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California's 39th Congressional District election, 2018

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California's 39th Congressional District
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Top-two primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 9, 2018
Primary: June 5, 2018
General: November 6, 2018
Pre-election incumbent:
Edward Royce (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in California
Race ratings
Cook Partisan Voter Index (2018): EVEN
Cook Political Report: Toss-up
Inside Elections: Toss-up
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Toss-up
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
See also
California's 39th Congressional District
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California elections, 2018
U.S. Congress elections, 2018
U.S. Senate elections, 2018
U.S. House elections, 2018

Veterans and education advocate Gil Cisneros (D) defeated former state legislator Young Kim (R) in the general election for California's 39th Congressional District on November 6, 2018. Thirteen-term incumbent Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.) did not seek-relection.

All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. The Democratic Party gained a net total of 40 seats, winning control of the chamber. This race was identified as a 2018 battleground that might have affected partisan control of the U.S. House in the 116th Congress. Heading into the election, the Republican Party was in the majority holding 235 seats to Democrats' 193 seats, with seven vacant seats. Democrats needed to win 23 GOP-held seats in 2018 to win control of the House. From 1918 to 2016, the president’s party lost an average of 29 seats in midterm elections.

California's 39th was one of 25 Republican-held districts won by Hillary Clinton (D) in the 2016 presidential election. Both the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee identified this district as a target in 2018.[1][2]

California's 39th Congressional District is located in the southern portion of the state and includes part of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties.[3]

Grey.png For more information about the top-two primary election, click here.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. House California District 39

Gil Cisneros defeated Young Kim in the general election for U.S. House California District 39 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Gil Cisneros
Gil Cisneros (D)
 
51.6
 
126,002
Image of Young Kim
Young Kim (R)
 
48.4
 
118,391

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 244,393
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 39

The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House California District 39 on June 5, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Young Kim
Young Kim (R)
 
21.2
 
30,019
✔
Image of Gil Cisneros
Gil Cisneros (D)
 
19.4
 
27,469
Image of Phil Liberatore
Phil Liberatore (R)
 
14.3
 
20,257
Image of Andy Thorburn
Andy Thorburn (D)
 
9.2
 
12,990
Image of Shawn Nelson
Shawn Nelson (R)
 
6.9
 
9,750
Image of Bob Huff
Bob Huff (R)
 
6.2
 
8,699
Image of Sam Jammal
Sam Jammal (D)
 
5.4
 
7,613
Image of Mai Khanh Tran
Mai Khanh Tran (D) Candidate Connection
 
5.3
 
7,430
Image of Herbert Lee
Herbert Lee (D)
 
4.2
 
5,988
Image of Steve Vargas
Steve Vargas (R)
 
2.9
 
4,144
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Suzi Park Leggett (D)
 
1.5
 
2,058
Image of John Cullum
John Cullum (R)
 
1.2
 
1,747
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Karen Lee Schatzle (Independent)
 
0.6
 
903
Image of Steve Cox
Steve Cox (Independent)
 
0.6
 
856
Image of Andrew Sarega
Andrew Sarega (R)
 
0.6
 
823
Image of Sophia Alexander
Sophia Alexander (Independent)
 
0.4
 
523
Image of Ted Alemayhu
Ted Alemayhu (Independent American Party)
 
0.1
 
176

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 141,445
Candidate Connection = 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Candidate profiles

See also: Editorial approach to writing about key campaign messages


Gil Cisneros, veterans and education advocate
Gil Cisneros Twitter.png

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

Party: Democratic

Incumbent: No

Political office: None

Biography: Cisneros graduated with a B.A. from George Washington University, an MBA from Regis University, and a master's in urban education policy from Brown University. He served as a U.S. naval officer for a decade before becoming a veterans and education advocate. After winning the California Mega Millions lottery in 2010, he created and became involved with several arts, education, and veterans philanthropic efforts.[4]

