California's 53rd Congressional District elections, 2014
The 53rd Congressional District of California held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014.
Incumbent Susan Davis (D) won re-election in 2014. She defeated Larry Wilske (R) in the general election.[3]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: California uses a top-two primary system, in which all candidates appear on the same ballot. The top two vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, move on to the general election. In states that do not use a top-two system, all parties are usually able to put forward a candidate for the general election if they choose to.[4][5]
Unlike the top-two format used in some states (Louisiana and Georgia special elections for example), a general election between the top-two candidates in California occurs regardless of whether the top candidate received 50% of the vote in the first round of elections.
As of October 2025, California was one of five states to use a top-two primary system, or a variation of the top-two system for some or all statewide primaries. See here for more information.
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Voter registration: To vote in the primary, voters had to register by May 19, 2014. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 20, 2014 (the 15th calendar day before that election).[6]
- See also: California elections, 2014
Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Susan Davis (D), who was first elected in 2000.
As of the 2010 redistricting cycle, California's 53rd Congressional District was located in the southern portion of the state and included part of San Diego County.[7]
Candidates
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
Susan Davis - Incumbent 
John Edwards- Joel Marchese
- Jim Stieringer
- Wayne True
- Larry Wilske
Christina Bobb- John Campbell
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Susan Davis Incumbent |
58.8% | 87,104 | |
| Republican | Larry Wilske | 41.2% | 60,940 | |
| Total Votes | 148,044 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State | ||||
Primary election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |
Susan Davis Incumbent |
56.3% | 50,041 | |
| Republican | Larry Wilske |
20.7% | 18,384 | |
| Republican | Wayne True | 10.3% | 9,182 | |
| Republican | John Edwards | 4.5% | 3,986 | |
| Republican | Joel Marchese | 3.1% | 2,729 | |
| Republican | Jim Stieringer | 2.4% | 2,106 | |
| Independent | John Campbell | 1.8% | 1,596 | |
| Independent | Christina Bobb | 1% | 929 | |
| Total Votes | 88,953 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State |
||||
Key votes
Below are important votes the incumbent cast during the 113th Congress.
Government shutdown
- See also: United States budget debate, 2013
On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.[8] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.[9] Susan Davis voted against the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.[10]
The shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[11] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Susan Davis voted for HR 2775.[12]
Campaign contributions
Susan Davis
| Susan Davis (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[13] | April 15, 2013 | $172,720.09 | $46,079.00 | $(49,667.07) | $169,132.02 | ||||
| July Quarterly[14] | July 15, 2013 | $169,132.02 | $77,334.00 | $(45,698.16) | $200,767.86 | ||||
| October Quarterly[15] | October 15, 2013 | $200,767.86 | $64,839.01 | $(44,511.10) | $221,095.77 | ||||
| Year-End[16] | January 31, 2014 | $221,095 | $52,008 | $(46,234) | $226,869 | ||||
| April Quarterly[17] | April 15, 2014 | $226,869 | $48,251 | $(39,322) | $235,797 | ||||
| Pre-Primary[18] | May 22, 2014 | $235,797 | $80,025 | $(45,442) | $270,380 | ||||
| July Quarterly[19] | July 15, 2014 | $270,380 | $71,504 | $(21,518) | $320,366 | ||||
| October Quarterly[20] | October 15, 2014 | $320,366 | $69,043 | $(104,679) | $286,729 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $509,083.01 | $(397,071.33) | ||||||||
Joel Marchese
| Joel Marchese (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[21] | April 15, 2014 | $0 | $7,395 | $(5,038) | $2,356 | ||||
| Pre-Primary[22] | May 22, 2014 | $2,356 | $1,160 | $(2,426) | $1,090 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $8,555 | $(7,464) | ||||||||
Jim Stieringer
| Jim Stieringer (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[23] | April 2, 2014 | $0 | $6,000 | $(3,995) | $2,005 | ||||
| Pre-Primary[24] | May 14, 2014 | $2,005 | $0 | $(196) | $1,808 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $6,000 | $(4,191) | ||||||||
