstein (D)
U.S. presidents
U.S. vice presidents
U.S. Senators
- Barbara Boxer, former U.S. Senator (D-CA)[59]
- Kamala Harris, U.S. Senator (D-CA)[60][61][62][59]
U.S. Representatives
- Pete Aguilar, U.S. Representative (D-CA-31)
- Karen Bass, U.S. Representative (D-CA-37)
- Ami Bera, U.S. Representative (D-CA-7)
- Julia Brownley, U.S. Representative (D-CA-26)
- Judy Chu, U.S. Representative (D-CA-27)
- Salud Carbajal, U.S. Representative (D-CA-24)
- Jim Costa, U.S. Representative (D-CA-16)
- Susan Davis, U.S. Representative (D-CA-53)
- Mark DeSaulnier, U.S. Representative (D-CA-11)
- John Garamendi, U.S. Representative (D-CA-3)
- Ted Lieu, U.S. Representative (D-CA-33)[63]
- Alan Lowenthal, U.S. Representative (D-CA-47)
- Doris Matsui, U.S. Representative (D-CA-6)
- Grace Napolitano, U.S. Representative (D-CA-32)
- Jimmy Panetta, U.S. Representative (D-CA-20)
- Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader and U.S. Representative (D-CA-12)[64]
- Scott Peters, U.S. Representative (D-CA-52)
- Raul Ruiz, U.S. Representative (D-CA-36)
- Adam Schiff, U.S. Representative (D-CA-28)[62]
- Brad Sherman, U. S. Representative (D-CA-30)[65]
- Jackie Speier, U.S. Representative (D-CA-14)
- Eric Swalwell, U.S. Representative (D-CA-15)[65]
- Mark Takano, U.S. Representative (D-CA-41)
- Mike Thompson, U.S. Representative (D-CA-5)
- Norma Torres, U.S. Representative (D-CA-35)
- Juan Vargas, U.S. Representative (D-CA-51)
- Maxine Waters, U.S. Representative (D-CA-43)
State officials
- Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, California State Assemblymember (D-4)[66]
- Jerry Brown, Governor of California[67]
- Anna Caballero, California State Assemblymember (D-30)[66]
- Susan Talamantes Eggman, California State Assemblymember (D-13)[66]
- Cristina Garcia, California State Assemblymember (D-58)[66]
- Jacqui Irwin, California State Assemblymember (D-44)[66]
- Gavin Newsom, Lieutenant Governor of California[62][59]
- Alex Padilla, California Secretary of State[62]
- Anthony Rendon, California State Assemblyman and speaker of the Assembly (D-63)[68]
- Blanca E. Rubio, California State Assemblymember (D-48)[66]
Local officials
- Kathryn Barger, member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (Republican)[69]
- Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles[70][62]
- Janice Hahn, member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors[69]
- Sheila Kuehl, member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors[69]
- Vicki Reynolds, former Mayor of Beverly Hills
- Mark Ridley-Thomas, member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors[69]
- Hilda Solis, member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors[69]
- Darrell Steinberg, Mayor of Sacramento[71]
Organizations
- Emily's List[72]
- Equality California[73]
- Human Rights Campaign[74]
- Palmer Report[75]
- Project 100[76]
Newspapers
- Bay Area Reporter[77]
- East Bay Times[77]
- Los Angeles Downtown News[77]
- Los Angeles Sentinel[77]
- Los Angeles Times[78][77]
- Marin Independent Journal[77]
- The Modesto Bee[77]
- Monterey Herald[77]
- Sacramento Bee[77]
- San Diego Union-Tribune[77]
- San Francisco Chronicle[79]
- San Jose Mercury News[77]
- Santa Barbara Independent[77]
- Santa Cruz Sentinel[77]
Kevin de León (D)
Individuals
- Tom Steyer, billionaire, hedge fund manager, philanthropist, environmentalist, liberal activist, and fundraiser[80]
U.S. Representatives
- Lou Correa, U.S. Representative (D-CA-46)[81]
- Jimmy Gomez, U.S. Representative (D-CA-34)[82]
- Raul Grijalva, U.S. Representative (D-AZ-3)[81]
- Ro Khanna, U.S. Representative (D-CA-17)[63][83]
State officials
- Toni Atkins, President pro tempore of the California State Senate (D-39)[81]
- Jim Beall, California State Senator (D-15)[81]
- Steve Bradford, California State Senator (D-35)[81]
- Kansen Chu, California State Assemblymember (D-25)[81]
- Dean Florez, former California State Senator[84]
- Jim Frazier, California State Assemblymember (D-11)[81]
- Cathleen Galgiani, California State Senator (D-5)[81]
