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Brian Dahle
Brian Dahle (Republican Party) was a member of the California State Senate, representing District 1. He assumed office on June 12, 2019. He left office on December 2, 2024.
Dahle (Republican Party) ran for election for Governor of California. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Biography
Dahle's career experience includes owning a business and working as a farmer.[1]
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2021-2022
Dahle was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Transportation Committee
- Fairs, Allocation, and Classification Committee
- Banking and Financial Institutions Committee
- Budget and Fiscal Review Committee
- Senate Education Committee
- Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee, Vice Chair
- Environmental Quality Committee
2019-2020
Dahle was assigned to the following committees:
- Budget and Fiscal Review Committee
- Senate Agriculture Committee
- Environmental Quality Committee
- Banking and Financial Institutions Committee
- Transportation and Housing Committee
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| California committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Business and Professions |
| • Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials, Vice chair |
| • Insurance |
| • Utilities and Energy |
| • Fisheries and Aquaculture |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Dahle served on the following committees:
| California committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials, Vice chair |
| • Natural Resources, Vice chair |
| • Privacy and Consumer Protection |
| • Utilities and Commerce |
| • Water, Parks and Wildlife |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Dahle served on the following committees:
| California committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Agriculture |
| • Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials, Vice chair |
| • Revenue and Taxation, Vice chair |
| • Water, Parks and Wildlife |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2024
- See also: California State Senate elections, 2024
Brian Dahle was not able to file for re-election due to term limits.
2022
See also: California gubernatorial election, 2022
General election
General election for Governor of California
Incumbent Gavin Newsom defeated Brian Dahle in the general election for Governor of California on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Gavin Newsom (D) | 59.2 | 6,470,104 |
 | Brian Dahle (R) | 40.8 | 4,462,914 | |
| Total votes: 10,933,018 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| 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 Governor of California
The following candidates ran in the primary for Governor of California on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Gavin Newsom (D) | 55.9 | 3,945,748 |
| ✔ | | Brian Dahle (R) | 17.7 | 1,252,800 |
 | Michael Shellenberger (Independent) | 4.1 | 290,286 | |
 | Jenny Rae Le Roux (R) | 3.5 | 246,665 | |
 | Anthony Trimino (R) | 3.5 | 246,322 | |
 | Shawn Collins (R) | 2.5 | 173,083 | |
 | Luis Rodriguez (G) | 1.8 | 124,672 | |
 | Leo Zacky (R) | 1.3 | 94,521 | |
 | Major Williams (R) | 1.3 | 92,580 | |
 | Robert Newman (R) | 1.2 | 82,849 | |
 | Joel Ventresca (D) | 0.9 | 66,885 | |
 | David Lozano (R) | 0.9 | 66,542 | |
| Ronald Anderson (R) | 0.8 | 53,554 | ||
 | Reinette Senum (Independent) | 0.8 | 53,015 | |
 | Armando Perez-Serrato (D) | 0.6 | 45,474 | |
 | Ron Jones (R) | 0.5 | 38,337 | |
 | Daniel Mercuri (R) | 0.5 | 36,396 | |
 | Heather Collins (G) | 0.4 | 29,690 | |
 | Anthony Fanara (D) | 0.4 | 25,086 | |
 | Cristian Morales (R) | 0.3 | 22,304 | |
 | Lonnie Sortor (R) | 0.3 | 21,044 | |
 | Frederic Schultz (Independent) | 0.2 | 17,502 | |
 | Woodrow Sanders III (Independent) | 0.2 | 16,204 | |
 | James Hanink (Independent) | 0.1 | 10,110 | |
 | Serge Fiankan (Independent) | 0.1 | 6,201 | |
 | Bradley Zink (Independent) | 0.1 | 5,997 | |
| Jeff Scott (American Independent Party of California) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 13 | ||
| Gurinder Bhangoo (R) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 8 | ||
| Total votes: 7,063,888 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| 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. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Errol Webber (R)
- Laura Smith (R)
- Chaz Flemmings (Independent)
- John Drake (D)
- Mohammad Arif (D)
- Hilaire Shioura (Independent)
Campaign finance
2020
See also: California State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for California State Senate District 1