Key messages
  • Cisneros emphasized his service in the military and the opportunity it provided him through an ROTC scholarship. He said he started the higher education initiative Generation First Degree Pico Rivera to help students have the opportunity to go to college.[4][5]
  • Cisneros, a first-time candidate, said that he was not a career politician.[4][5][6]
  • Cisneros presented himself as an independent candidate. He said that he would reject funding from PACs, arguing that the government should not be beholden to special interests.[4][5][6]



Young Kim, former state legislator
Young Kim.jpg

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

Party: Republican

Incumbent: No

Political office: California State Assembly, District 65 (2014-2016)

Biography: Kim graduated from the University of Southern California. She was a small business owner and financial analyst before working for incumbent Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.) for 25 years. She became his director of community operations and Asian affairs. She was elected to represent the 65th District of the California State Assembly in 2014.[7][8]

Key messages
  • Kim, who was endorsed by Royce, emphasized her connection to the district through her two-decades-long work in Royce's office.
  • She said she was part of a bipartisan effort to pass legislation to help domestic violence survivors and homeless veterans.[7][9]
  • Kim shared her own immigration story from South Korea to highlight her immigration policy. She said she supported increased border security and compassion for children brought to the U.S. without legal documentation. She also identified job creation and low taxes as policy priorities.[8][10]


Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
California's 39th Congressional District, 2018
Poll Poll sponsor Democratic Party Cisneros Republican Party KimUndecidedMargin of errorSample size
New York Times/Siena College
October 18-23, 2018		N/A 47%46%7%+/-4.6496
Tulchin Research
September 28-October 2, 2018		Cisneros 48%47%4%+/-4.9400
Berkeley IGS Poll
September 16-23, 2018		N/A 49%48%3%+/-6.0552
Monmouth University
September 13-16, 2018		N/A 42%46%12%+/-5.7402
Tulchin Research
August 1-6, 2018		Cisneros 53%42%5%+/-4.0600
AVERAGES 47.8% 45.8% 6.2% +/-5.04 490
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.


Campaign finance

The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Gil Cisneros Democratic Party $12,265,194 $12,183,755 $81,439 As of December 31, 2018
Young Kim Republican Party $2,907,666 $2,902,332 $5,334 As of December 31, 2018

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2018. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.


Satellite spending

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[11][12][13]

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

  • In March 2018, House Majority PAC announced plans to spend $43 million on television advertisements in 2018. Some of the spending would be in this race's media market, according to The Washington Post.[15]
    • In October 2018, House Majority PAC spent $2.7 million on on an ad campaign connecting Kim to President Donald Trump (R).[16]

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Race ratings: California's 39th Congressional District election, 2018
Race trackerRace ratings
October 30, 2018October 23, 2018October 16, 2018October 9, 2018
The Cook Political ReportToss-upToss-upToss-upToss-up
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesToss-upToss-upToss-upToss-up
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallToss-upToss-upToss-upToss-up
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season.

District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was EVEN, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were within 1 percentage point of the national average. This made California's 39th Congressional District the 200th most Democratic nationally.[17]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 0.95. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.95 points toward that party.[18]

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.


Campaign advertisements

Democratic Party Gil Cisneros

Support

"Catching On" - Cisneros campaign ad, released October 15, 2018
"Trust" - Cisneros campaign ad, released September 25, 2018
"Country First" - Cisneros campaign ad, released August 31, 2018
"No Limits" - Cisneros campaign ad, released August 10, 2018
Oppose
"Silence" - Congressional Leadership Fund opposition ad, released September 25, 2018
"Ever" - Congressional Leadership Fund opposition ad, released September 6, 2018
"Anything" - Congressional Leadership Fund opposition ad, released August 23, 2018
"Prize" - Congressional Leadership Fund opposition ad, released August 15, 2018

Republican Party Young Kim

Support

"My Community" - Kim campaign ad, released September 24, 2018
"Proven" - Kim campaign ad, released July 27, 2018
"Here" - Kim campaign ad, released April 18, 2018

Oppose

"Myka" - Cisneros campaign ad, released October 16, 2018
"Audition" - House Majority PAC ad, released October 9, 2018