- Eduardo Garcia, California State Assemblymember (D-56)[81]
- Lorena Gonzalez-Fletcher, California State Assemblymember (D-80)[84]
- Ed Hernandez, California State Senator, candidate for Lieutenant Governor of California[81]
- Ben Hueso, California State Senator (D-40)[81]
- Hannah-Beth Jackson, California State Senator (D-19)[85]
- Reggie Jones-Sawyer, California State Assemblymember (D-59)[81]
- Ash Kalra, California State Assemblymember (D-27)[81]
- Ricardo Lara, California State Senator (D-33), candidate for California Insurance Commissioner[81]
- Kevin McCarty, California State Assemblymember (D-7)[84]
- Mike McGuire, California State Senator (D-2)[81]
- Jose Medina, California State Assemblymember (D-61)[81]
- Holly Mitchell, California State Senator (D-30)[81]
- Bill Monning, California State Senator, Majority Leader (D-17)[81]
- Cindy Montanez, former California State Assemblymember[81]
- Josh Newman, California State Senator (D-29)[81]
- Richard Pan, California State Senator (D-6)[81]
- Anthony Portantino, California State Senator (D-25)[81]
- Eloise Reyes, California State Assemblymember (D-47)[81]
- Miguel Santiago, California State Assemblymember (D-53)[81]
- Henry Stern, California State Senator (D-27)[81]
Local officials
- Mike Bonin, member of the Los Angeles City Council[81]
- Joe Buscaino, member of the Los Angeles City Council[81]
- Sandra Lee Fewer, member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors[86]
- Monica Garcia, Los Angeles Unified School District Board president[81]
- Robert Garcia, Mayor of Long Beach[81]
- Jose Huizar, member of the Los Angeles City Council[81]
- Jane Kim, member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors[86]
- Aaron Peskin, member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors[86]
- Curren Price, member of the Los Angeles City Council[81]
- Hillary Ronen, member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors[86]
- Mary Salas, mayor of Chula Vista[81]
- Norman Yee, member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors[86]
Organizations
- Armenian National Committee of America[87]
- Cal Berkeley Democrats[88]
- California Democratic Party[89]
- California Labor Federation (AFL-CIO)[90]
- California Nurses Association[91]
- Climate Hawks Vote[92]
- Democracy for America[84][93]
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters Joint Council 42[94]
- Service Employees International Union[91]
- United Food and Commercial Workers Union[95]
Pat Harris (D)
Organizations
- F.U.N. Progressives
- Tri-Valley Democratic Club
Individuals
- Jeff Pantukhoff, founder of The Whaleman Foundation
Alison Hartson (D)
Individuals
- Derek Cressman, political reform advocate, author and former California Secretary of State candidate
- Kyle Kulinski, host of Secular Talk
- Abby Martin, host of The Empire Files[96]
- Nomi Prins, journalist[97]
- Cenk Uygur, host of The Young Turks
Organizations
- California for Bernie 2020
- Demand Universal Healthcare
- Justice Democrats[98]
- Our Revolution Lake County
- Our Revolution San Joaquin County
- Our Revolution West Marin
- ProgressivesUnite
- The Young Turks[99]
David Hildebrand (D)
Local officials
- Vinnie Bacon, Vice Mayor of Fremont, Fremont City Council member[100]
- Jovanka Beckles, former Richmond City Council member, candidate for the State Assembly - District 15[100]
- Gayle McLaughlin, former Mayor of Richmond, candidate for Lieutenant Governor[101]
- Porsche Middleton, Citrus Heights Planning Commissioner, candidate for the Citrus Heights City Council[100]
- Noah Phillips, Deputy District Attorney for Sacramento County, candidate for Sacramento County District Attorney[100]
Individuals
- Michael Bracamontes, civil rights attorney, former candidate for California governor[100]
- Stephen Jaffe, employment attorney, candidate for U.S. Congress[100]
- Kevin Murray, professor of politics, Humboldt State University[100]
- Stephen Seager, mental health expert, author, documentary filmmaker[100]
Organizations