Incumbent Brian Dahle defeated Pamela Swartz in the general election for California State Senate District 1 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brian Dahle (R) | 59.7 | 326,836 |
 | Pamela Swartz (D) | 40.3 | 220,563 | |
| Total votes: 547,399 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| 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 California State Senate District 1
Incumbent Brian Dahle and Pamela Swartz defeated Linda Kelleher in the primary for California State Senate District 1 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brian Dahle (R) | 57.7 | 200,537 |
| ✔ | | Pamela Swartz (D) | 36.1 | 125,585 |
| Linda Kelleher (Independent) | 6.2 | 21,557 | ||
| Total votes: 347,679 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| 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. | ||||
2019
See also: California state legislative special elections, 2019
General election
Special general election for California State Senate District 1
Brian Dahle defeated Kevin Kiley in the special general election for California State Senate District 1 on June 4, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brian Dahle (R) | 53.9 | 84,503 |
 | Kevin Kiley (R) | 46.1 | 72,169 | |
| Total votes: 156,672 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| 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
Special nonpartisan primary for California State Senate District 1
The following candidates ran in the special primary for California State Senate District 1 on March 26, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brian Dahle (R) | 29.6 | 57,725 |
| ✔ | | Kevin Kiley (R) | 27.9 | 54,290 |
 | Silke Pflueger (D) | 25.2 | 49,164 | |
 | Rex Hime (R) | 9.3 | 18,050 | |
 | Steven Baird (D) | 5.6 | 10,855 | |
 | Theodore Dziuba (R) | 2.4 | 4,672 | |
| Total votes: 194,756 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| 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. | ||||
2018
See also:
General election
General election for California State Assembly District 1
Incumbent Brian Dahle defeated Caleen Sisk in the general election for California State Assembly District 1 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brian Dahle (R) | 63.0 | 125,227 |
| Caleen Sisk (D) | 37.0 | 73,449 | ||
| Total votes: 198,676 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| 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 California State Assembly District 1
Incumbent Brian Dahle and Caleen Sisk defeated Peter Van Peborgh and Jenny O'Connell-Nowain in the primary for California State Assembly District 1 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brian Dahle (R) | 64.2 | 82,916 |
| ✔ | Caleen Sisk (D) | 23.9 | 30,902 | |
 | Peter Van Peborgh (D) | 8.9 | 11,446 | |
 | Jenny O'Connell-Nowain (Independent) | 3.1 | 3,987 | |
| Total votes: 129,251 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| 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. | ||||
2016
Elections for the California State Assembly took place in 2016. The primary election was held on June 7, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was February 25, 2016, for candidates filing with signatures. The deadline for candidates using a filing fee to qualify was March 11, 2016.[2]
Incumbent Brian Dahle defeated Donn Coenen in the California State Assembly District 1 general election.[3][4]
| California State Assembly, District 1 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Brian Dahle Incumbent |
73.76% | 148,657 | |
| Libertarian | Donn Coenen | 26.24% | 52,871 | |
| Total Votes | 201,528 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State | ||||
Incumbent Brian Dahle and Donn Coenen were unopposed in the California State Assembly District 1 Blanket primary.[5][6]
| California State Assembly, District 1 Blanket Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Brian Dahle Incumbent | |
| Libertarian | Donn Coenen | |
2014
Elections for the California State Assembly 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. Incumbent Brian Dahle (R) and Brigham Sawyer Smith (D) were unopposed in the blanket primary. Dahle defeated Smith in the general election.[7][8][9]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Brian Dahle Incumbent |
70.2% | 104,103 | |
| Democratic | Brigham Sawyer Smith | 29.8% | 44,119 | |
| Total Votes | 148,222 | |||
2012
Dahle won election in the 2012 election for California State Assembly District 1. He advanced past the June 5, 2012 blanket primary, defeating Robert Meacher (D), Charley Hooper (L), and David Edwards (G). Dahle defeated Rick Bosetti (R) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[10][11]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Brian Dahle |
