California gubernatorial election, 1966
California gubernatorial election, 1966
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Election results by county |
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The California gubernatorial election, 1966 was held on November 8, 1966. The election was a contest between incumbent Governor Pat Brown, the Democratic candidate, and actor Ronald Reagan, the Republican candidate. Reagan mobilized conservative voters and defeated Brown in a landslide.
Primary results
Democratic
Candidate |
# of votes[1] |
% of votes |
Pat Brown |
1,355,262 |
51.9 |
Sam Yorty |
981,088 |
37.6 |
Carlton Benjamin Goodlett |
95,476 |
3.7 |
Wallace J. Duffy |
77,029 |
3.0 |
Dale Alexander |
43,453 |
1.7 |
Ingram W. Goad |
18,088 |
0.7 |
Election background
Incumbent Edmund G. (Pat) Brown had been a relatively popular Democrat in what was, at the time, a Republican leaning state. After his re-election victory over Richard Nixon in 1962, he was strongly considered to be Lyndon Johnson's running mate in 1964, a spot that eventually went to Hubert Humphrey. However, Brown's popularity began to sag amidst the civil disorders of the Watts Riots and the early anti-Vietnam war demonstrations at U.C. Berkeley. His decision to seek a 3rd term as governor (after promising earlier that he would not do so) also hurt his popularity. His sagging popularity was evidenced by a tough battle in the Democaratic primary - normally not a concern for an incumbent. Los Angeles Mayor Sam Yorty received 38% of the primary vote while Brown barely received 52%, a very low number for an incumbent in a primary election.
The Republicans seized upon Brown's sudden unpopularity by nominating a well known and charismatic political outsider - actor Ronald Reagan. With Richard Nixon working tirelessly behind the scenes and Reagan trumpeting his law and order campaign message, Reagan received almost 2/3 of the primary vote over George Christopher, the moderate Republican former mayor of San Francisco, and went into the general election with a great deal of momentum. At first Brown ran a low key campaign, stating that running the state was his biggest priority. As Reagan's lead in the polls increased, Brown began to panic and made a gaffe when he told a group of school children that an actor, John Wilkes Booth, had killed Abraham Lincoln[2]. The comparison of Reagan to Booth did not go over well and led to a further decline of the Brown campaign. Come election day, Reagan was ahead in the polls and favored to win a relatively close election. However, Reagan won in a landslide; his nearly 1 million vote plurality surprised even his most die hard supporters.
Republican
General election results
Results by county
County |
Reagan |
Votes |
Brown |
Votes |
Mono |
77.84% |
1,205 |
22.16% |
343 |
Orange |
72.15% |
293,413 |
27.85% |
113,275 |
Sutter |
70.43% |
9,828 |
29.57% |
4,126 |
Calaveras |
67.77% |
3,810 |
32.23% |
1,812 |
Butte |
67.48% |
25,443 |
32.52% |
12,263 |
Glenn |
66.35% |
4,676 |
33.65% |
2,371 |
Inyo |
66.19% |
3,961 |
33.81% |
2,023 |
Nevada |
65.85% |
7,373 |
34.15% |
3,823 |
Alpine |
65.78% |
148 |
34.22% |
77 |
Del Norte |
63.99% |
3,409 |
36.01% |
1,918 |
San Diego |
63.82% |
252,070 |
36.18% |
142,890 |
Santa Barbara |
63.54% |
50,284 |
36.46% |
28,853 |
Lake |
63.09% |
5,499 |
36.91% |
3,217 |
El Dorado |
63.08% |
9,189 |
36.92% |
5,378 |
Tehama |
63.01% |
6,629 |
36.99% |
3,891 |
Imperial |
62.87% |
12,372 |
37.13% |
7,307 |
Riverside |
62.77% |
84,501 |
37.23% |
50,112 |
Modoc |
62.73% |
1,946 |
37.27% |
1,156 |
Kern |
62.67% |
64,716 |
37.33% |
38,543 |
San Luis Obispo |
62.55% |
21,528 |
37.45% |
12,891 |
Trinity |
62.27% |
2,050 |
37.73% |
1,242 |
San Bernardino |
62.19% |
121,916 |
37.81% |
74,120 |
Colusa |
62.09% |
2,806 |
37.91% |
1,713 |
Mariposa |
61.51% |
1,811 |
38.49% |
1,133 |
Santa Cruz |
61.47% |
26,988 |
38.53% |
16,913 |
Monterey |
61.06% |
35,944 |
38.94% |
22,923 |
San Benito |
60.96% |
3,565 |
39.04% |
2,283 |
Ventura |
60.94% |
58,068 |
39.06% |
37,224 |
San Joaquin |
60.77% |
54,647 |
39.23% |
35,281 |
Sonoma |
60.68% |
41,516 |
39.32% |
26,898 |
Yuba |
60.52% |
6,658 |
39.48% |
4,344 |
Tulare |
59.95% |
33,095 |
40.05% |
22,109 |
Mendocino |
59.81% |
10,161 |
40.19% |
6,827 |
Napa |
59.53% |
17,740 |
40.47% |
12,060 |
Amador |
58.33% |
2,985 |
41.67% |
2,132 |
Tuolumne |
58.21% |
4,845 |
41.79% |
3,479 |
Los Angeles |
57.26% |
1,389,995 |
42.74% |
1,037,663 |
Marin |
57.21% |
40,411 |
42.79% |
30,230 |
Humboldt |
57.20% |
19,210 |
42.80% |
14,374 |
Kings |
55.79% |
9,957 |
44.21% |
7,890 |
Santa Clara |
55.40% |
164,970 |
44.60% |
132,793 |
Sierra |
55.27% |
650 |
44.73% |
526 |
Contra Costa |
55.13% |
107,543 |
44.87% |
87,525 |
Shasta |
54.83% |
15,155 |
45.17% |
12,486 |
Placer |
54.61% |
14,664 |
45.39% |
12,187 |
Stanislaus |
54.37% |
31,473 |
45.63% |
26,418 |
Siskiyou |
54.21% |
7,057 |
45.79% |
5,962 |
Madera |
54.18% |
7,490 |
45.82% |
6,335 |
Fresno |
53.96% |
70,182 |
46.04% |
59,869 |
Lassen |
53.95% |
3,190 |
46.05% |
2,723 |
San Mateo |
53.71% |
107,498 |
46.29% |
92,654 |
Merced |
53.01% |
14,103 |
46.99% |
12,499 |
Sacramento |
50.91% |
109,801 |
49.09% |
105,861 |
Solano |
50.15% |
23,187 |
49.85% |
23,047 |
Yolo |
50.08% |
13,073 |
49.92% |
13,032 |
Alameda |
49.75% |
189,055 |
50.25% |
190,968 |
Plumas |
49.18% |
2,658 |
50.82% |
2,747 |
San Francisco |
41.11% |
114,796 |
58.89% |
164,435 |
References
External links
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See also: President | Senate | House of Representatives | State Senate | State Assembly
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