- Bernie Sanders Megagroup 2020[100]
- Candidates with a Contract[102]
- Courageous Resistance of Humboldt - Our Revolution[100]
- Feel the Bern Democratic Club of Los Angeles[100]
- Labor Campaign for Single Payer[100]
- Not Me Us - We are the Revolution[100]
- Our Revolution West Marin[100]
- The People's News[100]
- Stanislaus County for Bernie 2020[100]
- Ventura County Activists for Bernie Sanders 2020 #OurRevolution[100]
- Wellstone Progressive Democrats of Sacramento - Our Revolution[100]
- Yolo County Progressives - Our Revolution[100]
James Bradley (R)
Individuals
Erin Cruz (R)
Individuals
- Marco Gutierrez, co-founder of Latinos for Trump[104]
- Juan M. Hidalgo Jr. Republican candidate for California's 51st congressional district and retired USMC Sergeant Major[105]
- Stelian Onufrei, small business owner and former Republican candidate for California's 48th congressional district[105]
- Robert "Buzz" Patterson, retired USAF lieutenant colonel and author of Dereliction of Duty: The Eyewitness Account of How Bill Clinton Compromised America's National Security (2003)[106]
- Shastina Sandman, California entrepreneur and Republican candidate for California's 48th congressional district[107]
Organizations
- American Independent Party[108]
- California Republican Assembly[109]
- Del Norte County GOP[105]
- North County Conservatives[105]
- Santa Barbara County GOP[105]
- Southern California Silent Majority MAGA (OC)[105]
Patrick Little (R)
Politicians
- David Duke, white nationalist and former Louisiana State Representative[110]
Derrick Michael Reid (L)
Organizations
- Financial Survival Network[111]
- Libertarian Party of California[112]
John Thompson Parker (PFP)
Organizations
Fundraising
| Campaign finance reports as of May 16, 2018 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Total receipts | Total disbursements | Cash on hand |
| Dianne Feinstein (D) | $9,953,612 | $5,342,658 | $7,035,307 |
| Kevin de León (D) | $1,135,538 | $441,847 | $693,689 |
| Pat Harris (D) | $703,982 | $650,225 | $51,017 |
| Alison Hartson (D) | $298,296 | $189,652 | $108,643 |
| Arun K. Bhumitra (R) | $53,668 | $40,835 | $12,832 |
| David Hildebrand (D) | $27,111 | $25,816 | $1,294 |
| Erin Cruz (R) | $26,442 | $23,190 | $3,251 |
| Douglas Howard Pierce (D) | $9,000 | $62,392 | $11,200 |
| Paul Allen Taylor (R) | $9,128 | $8,803 | $324 |
| Tom Palzer (R) | $0 | $45 | $45 |
| David Moore (SEP) | $3,480 | $3,480 | $0 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission[114] | |||
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
James P. Bradley (R) |
Erin Cruz (R) |
Pat Harris (D) |
Rocky De La Fuente (R) |
Kevin de León (D) |
Dianne Feinstein (D) |
Alison Hartson (D) |
Patrick Little (R) |
Other / Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Berkeley[115] | May 22−28, 2018 | 2,106 | ± 3.5% | 7% | – | – | – | 11% | 36% | – | – | 46%[116] |
| Emerson College[117] | May 21–24, 2018 | 600 | ± 4.2% | – | 5% | 6% | 4% | 6% | 38% | 4% | – | 38%[118] |
| YouGov[119] | May 12–24, 2018 | 1,113 | ± 4.0% | 6% | 2% | 2% | 4% | 11% | 36% | 1% | 1% | 37%[120] |
| SurveyUSA[121] | May 21, 2018 | 678 | ± 6.1% | 9% | 2% | 2% | 3% | 11% | 36% | 1% | 0% | 35%[122] |
| Public Policy Institute of California[123] | May 11–20, 2018 | 901 | ± 4.1% | – | – | – | – | 17% | 41% | – | – | 41%[124] |
| USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times[125] | April 18 – May 18, 2018 | 517 | ± 4.0% | 3% | 1% | 2% | 0% | 7% | 31% | 1% | 2% | 51%[126] |
| Gravis Marketing[127] | May 4–5, 2018 | 525 | ± 4.3% | 19% | 13% | – | – | 8% | 32% | 6% | – | 21%[128] |
| SurveyUSA[129] | April 19–23, 2018 | 520 | ± 5.5% | – | – | – | 8% | 8% | 38% | 4% | 18% | 23%[130] |
| UC Berkeley[131] | April 16–22, 2018 | 1,738 | ± 3.5% | 10% | – | – | – | 11% | 28% | – | – | 49%[132] |
| Public Policy Institute of California[133] | March 4–13, 2018 | 1,706 | ± 3.4% | – | – | – | – | 16% | 42% | – | – | 41%[134] |
| Public Policy Institute of California[135] | January 21–30, 2018 | 1,705 | ± 3.2% | – | – | – | – | 17% | 46% | – | – | 36%[136] |