65.6% | 116,098 | |
| Republican | Rick Bosetti | 34.4% | 60,920 | |
| Total Votes | 177,018 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert Meacher | 25.8% | 31,120 | |
| Republican | Rick Bosetti |
28.5% | 34,457 | |
| Republican | Brian Dahle |
34.2% | 41,384 | |
| Libertarian | Charley Hooper | 5.4% | 6,503 | |
| Green | David Edwards | 6.1% | 7,381 | |
| Total Votes | 120,845 | |||
Endorsements
In 2012, Dahle's endorsements included the following:
- California Farm Bureau Federation
- California Professional Firefighters
- “A” Rating from California Gun Owners Association
- California Republican Assembly
- California State Sheriffs’ Association
- Concerned Christian Citizens
- Contractors Association of Truckee
- Lassen County Farm Bureau
- Lassen County Republican Central Committee
- Modoc County Farm Bureau
- Nevada County Farm Bureau
- Nevada County Republican Party
- Northern California Carpenters
- Peace Officers Research Association of Northern California
- Plumas County Farm Bureau
- Plumas-Sierra Cattlemen’s Association
- Record Searchlight
- Shasta County Farm Bureau
- Siskiyou County Farm Bureau
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Brian Dahle did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
Dahle's campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Crime and the Public Safety You have every right to feel safe in your community and when you are home. The ISSUE: Many of the most serious crimes, particularly murder, have spiked. Retail theft, violent crimes, and home invasions dominate the news and put our families in danger. The TRUTH: One of the primary functions of government is public safety. The rights of criminals shouldn’t come before those of the victims. The PLAN: We need to rethink and work to repeal the recent efforts to decriminalize theft and reclassify many felonies and violent felonies.
We will make a California that works for everyone, not just those who are politically connected. We have the power to make California golden again. The ISSUE: California experienced a net loss of 2.6 million people to other states over the past decade. Since the pandemic, nearly 40,000 businesses have closed. The TRUTH: The State of California has a $42 billion “surplus” because you pay the highest gas taxes and some of the highest personal income taxes. In spite of this, our schools rank near the bottom, we have the highest poverty rate, some of the worst roads, and a terrible business climate. We don’t have a funding issue; we have a leadership crisis. The PLAN: We need to repeal the gas tax and roll back excessive regulations that have increased the cost of every sector of living, from energy to housing.
Less people on the street and more people in treatment centers. Less crime and more people on the road to recovery. Focus on the programs that work, not on programs that line the politically connected pockets. The ISSUE: After spending billions of dollars, California’s homelessness crisis is only getting worse. California makes up 29% of the homeless in the entire country while only being 12% of the nation’s total population. The TRUTH: Too many politicians believe that throwing more money at the problem will solve it. It won’t. It hasn’t. It has only made it worse. Without addressing mental health issues, addiction, and rising housing costs, we aren’t fostering healthy communities. The PLAN: Do an audit to determine what programs are working and which ones are not. Strengthen our rehabilitation and mental health services. Remove the barriers to building affordable housing. It is simply too expensive to build a new home or apartment complex, making it even more expensive to pay for rent.
Proper forest management protects our communities and air thereby reducing the amount of deadly carbon in our atmosphere. The ISSUE: During the 2020 fire season, an estimated 4.3 million acres burned, the most since record-keeping began. These forest fires emit more carbon emissions than all the cars on the road for an entire year. Sadly, those emissions are not included by the state in their scoping plan. The TRUTH: Climate change must be addressed holistically. Climate change is not the primary cause of California’s recent super fires. Misguided efforts to save forests have prohibited environmental health. The PLAN: Scientists outside of political organizations say that, while climate change plays a minor role, poor forest management is a more significant factor in the onslaught of wildfires. We must create a mosaic of vegetative stages in our forests that are resilient to devastating, carbon emitting fires.