Noteworthy events

Ads on withdrawn sexual misconduct allegations against Cisneros

On October 1, 2018, California State Assembly candidate Melissa Fazli withdrew allegations of sexual misconduct against Cisneros.[19] Fazli had previously accused Cisneros of making sexual advances towards her in exchange for a campaign donation.[20] Cisneros denied the allegations.[21]

The Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) featured Fazli's initial allegations in three opposition ads and mailers released in August and September 2018.[22][23]

Fazli said in her October statement, "I don’t believe that Gil sexually harassed me. The Congressional Leadership Fund lied. Rather than standing with victims and survivors of harassment and assault, they are weaponizing my story for their own political gain. I denounce their ads."[19]

CLF communications director Courtney Alexander responded, "Is this another example of a rich and powerful man using his power to intimidate a victim of sexual harassment? It's disappointing that only because Gil Cisneros is losing an election he decided to take sexual harassment allegations against him seriously."[24]

CLF and the cable network airing the ads agreed to stop broadcasting them.[25]

Campaign themes

These were the policy positions listed on the candidates' websites in September 2018.

Democratic Party Gil Cisneros

“

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES

Gil believes Americans with disabilities have the right to live independently with the same dignity and freedom afforded every other citizen.

AN ECONOMY THAT WORKS FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS

Too many working families are struggling to get by while Washington politicians side with special interests. They deserve more.

Me postulo para el Congreso para representar a familias trabajadoras y para ponerle fín a las politicas divisivas que destrozan y separan a familias.

In Congress, I will fight to increase the minimum wage and ensure a living wage for all Americans.

ANIMAL RIGHTS

Promoting animal welfare and protecting them from abuse is a top priority for Gil. In Congress, Gil will vote to protect pets and domesticated animals by strengthening regulations on “puppy mills” and other harmful commercial breeding facilities and support legislation to prevent animal cruelty and torture.

COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM AND PROTECTING DREAMERS

In Congress, Gil will fight to protect President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which has allowed thousands of young people who were brought to this country as children through no fault of their own to come out of the shadows.

DEFEND OUR ENVIRONMENT

The scientific consensus is that Climate Change is real and man made. We need to be working together to combat climate change before it is too late.

ENDING GUN VIOLENCE

As your Congressman, Gil will stand up to the corporate gun lobby and support legislation to keep our communities safe.

GET CORPORATE MONEY OUT OF POLITICS

Corporate money is corrosive to our democracy, which is why Gil has decided not to take any PAC money from corporate special interests.

HEALTHCARE FOR ALL

Health care is a right, not a privilege. Gil will defend the ACA from Republican attempts to rip away coverage for millions and fight for increased access and more affordable care for everyone.

HOLD PRESIDENT TRUMP ACCOUNTABLE

As your Congressman, Gil pledges to hold President Trump accountable. President Trump pursues an agenda that is beneficial to him and his billionaire buddies, and Republicans have sat idly by and watched him do so.

HONOR OUR VETERANS

We have no greater duty than to provide for the men and women who have sacrificed for our country when they return from service.

INVEST IN OUR CHILDREN’S FUTURE AND MAKE HIGHER EDUCATION AFFORDABLE

Children need to have the tools they need to succeed. In Congress, Gil will fight to increase per pupil spending in our k-12 education system, fight to ensure that all students have access to affordable higher education, and fight to revamp our student loan system to bring down costs. Gil will fight for our kids in Congress.

LGBTQ RIGHTS

While we had a historic victory at the Supreme Court guaranteeing marriage equality, the LGBTQ community still faces increased attacks from extremists in Congress and the Trump Administration. Gil was proud to stand with VoteVets against Trump’s decision to ban thousands of transgender troops from protecting our country.

NATIONAL SECURITY AND TERRORISM

The United States must remain a leader on the world stage and a beacon of hope. We need to work closely with our allies and other nations to find diplomatic solutions to threats to our national security and the security of other nations.

RETIREMENT SECURITY

Gil will protect Medicare and Social security from repeated Republican attacks.