| UC Berkeley[137] | December 7–16, 2017 | 672 | ± 3.8% | – | – | – | – | 27% | 41% | – | – | 32%[138] |
| Public Policy Institute of California[139] | November 10–19, 2017 | 1,070 | ± 4.3% | – | – | – | – | 21% | 45% | – | – | 34%[140] |
| Sextant Strategies & Research[141] | September 2017 | 1,197 | ± 3.4% | – | – | – | – | 15% | 38% | – | – | 46%[142] |
Hypothetical polling
with Timothy Charles Kalemkarian, Caren Lancona, John Melendez, and Stephen Schrader
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Kevin de León (D) |
Dianne Feinstein (D) |
Timothy Charles Kalemkarian (R) |
Caren Lancona (R) |
Patrick Little (R) |
John Melendez (D) |
Stephen Schrader (R) |
Other / Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA[143] | March 22–25, 2018 | 517 | ± 5.0% | 5% | 31% | 5% | 2% | 5% | 5% | 7% | 42%[144] |
| SurveyUSA[145] | January 7–9, 2018 | 506 | ± 4.4% | 4% | 34% | 6% | 5% | 5% | 2% | 5% | 38%[146] |
with Tom Steyer
with John Cox
| Poll source |
Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
John Cox (R) |
Kevin de León (D) |
Dianne Feinstein (D) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sextant Strategies & Research[148] | September 2017 | 1,197 | ± 3.4% | 32% | 14% | 40% | 14% |
with Xavier Becerra, Kevin Faulconer, Brad Sherman, Eric Swalwell, and Ashley Swearingin
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Xavier Becerra (D) |
Kevin de León (D) |
Kevin Faulconer (R) |
Brad Sherman (D) |
Eric Swalwell (D) |
Ashley Swearingin (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[149] | January 17–18, 2017 | 882 | ± 3.3% | 21% | 4% | 18% | 11% | 5% | 13% | 28% |
Results

Feinstein
- 10–20%
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
Feinstein/Bradley tie
- 10–20%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dianne Feinstein (incumbent) | 2,947,035 | 44.12% | |
| Democratic | Kevin de León | 805,446 | 12.07% | |
| Republican | James P. Bradley | 556,252 | 8.34% | |
| Republican | Arun K. Bhumitra | 350,815 | 5.26% | |
| Republican | Paul A. Taylor | 323,533 | 4.85% | |
| Republican | Erin Cruz | 267,494 | 4.01% | |
| Republican | Tom Palzer | 205,183 | 3.08% | |
| Democratic | Alison Hartson | 147,061 | 2.21% | |
| Republican | Rocky De La Fuente | 135,278 | 2.03% | |
| Democratic | Pat Harris | 126,947 | 1.90% | |
| Republican | John "Jack" Crew | 93,806 | 1.41% | |
| Republican | Patrick Little | 89,867 | 1.35% | |
| Republican | Kevin Mottus | 87,646 | 1.31% | |
| Republican | Jerry Joseph Laws | 67,140 | 1.01% | |
| Libertarian | Derrick Michael Reid | 59,999 | 0.90% | |
| Democratic | Adrienne Nicole Edwards | 56,172 | 0.84% | |
| Democratic | Douglas Howard Pierce | 42,671 | 0.64% | |
| Republican | Mario Nabliba | 39,209 | 0.59% | |
| Democratic | David Hildebrand | 30,305 | 0.45% | |
| Democratic | Donnie O. Turner | 30,101 | 0.45% | |
| Democratic | Herbert G. Peters | 27,468 | 0.41% | |
| No party preference | David Moore | 24,614 | 0.37% | |
| No party preference | Ling Ling Shi | 23,506 | 0.35% | |
| Peace and Freedom | John Thompson Parker | 22,825 | 0.34% | |
| No party preference | Lee Olson | 20,393 | 0.31% | |
| Democratic | Gerald Plummer | 18,234 | 0.27% | |
| No party preference | Jason M. Hanania | 18,171 | 0.27% | |
| No party preference | Don J. Grundmann | 15,125 | 0.23% | |
| No party preference | Colleen Shea Fernald | 13,536 | 0.20% | |
| No party preference | Rash Bihari Ghosh | 12,557 | 0.19% | |
| No party preference | Tim Gildersleeve | 8,482 | 0.13% | |
| No party preference | Michael Fahmy Girgis | 2,986 | 0.05% | |
| Green | Michael V. Ziesing (write-in) | 842 | 0.01% | |
| No party preference | Ursula M. Schilling (write-in) | 17 | 0.00% | |
| Democratic | Seelam Prabhakar Reddy (write-in) | 4 | 0.00% | |
| Total votes | 6,670,720 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic candidates won a combined total of 4,231,444 votes, Republican candidates 2,216,223 votes, and other candidates 223,053 votes.