**As of the 2014 Pre-Primary Report, Stieringer's committee owed $6,000 in outstanding loans to Jim Stieringer.
Wayne True
| Wayne True (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[25] | April 14, 2014 | $0 | $7,414 | $(1,760) | $5,653 | ||||
| Pre-Primary[26] | May 18, 2014 | $5,653 | $14,889 | $(3,284) | $17,259 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $22,303 | $(5,044) | ||||||||
Larry Wilske
| Larry Wilske (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[27] | April 14, 2014 | $0 | $33,720 | $(12,543) | $21,176 | ||||
| Pre-Primary[28] | May 21, 2014 | $21,176 | $3,250 | $(9,573) | $14,853 | ||||
| July Quarterly[29] | July 14, 2014 | $14,853 | $111,575 | $(19,517) | $106,911 | ||||
| October Quarterly[30] | October 15, 2014 | $106,911 | $38,605 | $(136,431) | $9,084 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $187,150 | $(178,064) | ||||||||
John Campbell
| John Campbell (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[31] | April 15, 2014 | $0 | $1,100 | $(106) | $993 | ||||
| Pre-Primary[32] | May 22, 2014 | $993 | $4,149 | $(2,898) | $2,243 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $5,249 | $(3,004) | ||||||||
District history
| Candidate ballot access |
|---|
 |
| Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. |
2012
On November 6, 2012, Susan Davis (D) won re-election to the United States House. She defeated Nick Popaditch in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Susan Davis Incumbent |
61.4% | 164,825 | |
| Republican | Nick Popaditch | 38.6% | 103,482 | |
| Total Votes | 268,307 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
2010
On November 2, 2010, Susan Davis won re-election to the United States House. She defeated Michael Crimmins (R) and Paul Dekker (L) in the general election.[33]
| U.S. House, California District 53 General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Susan Davis incumbent |
62.3% | 104,800 | |
| Republican | Michael Crimmins | 34% | 57,230 | |
| Libertarian | Paul Dekker | 3.7% | 6,298 | |
| Total Votes | 168,328 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2014
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2014
External links
- California Elections & Voter Information
- California Secretary of State, Official primary candidate list
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS FOR June 26, 2014," accessed July 28, 2014
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2014 House Races," accessed July 28, 2014
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Election 2014," November 4, 2014
- ↑ California Legislative Information, "California Constitution, Article II, Section 5," accessed October 29, 2025
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Primary Elections in California," accessed October 29, 2025
- ↑ California Secretary of State Website, "Voter Registration," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑ California Redistricting Map, "Map," accessed September 25, 2012
- ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ Buzzfeed, "Government Shutdown: How We Got Here," accessed October 1, 2013
- ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Reid, McConnell propose bipartisan Senate bill to end shutdown, extend borrowing," accessed October 16, 2013
- ↑ U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 550," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Susan Davis April Quarterly," accessed July 23, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Susan Davis July Quarterly," accessed July 23, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Susan Davis October Quarterly," accessed October 21, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Susan Davis Year-End," accessed February 4, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Susan Davis April Quarterly," accessed April 21, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Susan Davis Pre-Primary," accessed June 3, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Susan Davis July Quarterly," accessed July 23, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Susan Davis October Quarterly," accessed October 20, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Joel Marchese April Quarterly," accessed May 6, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Joel Marchese Pre-Primary," accessed June 3, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Jim Stieringer April Quarterly," accessed May 6, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Jim Stieringer Pre-Primary," accessed June 3, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Wayne True April Quarterly," accessed May 6, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Wayne True Pre-Primary," accessed June 3, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Larry Wilske April Quarterly," accessed May 6, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Larry Wilske Pre-Primary," accessed June 3, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Larry Wilske July Quarterly," accessed July 28, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Larry Wilske October Quarterly," accessed October 23, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "John Campbell April Quarterly," accessed May 6, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "John Campbell Pre-Primary," accessed June 3, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