WOMEN’S RIGHTS

Gil will defend a woman’s right to choose and defend Planned Parenthood funding from Republican attacks in Congress.[26]

”
—Gil Cisneros for Congress[27]

Republican Party Young Kim

“

Fighting to Create Jobs and Strengthen the Economy

As a small business owner, Young knows what it takes to create an environment where jobs can be created and workers can thrive.

Young believes that the hard working men and women of Southern California are taxed and regulated enough. She will fight to keep taxes low so that individuals and families can keep more of their hard earned dollars because they know how best to spend their money, not Washington politicians.

Young will fight to help create and keep good paying jobs right here in Southern California. She will work to reduce unnecessary regulations, increase trade, and work with state and local leaders to create an environment where business can prosper and create good paying jobs.

Keeping America Safe

Young knows that keeping Americans safe and secure is vital in order to enjoy the freedoms and the prosperity we cherish.

At home, Young knows we must make sure that our first responders have the equipment that they need to deal with new and evolving threats to our security.

Abroad, Young believes that America should be a leader in the world by standing up for the values that have made our country great and given so many hope. We should work to build consensus in the international community to improve our world while showing resolve in the face of rogue nations and terrorism.

Honoring Our Veterans Young believes that we owe a great debt to those who have served in our nation’s armed services. She will fight to make sure that veterans receive the quality care that they were promised by working to reform the VA and increase accessibility in Southern California.

Immigration

As a proud immigrant, Young wants people from around the world to be able to legally immigrate to our country, become citizens, and achieve the American dream. However, our immigration system is broken and must be fixed. Young will work with anyone who is willing to reform our immigration system, increase border security, and make sure that those brought to this country as children without legal documentation are treated fairly and with compassion.

Empowering Teachers and Investing In Our Schools Top-down, one-size-fits-all policies from Washington don’t work in our local schools. Young believes that our parents and teachers know best how local students learn and succeed. She will fight for increased STEM education funding and to make sure education dollars go to teachers and classrooms not bureaucrats in Sacramento or Washington, D.C.[26]

”
—Young Kim for Congress[28]

Social media

Twitter accounts

Facebook accounts

Click the icons below to visit the candidates' Facebook pages.

Democratic Party Gil Cisneros Facebook

Republican Party Young Kim Facebook

Republican district won by Hillary Clinton

See also: U.S. House districts represented by a Republican and won by Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Split-ticket districts in the 2016 presidential and U.S. House elections

This district was one of 25 Republican-held U.S. House districts that Hillary Clinton (D) won in the 2016 presidential election.[29] Nearly all were expected to be among the House's most competitive elections in 2018.

Click on the table below to see the full list of districts.