General election
Debates
- Complete video of debate, October 17, 2018
Endorsements
Dianne Feinstein (D)
Former Executive Branch officials
- Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States[57]
- Joe Biden, 47th Vice President of the United States[58]
U.S. Senators
- Barbara Boxer, former U.S. Senator (D-CA)[59]
- Kamala Harris, U.S. Senator (D-CA)[60][61][62][59]
U.S. Representatives
- Pete Aguilar, U.S. Representative (D-CA-31)
- Karen Bass, U.S. Representative (D-CA-37)
- Ami Bera, U.S. Representative (D-CA-7)
- Julia Brownley, U.S. Representative (D-CA-26)
- Salud Carbajal, U.S. Representative (D-CA-24)
- Judy Chu, U.S. Representative (D-CA-27)
- Jim Costa, U.S. Representative (D-CA-16)
- Susan Davis, U.S. Representative (D-CA-53)
- Mark DeSaulnier, U.S. Representative (D-CA-11)
- John Garamendi, U.S. Representative (D-CA-3)
- Ted Lieu, U.S. Representative (D-CA-33)[63]
- Alan Lowenthal, U.S. Representative (D-CA-47)
- Doris Matsui, U.S. Representative (D-CA-6)
- Grace Napolitano, U.S. Representative (D-CA-32)
- Doug Ose, former U.S. Representative and former gubernatorial candidate in 2018 (R-CA)[150]
- Jimmy Panetta, U.S. Representative (D-CA-20)
- Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader and U.S. Representative (D-CA-12)[64]
- Scott Peters, U.S. Representative (D-CA-52)
- Raul Ruiz, U.S. Representative (D-CA-36)
- Adam Schiff, U.S. Representative (D-CA-28)[62]
- Brad Sherman, U. S. Representative (D-CA-30)[65]
- Jackie Speier, U.S. Representative (D-CA-14)
- Eric Swalwell, U.S. Representative (D-CA-15)[65]
- Mark Takano, U.S. Representative (D-CA-41)
- Mike Thompson, U.S. Representative (D-CA-5)
- Norma Torres, U.S. Representative (D-CA-35)
- Juan Vargas, U.S. Representative (D-CA-51)
- Maxine Waters, U.S. Representative (D-CA-43)
State officials
- Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, California State Assemblymember (D-4)[66]
- Jerry Brown, Governor of California[67]
- Anna Caballero, California State Assemblymember (D-30)[66]
- Susan Talamantes Eggman, California State Assemblymember (D-13)[66]
- Cristina Garcia, California State Assemblymember (D-58)[66]
- Jacqui Irwin, California State Assemblymember (D-44)[66]
- Gavin Newsom, Lieutenant Governor of California[62][59]
- Alex Padilla, California Secretary of State[62]
- Anthony Rendon, California State Assemblyman and speaker of the Assembly (D-63)[68]
- Blanca E. Rubio, California State Assemblymember (D-48)[66]
Local officials
- Kathryn Barger, member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (Republican)[69]
- Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles[70][62]
- Janice Hahn, member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors[69]
- Sheila Kuehl, member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors[69]
- Vicki Reynolds, former Mayor of Beverly Hills
- Mark Ridley-Thomas, member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors[69]
- Hilda Solis, member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors[69]
- Darrell Steinberg, Mayor of Sacramento[71]
Organizations
- Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence[77]
- California Citrus Mutual[77]
- EMILY's List[72]
- Equality California[73]
- Feminist Majority[77]
- Human Rights Campaign[74]
- J Street[151]
- Los Angeles Women's Political Committee[77]
- NARAL Pro-Choice America[77]
- National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare[77]
- National Organization for Women[152]
- National Women's Political Caucus[77]
- Nisei Farmers League[77]
- Palmer Report[75]
- Planned Parenthood Action Fund[77]
- Project 100[76]
- Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters[77]
- Western Growers Association[77]
- West Hollywood Political Action Committee[77]
Newspapers
- Bay Area Reporter[77]
- East Bay Times[77]
- Los Angeles Downtown News[77]
- Los Angeles Sentinel[77]
- Los Angeles Times[78][77]
- Marin Independent Journal[77]
- The Modesto Bee[77]
- Monterey Herald[77]
- Sacramento Bee[77]
- San Diego Union-Tribune[77]
- San Francisco Chronicle[79]
- San Jose Mercury News[77]
- Santa Barbara Independent[77]
- Santa Cruz Sentinel[77]
Kevin de León (D)
Individuals
- Tom Steyer, billionaire, hedge fund manager, philanthropist, environmentalist, liberal activist, and fundraiser[80]