The ISSUE: California has haphazardly spent billions of state and federal money on its COVID response with lackluster results. We currently have massive rapid testing shortages and difficulties getting boosters, and businesses are closing their doors. California’s overpriced COVID lab in Valencia has routinely underperformed, failing to meet the contract’s goals for turnaround times and numbers of processed tests. But the state auto-renewed the yearlong contract at the end of October 2021. Additionally, converting the Sleep Train Arena to a field hospital cost millions, but the site saw only nine patients. The TRUTH: After shutting down our state and schools, and spending billions of dollars, our children are masked and the Legislature continues to push for more mandates. The PLAN: Provide greater oversight and accounting of distributed funds. Write clawbacks into state contracts for underperforming entities like the Valencia testing lab and quantify actual return on investment. Stop recklessly spending billions of dollars to respond to the pandemic’s challenges with poor results. We will help our struggling businesses, and work to end the constant cycle of short supply of medically necessary items.
Your tax dollars are being wasted by politicians and no one is held responsible. Their policies don’t match with the realities and needs of Californians. The ISSUE: The state paid roughly $20 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims during the pandemic. The TRUTH: California has no plan to recoup those funds. The PLAN: Provide greater oversight and accounting of distributed funds. Have clawbacks written into state contracts for underperforming entities.
The sunshine state should not be in the dark or on the hook for experimental and unreliable energy sources. The state must move responsibly, and not at the expense of safety and jobs. The ISSUE: California consumers pay electricity rates that are 60 percent higher than the national average. The TRUTH: Offsetting costs to consumers with ever-increasing bills for an unstable power grid is unacceptable. The PLAN: We need to pause the regulators’ demands to reinvent the power supply based on an arbitrary schedule. Californians’ deserve reliable and affordable electricity.[12] |
” |
| —Brian Dahle's campaign website (2022)[13] | ||
2020
Brian Dahle did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Brian Dahle did not complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
2012
Dahle's campaign website listed the following issues:[14]
- Brian’s Promise to You
- Excerpt: "Promote a balanced budget—with no smoke and mirrors, no fuzzy math."
- Brian Believes In
- Excerpt: "The importance of private property rights."
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of California scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2024
In 2024, the California State Legislature was in session from January 3 to August 31. A special session in the Assembly was from August 31, 2024 to October 14, 2024 and another special session started on December 2, 2024.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the chamber.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on issues related to the interests of health care consumers.
- Legislators are scored on how they voted on taxpayer-related issues.
- Legislators are scored on issues related to sexual and reproductive health.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on issues related to sexual and reproductive health.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental policy.
2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the California State Legislature was in session from January 1 to September 14.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the California State Legislature was in session from January 3 to August 31.
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2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the California State Legislature was in session from December 7 to September 10.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the California State Legislature was in session from January 6 to August 31.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the California State Legislature was in session from January 7 through September 13.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the California State Legislature was in session from January 3, 2018 through August 31, 2018.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the California State Legislature was in session from December 5, 2016 through September 15, 2017.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the California State Legislature was in session from January 4 through August 31. The formal session ended on August 31, but constitutionally the session adjourned sine die on November 30.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the California State Legislature was in session from December 1, 2014, through September 12, 2015.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the California State Legislature was in session from January 6 to August 30.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the California State Legislature was in session from December 3, 2012, to September 13, 2013
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the California State Legislature was in session from January 4 to August 31.
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See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ California Senate Republicans, "Senator Brian Dahle - Biography," accessed May 4, 2022
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Key Dates and Deadlines," accessed April 18, 2017
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Certified List of Candidates for the November 8, 2016, General Election," accessed September 7, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "2016 General Election results," accessed December 23, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Certified List of Candidates for Voter-Nominated Offices," accessed April 4, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Statement of Vote," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official 2014 Primary election candidate list," accessed March 27, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed July 15, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official general election results," accessed December 14, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official primary candidate list," accessed March 13, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official 2012 Primary election results," accessed March 13, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Brian Dahle for Governor 2022, “Solutions,” accessed April 26, 2022
- ↑ briandahle.com, "Issues (Archived)," accessed March 13, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
California State Senate District 1 2019-2024 |
Succeeded by Megan Dahle (R) |
| Preceded by - |
California State Assembly District 1 2012-2019 |
Succeeded by - |