2018 election results in Republican-held U.S. House districts won by Hillary Clinton in 2016
District Incumbent 2018 winner 2018 margin 2016 presidential margin 2012 presidential margin
Arizona's 2nd Republican Party Martha McSally Democratic Party Ann Kirkpatrick D+9.5 Clinton+4.9 Romney+1.5
California's 10th Republican Party Jeff Denham Democratic Party Josh Harder D+2.6 Clinton+3.0 Obama+3.6
California's 21st Republican Party David Valadao Democratic Party TJ Cox D+0.8 Clinton+15.5 Obama+11.1
California's 25th Republican Party Steve Knight Democratic Party Katie Hill D+6.4 Clinton+6.7 Romney+1.9
California's 39th Republican Party Ed Royce Democratic Party Gil Cisneros D+1.4 Clinton+8.6 Romney+3.7
California's 45th Republican Party Mimi Walters Democratic Party Katie Porter D+1.6 Clinton+5.4 Romney+11.8
California's 48th Republican Party Dana Rohrabacher Democratic Party Harley Rouda D+5.8 Clinton+1.7 Romney+11.7
California's 49th Republican Party Darrell Issa Democratic Party Mike Levin D+7.4 Clinton+7.5 Romney+6.7
Colorado's 6th Republican Party Mike Coffman Democratic Party Jason Crow D+11.2 Clinton+8.9 Obama+5.1
Florida's 26th Republican Party Carlos Curbelo Democratic Party Debbie Mucarsel-Powell D+1.8 Clinton+16.1 Obama+11.5
Florida's 27th Republican Party Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Democratic Party Donna Shalala D+6.0 Clinton+19.7 Obama+6.7
Illinois' 6th Republican Party Peter Roskam Democratic Party Sean Casten D+5.6 Clinton+7.0 Romney+8.2
Kansas' 3rd Republican Party Kevin Yoder Democratic Party Sharice Davids D+9.1 Clinton+1.2 Romney+9.5
Minnesota's 3rd Republican Party Erik Paulsen Democratic Party Dean Phillips D+11.4 Clinton+9.4 Obama+0.8
New Jersey's 7th Republican Party Leonard Lance Democratic Party Tom Malinowski D+4.7 Clinton+1.1 Romney+6.2
New York's 24th Republican Party John Katko Republican Party John Katko R+6.3 Clinton+3.6 Obama+15.9
Pennsylvania's 1st Republican Party Brian Fitzpatrick[30] Republican Party Brian Fitzpatrick R+2.6 Clinton+2.0 Obama+2.6
Pennsylvania's 5th Republican Party Pat Meehan[31] Democratic Party Mary Gay Scanlon D+30.2 Clinton+28.2 Obama+27.7
Pennsylvania's 6th Republican Party Ryan Costello[32] Democratic Party Chrissy Houlahan D+17.6 Clinton+9.3 Obama+3.2
Pennsylvania's 7th Republican Party Charlie Dent[33] Democratic Party Susan Wild D+11.3 Clinton+1.1 Obama+7.0
Texas' 7th Republican Party John Culberson Democratic Party Lizzie Pannill Fletcher D+5.0 Clinton+1.4 Romney+21.3
Texas' 23rd Republican Party Will Hurd Republican Party Will Hurd R+0.5 Clinton+3.4 Romney+2.6
Texas' 32nd Republican Party Pete Sessions Democratic Party Colin Allred D+6.3 Clinton+1.9 Romney+15.5
Virginia's 10th Republican Party Barbara Comstock Democratic Party Jennifer Wexton D+12.4 Clinton+10.0 Romney+1.6
Washington's 8th Republican Party David Reichert Democratic Party Kim Schrier D+6.2 Clinton+3.0 Obama+1.6


Click here to see the 13 Democratic-held U.S. House districts that Donald Trump (R) won.

Click here to see an overview of all split-ticket districts in the 2016 presidential and U.S. House elections..

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

There are no Pivot Counties in California. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won California with 61.7 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 31.6 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, California voted Republican 53.33 percent of the time and Democratic 43.33 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, California voted Democratic all five times. In 2016, California had 55 electoral votes, which was the most of any state. The 55 electoral votes were 10.2 percent of all 538 available electoral votes and were 20.4 percent of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the election.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state Assembly districts in California. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[34][35]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 58 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 38.4 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 66 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 40.3 points. Clinton won 11 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 22 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 12.2 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 14 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 13 points.


District history

2016

See also: California's 39th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Edward Royce (R) defeated Brett Murdock (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Both candidates advanced past the top-two primary on June 7, 2016, by default.[36][37]

U.S. House, California District 39 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngEdward Royce Incumbent 57.2% 150,777
     Democratic Brett Murdock 42.8% 112,679
Total Votes 263,456
Source: California Secretary of State


U.S. House, California District 39 Primary, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngEdward Royce Incumbent 60.5% 85,035
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngBrett Murdock 39.5% 55,520
Total Votes 140,555
Source: California Secretary of State

2014

See also: California's 39th Congressional District elections, 2014

The 39th Congressional District of California held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Edward Royce (R) defeated Peter Anderson (R) in the general election.

U.S. House, California District 39 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngEdward Royce Incumbent 68.5% 91,319
     Democratic Peter Anderson 31.5% 41,906
Total Votes 133,225
Source: California Secretary of State

State overview

Partisan control

This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in California heading into the 2018 elections.