U.S. Representatives
- Lou Correa, U.S. Representative (D-CA-46)[81]
- Jimmy Gomez, U.S. Representative (D-CA-34)[82]
- Raul Grijalva, U.S. Representative (D-AZ-3)[81]
- Ro Khanna, U.S. Representative (D-CA-17)[63][83]
State officials
- Toni Atkins, President pro tempore of the California State Senate (D-39)[81]
- Jim Beall, California State Senator (D-15)[81]
- Steve Bradford, California State Senator (D-35)[81]
- Kansen Chu, California State Assemblymember (D-25)[81]
- Dean Florez, former California State Senator[84]
- Jim Frazier, California State Assemblymember (D-11)[81]
- Cathleen Galgiani, California State Senator (D-5)[81]
- Eduardo Garcia, California State Assemblymember (D-56)[81]
- Lorena Gonzalez-Fletcher, California State Assemblymember (D-80)[84]
- Ed Hernandez, California State Senator, candidate for Lieutenant Governor of California[81]
- Ben Hueso, California State Senator (D-40)[81]
- Hannah-Beth Jackson, California State Senator (D-19)[85]
- Reggie Jones-Sawyer, California State Assemblymember (D-59)[81]
- Ash Kalra, California State Assemblymember (D-27)[81]
- Ricardo Lara, California State Senator (D-33), candidate for California Insurance Commissioner[81]
- Kevin McCarty, California State Assemblymember (D-7)[84]
- Mike McGuire, California State Senator (D-2)[81]
- Jose Medina, California State Assemblymember (D-61)[81]
- Holly Mitchell, California State Senator (D-30)[81]
- Bill Monning, California State Senator, Majority Leader (D-17)[81]
- Cindy Montanez, former California State Assemblymember[81]
- Josh Newman, former California State Senator[81]
- Richard Pan, California State Senator (D-6)[81]
- Anthony Portantino, California State Senator (D-25)[81]
- Eloise Reyes, California State Assemblymember (D-47)[81]
- Miguel Santiago, California State Assemblymember (D-53)[81]
- Henry Stern, California State Senator (D-27)[81]
Local officials
- Mike Bonin, member of the Los Angeles City Council[81]
- Joe Buscaino, member of the Los Angeles City Council[81]
- Sandra Lee Fewer, member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors[86]
- Monica Garcia, Los Angeles Unified School District Board President[81]
- Robert Garcia, Mayor of Long Beach[81]
- Jose Huizar, member of the Los Angeles City Council[81]
- Jane Kim, member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors[86]
- Aaron Peskin, member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors[86]
- Curren Price, member of the Los Angeles City Council[81]
- Hillary Ronen, member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors[86]
- Mary Salas, Mayor of Chula Vista[81]
- Norman Yee, member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors[86]
Organizations
- Armenian National Committee of America[87]
- Cal Berkeley Democrats[88]
- California Democratic Party[89][153]
- California Labor Federation (AFL-CIO)[90]
- California Nurses Association[91]
- Climate Hawks Vote[92]
- Democracy for America[84][93]
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters Joint Council 42[94]
- Service Employees International Union[91]
- United Food and Commercial Workers Union[95]
Fundraising
| Campaign finance reports as of October 19, 2018 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Total receipts | Total disbursements | Cash on hand |
| Dianne Feinstein (D) | $21,100,086.64 | $17,896,407.61 | $4,069,222.18 |
| Kevin de León (D) | $1,572,160.70 | $1,263,113.97 | $309,045.58 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission[114] | |||
Predictions
Because of California's top-two runoff system, the seat was guaranteed to be won/held by a Democrat since the initial primary produced two Democratic candidates.
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[154] | Solid D (Feinstein) | September 28, 2018 |
| Inside Elections[155] | Solid D (Feinstein) | November 14, 2017 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[156] | Safe D (Feinstein) | November 15, 2017 |
| Daily Kos[157] | Safe D (Feinstein) | April 9, 2018 |
| Fox News[158] | Likely D (Feinstein)[a] | July 9, 2018 |
| CNN[159] | Solid D (Feinstein) | July 12, 2018 |
| RealClearPolitics[160] | Safe D (Feinstein) | June 27, 2018 |
| FiveThirtyEight[161] | Solid D (Feinstein) | October 20, 2018 |
- Highest rating given
Polling
View source data.
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Dianne Feinstein (D) |
Kevin de León (D) |
None | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Change Research[162] | November 2–4, 2018 | 1,108 | – | 42% | 32% | – | – | – |
| Research Co.[163] | November 1–3, 2018 | 450 | ± 4.6% | 47% | 28% | – | – | 25% |
| SurveyUSA[164] | November 1–2, 2018 | 806 | ± 4.7% | 50% | 36% | – | – | 14% |
| Probolsky Research[165] | October 25–30, 2018 | 900 | ± 3.3% | 41% | 35% | – | – | 24% |
| UC Berkeley[166] | October 19–25, 2018 | 1,339 | ± 4.0% | 45% | 36% | – | – | 19% |
| YouGov[167] | October 10–24, 2018 | 2,178 | ± 3.1% | 36% | 29% | 19% | – | 16% |
| Public Policy Institute of California[168] | October 12–21, 2018 | 989 | ± 4.2% | 43% | 27% | 23% | – | 8% |
| Emerson College[169] | October 17–19, 2018 | 671 | ± 4.1% | 41% | 23% | – | – | 37% |
| SurveyUSA[170] | October 12–14, 2018 | 762 | ± 4.9% | 40% | 26% | – | – | 35% |
| USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times[171] | September 17 – October 14, 2018 | 794 LV | ± 4.0% | 44% | 31% | – | – | 25% |
| 980 RV | ± 4.0% | 41% | 30% | – | – | 29% | ||
| 1st Tuesday Campaigns[172] | October 1–3, 2018 | 1,038 | ± 3.0% | 43% | 30% | – | – | 27% |
| Vox Populi Polling[173] | September 16–18, 2018 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 55% | 45% | – | – | – |
| Public Policy Institute of California[174] | September 9–18, 2018 | 964 | ± 4.8% | 40% | 29% | 23% | – | 8% |
| Ipsos[175] | September 5–14, 2018 | 1,021 | ± 4.0% | 44% | 24% | – | 17% | 15% |
| Probolsky Research (R)[176] | August 29 – September 2, 2018 | 900 | ± 5.8% | 37% | 29% | – | – | 34% |
| Public Policy Institute of California[177] | July 8–17, 2018 | 1,020 | ± 4.3% | 46% | 24% | 20% | – | 9% |
| SurveyUSA[178] | June 26–27, 2018 | 559 | ± 5.9% | 46% | 24% | – | – | 31% |
| USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times[179] | June 6–17, 2018 | 767 | ± 4.0% | 36% | 18% | – | – | 46% |
| Probolsky Research (R)[180] | April 16–18, 2018 | 900 | ± 3.3% | 38% | 27% | – | – | 35% |
| USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times[181] | October 27 – November 6, 2017 | 1,296 | ± 4.0% | 58% | 31% | 31% | 10% | – |
| Sextant Strategies & Research[182] | September 2017 | 1,554 | – | 36% | 17% | 28% | – | 19% |
Hypothetical polling
with Feinstein, de León, and Tom Steyer
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Kevin de León (D) |
Dianne Feinstein (D) |
Tom Steyer (D) |
Not voting |
Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times[181] | October 27 – November 6, 2017 | 949 | ± 4.0% | 24% | 50% | 17% | 31% | 9% |
with Feinstein, de León, and John Cox
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
John Cox (R) |
Kevin de León (D) |
Dianne Feinstein (D) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sextant Strategies & Research[183] | September 2017 | 1,197 | ± 3.4% | 30% | 15% | 38% | 17% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dianne Feinstein (incumbent) | 6,019,422 | 54.16% | ||
| Democratic | Kevin de León | 5,093,942 | 45.84% | ||
| Total votes | 11,113,364 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
The race had an undervote of around 1.3 million votes compared to the gubernatorial election, likely by Republican voters choosing neither candidate. De León won many of the same counties and congressional districts won by Republican gubernatorial nominee John Cox, as many voters may have expressed opposition to the incumbent senator. No county voted for both Feinstein and Cox. Congressional districts 39, 45, and 48 were the only congressional districts that voted for both Feinstein and Cox.[185][186]
By county
Blue represents counties won by Feinstein. Cyan represents counties won by de León.[187]
| County | Feinstein # | Feinstein % | de León # | de León % | Margin # | Margin % | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alameda | 318,377 | 58.38 | 226,950 | 41.62 | 91,427 | 16.77 | 545,327 |
| Alpine | 267 | 48.81 | 280 | 51.19 | -13 | -2.38 | 547 |
| Amador | 5,835 | 41.44 | 8,244 | 58.56 | -2,409 | -17.11 | 14,079 |