Congressional delegation

State executives

  • As of May 2018, Democrats held seven of 10 state executive positions and the remaining three positions were officially nonpartisan.
  • The governor of California was Democrat Jerry Brown.

State legislature

  • Democrats controlled both chambers of the California State Legislature. They had a 55-25 majority in the state Assembly and a 27-13 majority in the state Senate.

Trifecta status

  • California was a state government trifecta, meaning that Democrats held the governorship and majorities in the state house and state senate.

2018 elections

See also: California elections, 2018

California held elections for the following positions in 2018:

Demographics

Demographic data for California
 CaliforniaU.S.
Total population:38,993,940316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):155,7793,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:61.8%73.6%
Black/African American:5.9%12.6%
Asian:13.7%5.1%
Native American:0.7%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0.4%0.2%
Two or more:4.5%3%
Hispanic/Latino:38.4%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:81.8%86.7%
College graduation rate:31.4%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$61,818$53,889
Persons below poverty level:18.2%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in California.
**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.

As of July 2016, California had a population of approximately 39,000,000 people, with its three largest cities being Los Angeles (pop. est. 4.0 million), San Diego (pop. est. 1.4 million), and San Jose (pop. est. 1 million).[38][39]

State election history

This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in California from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the California Secretary of State.

Historical elections

Presidential elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the presidential election in California every year from 2000 to 2016.

Election results (President of the United States), California 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 61.7% Republican Party Donald Trump 31.6% 30.1%
2012 Democratic Party Barack Obama 60.2% Republican Party Mitt Romney 37.1% 23.1%
2008 Democratic Party Barack Obama 61.1% Republican Party John McCain 37% 24.1%
2004 Democratic Party John Kerry 54.4% Republican Party George W. Bush 44.4% 10%
2000 Democratic Party Al Gore 53.5% Republican Party George W. Bush 41.7% 11.8%

U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in California from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

Election results (U.S. Senator), California 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Democratic Party Kamala Harris 61.6% Democratic Party Loretta Sanchez 38.4% 23.2%
2012 Democratic Party Dianne Feinstein 62.5% Republican Party Elizabeth Emken 37.5% 25%
2010 Democratic Party Barbara Boxer 52.2% Republican Party Carly Fiorina 42.2% 10%
2006 Democratic Party Dianne Feinstein 59.5% Republican Party Richard Mountjoy 35.1% 24.4%
2004 Democratic Party Barbara Boxer 57.8% Republican Party Bill Jones 37.8% 20%
2000 Democratic Party Dianne Feinstein 55.9% Republican Party Tom Campbell 36.6% 19.3%

Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in California.

Election results (Governor), California 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2014 Democratic Party Jerry Brown 60% Republican Party Neel Kashkari 40% 20%
2010 Democratic Party Jerry Brown 53.8% Republican Party Meg Whitman 40.9% 12.9%
2006 Republican Party Arnold Schwarzenegger 55.9% Democratic Party Phil Angelides 39.0% 16.9%
2002 Democratic Party Gray Davis 47.3% Republican Party Bill Simon 42.4% 4.9%

Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent California in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

Congressional delegation, California 2000-2016
Year Democrats Democrats (%) Republicans Republicans (%) Balance of power
2016 Democratic Party 39 73.5% Republican Party 14 26.4% D+25
2014 Democratic Party 39 73.5% Republican Party 14 26.4% D+25
2012 Democratic Party 38 71.7% Republican Party 15 28.3% D+23
2010 Democratic Party 34 64.1% Republican Party 19 35.8% D+15
2008 Democratic Party 34 64.1% Republican Party 19 35.8% D+15
2006 Democratic Party 34 64.1% Republican Party 19 35.8% D+15
2004 Democratic Party 33 62.3% Republican Party 20 37.7% D+13
2002 Democratic Party 33 62.3% Republican Party 20 37.7% D+13
2000 Democratic Party 32 61.5% Republican Party 20 38.5% D+12

Trifectas, 1992-2017

A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

California Party Control: 1992-2025
Twenty years with 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 23 24 25
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 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 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 D D D

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ DCCC, "Red to Blue," accessed October 5, 2018
  2. ↑ GOP, "Young Guns 2018," accessed October 5, 2018
  3. ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Counties by Congressional Districts," accessed June 8, 2016
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Cisneros for Congress, "Meet Gil," accessed September 15, 2018
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 YouTube, "Gil Cisneros – No Limits," accessed September 15, 2018
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 YouTube, "Gil Cisneros – Country First," accessed September 15, 2018
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Kim for Congress, "About," accessed September 15, 2018
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 NBC News, "Young Kim's Congressional campaign is a run two decades in the making," May 16, 2018
  9. ↑ YouTube, "Young Kim – Proven," July 27, 2018
  10. ↑ Kim for Congress, "Issues," accessed September 15, 2018
  11. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed September 22, 2015
  12. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed September 22, 2015
  13. ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," November 6, 2015
  14. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections Live Digest: 9/10," September 10, 2018
  15. ↑ Washington Post, "Democratic super PAC makes plans to spend $43 million on House races," March 8, 2018
  16. ↑ Daily Kos, "Morning Digest: Poll finds GOP poised to pick up Alaska in unusual three-way governor's race," October 10, 2018
  17. ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  18. ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Cisneros for Congress, "Melissa Fazli Withdraws Misconduct Allegation, Denounces CLF Ads," October 1, 2018
  20. ↑ Twitter, "Melissa Fazli," May 3, 2018
  21. ↑ Cisneros for Congress, "Community Response to False Allegation Against Gil Cisneros and Timeline of Events," August 23, 2018
  22. ↑ YouTube, "Anything," August 23, 2018
  23. ↑ YouTube, "Ever," September 6, 2018
  24. ↑ Fox News, "California woman recants sex harassment claims made against Dem congressional hopeful," October 1, 2018
  25. ↑ Press Reader, "Accuser pulls back from claim against Cisneros," October 3, 2018
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  27. ↑ Gil Cisneros for Congress, "Gil's Plan," accessed September 15, 2018
  28. ↑ Young Kim for Congress, "Issues," accessed September 15, 2018
  29. ↑ This figure includes Pennsylvania districts that were redrawn by the state Supreme Court in early 2018 and districts that flipped in special elections.
  30. ↑ The new 1st district was created in early 2018 due to court-ordered redistricting and most closely resembles the old 8th District held by Fitzpatrick. Click here to read more.
  31. ↑ The new 5th district was created in early 2018 due to court-ordered redistricting and most closely resembles the old 7th District held by Meehan. Click here to read more.
  32. ↑ The new 6th district was created in early 2018 due to court-ordered redistricting and most closely resembles the old 6th District held by Costello. Click here to read more.
  33. ↑ The new 7th district was created in early 2018 due to court-ordered redistricting and most closely resembles the old 15th District held by Dent. Click here to read more.
  34. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  35. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
  36. ↑ California Secretary of State, "Certified List of Candidates for Voter-Nominated Offices June 7, 2016, Presidential Primary Election," accessed April 4, 2016
  37. ↑ The New York Times, "California Primary Results," June 7, 2016
  38. ↑ California Demographics, "California Cities by Population," accessed April 2, 2018
  39. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Quickfacts California," accessed April 2, 2018
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Election information
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California's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Alex Padilla (D)
Adam Schiff (D)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
Ami Bera (D)
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
Adam Gray (D)
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
Ro Khanna (D)
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
Jim Costa (D)
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
Raul Ruiz (D)
District 26
District 27
District 28
Judy Chu (D)
District 29
Luz Rivas (D)
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
Ted Lieu (D)
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
Young Kim (R)
District 41
District 42
District 43
District 44
District 45
District 46
District 47
Dave Min (D)
District 48
District 49
District 50
District 51
District 52
Democratic Party (45)
Republican Party (9)

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