| Butte | 32,418 | 42.92 | 43,108 | 57.08 | -10,690 | -14.15 | 75,526 |
| Calaveras | 7,031 | 40.44 | 10,357 | 59.56 | -3,326 | -19.13 | 17,388 |
| Colusa | 1,643 | 35.09 | 3,039 | 64.91 | -1,396 | -29.82 | 4,682 |
| Contra Costa | 222,349 | 58.34 | 158,748 | 41.66 | 63,601 | 16.69 | 381,097 |
| Del Norte | 2,590 | 37.84 | 4,254 | 62.16 | -1,664 | -24.31 | 6,844 |
| El Dorado | 33,772 | 46.54 | 38,791 | 53.46 | -5,019 | -6.92 | 72,563 |
| Fresno | 103,491 | 47.68 | 113,557 | 52.32 | -10,066 | -4.64 | 217,048 |
| Glenn | 2,341 | 34.79 | 4,388 | 65.21 | -2,047 | -30.42 | 6,729 |
| Humboldt | 21,336 | 44.77 | 26,319 | 55.23 | -4,983 | -10.46 | 47,655 |
| Imperial | 13,121 | 43.35 | 17,150 | 56.65 | -4,029 | -13.31 | 30,271 |
| Inyo | 2,344 | 39.89 | 3,532 | 60.11 | -1,188 | -20.22 | 5,876 |
| Kern | 66,628 | 39.99 | 99,981 | 60.01 | -33,353 | -20.02 | 166,609 |
| Kings | 9,599 | 37.87 | 15,748 | 62.13 | -6,149 | -24.26 | 25,347 |
| Lake | 8,142 | 44.11 | 10,317 | 55.89 | -2,175 | -11.78 | 18,459 |
| Lassen | 2,030 | 29.77 | 4,788 | 70.23 | -2,758 | -40.45 | 6,818 |
| Los Angeles | 1,565,167 | 57.73 | 1,146,044 | 42.27 | 419,123 | 15.46 | 2,711,211 |
| Madera | 13,284 | 41.11 | 19,032 | 58.89 | -5,748 | -17.79 | 32,316 |
| Marin | 80,319 | 65.32 | 42,638 | 34.68 | 37,681 | 30.65 | 122,957 |
| Mariposa | 2,749 | 41.10 | 3,939 | 58.90 | -1,190 | -17.79 | 6,688 |
| Mendocino | 15,113 | 49.32 | 15,529 | 50.68 | -416 | -1.36 | 30,642 |
| Merced | 23,659 | 45.81 | 27,985 | 54.19 | -4,326 | -8.38 | 51,644 |
| Modoc | 751 | 28.69 | 1,867 | 71.31 | -1,116 | -42.63 | 2,618 |
| Mono | 2,001 | 47.67 | 2,197 | 52.33 | -196 | -4.67 | 4,198 |
| Monterey | 56,320 | 52.69 | 50,562 | 47.31 | 5,758 | 5.39 | 106,882 |
| Napa | 27,904 | 54.51 | 23,290 | 45.49 | 4,614 | 9.01 | 51,194 |
| Nevada | 22,198 | 48.14 | 23,911 | 51.86 | -1,713 | -3.72 | 46,109 |
| Orange | 501,678 | 54.38 | 420,814 | 45.62 | 80,864 | 8.77 | 922,492 |
| Placer | 66,578 | 46.46 | 76,733 | 53.54 | -10,155 | -7.09 | 143,311 |
| Plumas | 2,815 | 38.87 | 4,428 | 61.13 | -1,613 | -22.27 | 7,243 |
| Riverside | 269,567 | 49.19 | 278,409 | 50.81 | -8,842 | -1.61 | 547,976 |
| Sacramento | 241,571 | 53.03 | 213,949 | 46.97 | 27,622 | 6.06 | 455,520 |
| San Benito | 8,607 | 47.88 | 9,371 | 52.12 | -764 | -4.25 | 17,978 |
| San Bernardino | 233,103 | 49.97 | 233,360 | 50.03 | -257 | -0.06 | 466,463 |
| San Diego | 526,628 | 52.92 | 468,564 | 47.08 | 58,064 | 5.83 | 995,192 |
| San Francisco | 226,167 | 64.23 | 125,954 | 35.77 | 100,213 | 28.46 | 352,121 |
| San Joaquin | 79,088 | 46.13 | 92,351 | 53.87 | -13,263 | -7.74 | 171,439 |
| San Luis Obispo | 53,242 | 49.63 | 54,027 | 50.37 | -785 | -0.73 | 107,269 |
| San Mateo | 168,679 | 62.98 | 99,136 | 37.02 | 69,543 | 25.97 | 267,815 |
| Santa Barbara | 75,274 | 55.15 | 61,217 | 44.85 | 14,057 | 10.30 | 136,491 |
| Santa Clara | 339,866 | 59.78 | 228,642 | 40.22 | 111,224 | 19.56 | 568,508 |
| Santa Cruz | 64,178 | 57.51 | 47,416 | 42.49 | 16,762 | 15.02 | 111,594 |
| Shasta | 19,397 | 34.87 | 36,227 | 65.13 | -16,830 | -30.26 | 55,624 |
| Sierra | 506 | 38.51 | 808 | 61.49 | -302 | -22.98 | 1,314 |
| Siskiyou | 5,772 | 39.26 | 8,930 | 60.74 | -3,158 | -21.48 | 14,702 |
| Solano | 70,174 | 52.89 | 62,506 | 47.11 | 7,668 | 5.78 | 132,680 |
| Sonoma | 108,472 | 56.00 | 85,220 | 44.00 | 23,252 | 12.00 | 193,692 |
| Stanislaus | 58,375 | 42.89 | 77,724 | 57.11 | -19,349 | -14.22 | 136,099 |
| Sutter | 10,501 | 42.57 | 14,166 | 57.43 | -3,665 | -14.86 | 24,667 |
| Tehama | 5,435 | 32.57 | 11,253 | 67.43 | -5,818 | -34.86 | 16,688 |
| Trinity | 1,746 | 38.09 | 2,838 | 61.91 | -1,092 | -23.82 | 4,584 |
| Tulare | 33,005 | 39.88 | 49,765 | 60.12 | -16,760 | -20.25 | 82,770 |
| Tuolumne | 7,783 | 40.85 | 11,271 | 59.15 | -3,488 | -18.31 | 19,054 |
| Ventura | 137,141 | 51.32 | 130,101 | 48.68 | 7,040 | 2.63 | 267,242 |
| Yolo | 35,071 | 51.86 | 32,551 | 48.14 | 2,520 | 3.73 | 67,622 |
| Yuba | 6,224 | 39.17 | 9,666 | 60.83 | -3,442 | -21.66 | 15,890 |
| Totals | 6,019,422 | 54.16 | 5,093,942 | 45.84 | 925,480 | 8.33 | 11,113,364 |
By congressional district
Feinstein won 38 of the 53 congressional districts, with the remaining 15 going to De León, including seven held by Republicans.[188]