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California Attorney General election, 2022 (June 7 top-two primary)

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2026
2018
California Attorney General
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
Top-two primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 11, 2022
Primary: June 7, 2022
General: November 8, 2022

Pre-election incumbent(s):
Rob Bonta (Democratic)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in California
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness
State executive elections in 2022
Impact of term limits in 2022
State government trifectas
State government triplexes
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022
California
executive elections
Governor

Lieutenant Governor
Attorney General
Secretary of State
Treasurer
Controller
Superintendent of Public Instruction
State Board of Equalization (4 seats)
Insurance Commissioner

Incumbent Rob Bonta (D) and Nathan Hochman (R) advanced from the top-two primary on June 7, 2022, for California attorney general. Bonta received 55% of the vote and Hochman received 18%.[1]

Bonta, Eric Early (R), Hochman, and Anne Marie Schubert (I) led in media attention and fundraising.[2][3][4] Daniel Kapelovitz (G) also ran in the primary election. The Los Angeles Times' George Skelton said, "Whether [Bonta is] contested competitively in November may well hinge on whom voters select as his challenger."[5]

Hannah Wiley, also writing for the Los Angeles Times, said, "Bonta’s top contenders include the California Republican Party-endorsed candidate Nathan Hochman, a former assistant U.S. attorney general, and Eric Early, a Los Angeles lawyer who is running a more politically far-right campaign. Sacramento Dist. Atty. Anne Marie Schubert is seeking the office as an unaffiliated independent after she dropped her GOP registration in 2018."[3]

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) appointed Bonta on March 24, 2021. Bonta is a former Democratic member of the California General Assembly, representing District 18 from 2012 until his appointment. According to Bonta's campaign website, "As California’s Attorney General and California’s chief law officer, Bonta is the 'attorney for the people' and holds those who break the law – especially those in positions of power – accountable and wins justice for California families."[6]

Early ran for California's 28th Congressional District in 2020 and was defeated in the general election by Rep. Adam Schiff (D). In 2018, Early ran for California attorney general and was defeated in the Republican primary on June 5, 2018. Early’s career experience included working as an attorney and managing partner of Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae LLP.[7] According to his campaign website, Early "believes that there is a battle of good versus evil currently raging in our country, to the point where those who support communism and socialism remarkably now populate certain portions of our government."[8]

Hochman served as assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California and assistant attorney general of the United States Department of Justice. Hochman also worked as a defense attorney, civil litigator, and appellate counsel.[9] Hochman said his "360-degree perspective allows me to be in the best position to evaluate those who constitute true public safety threats and must be incarcerated from those who don’t pose such threats and can serve their debt to society through, for example, community service."[10]

Schubert worked as Sacramento County district attorney, supervising deputy district attorney of the Sacramento District Attorney's Office, and deputy district attorney of Contra Costa and Solano Counties. "As a real prosecutor and California’s next attorney general, I will have the constitutional authority to step in when a local district attorney isn’t doing his or her job. I believe we must stand up for crime victims and return order to the justice system," Schubert said.[11]

California's crime rate was an issue in the race, with other candidates criticizing Bonta's record as attorney general. Early said Bonta had implemented "criminal loving policies that have left us in this criminal’s paradise."[4]

Hochman said there was "a spiral of lawlessness going on in our society" and Bonta was "not enforcing the laws that are on the books."[4]

Schubert said that the "policies that we’re seeing championed by our legislature, our Attorney General, our prosecutors in Los Angeles and San Francisco counties are tsunamis of poor public policies that are in fact endangering."[4]

Responding to this criticism, Bonta said, “Public safety is, and has been, job No. 1, 2 and 3. I’m fully aware that in politics people like to take political shots that are not based on the facts.”[4]

At the time of the election, Democrats occupied the office of attorney general in California since 1999. Xavier Becerra (D) occupied the office before Bonta, serving from 2019 to 2021, when he was confirmed as U.S. secretary of health and human services.

Anne Marie Schubert (Independent) completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. To read those survey responses, click here.

Incumbent Rob Bonta and Nathan Hochman advanced from the primary for Attorney General of California.

This page focuses on California's top-two attorney general primary. For more in-depth information on California's attorney general general election, see the following page:

HOTP-Side-Ad-Both-Small.png

Candidates and election results

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Attorney General of California

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Rob Bonta
Rob Bonta (D)
 
54.3
 
3,756,486
Image of Nathan Hochman
Nathan Hochman (R)
 
18.2
 
1,256,465
Image of Eric Early
Eric Early (R)
 
16.5
 
1,142,747
Image of Anne Marie Schubert
Anne Marie Schubert (Independent) Candidate Connection
 
7.8
 
539,746
Image of Daniel Kapelovitz
Daniel Kapelovitz (G)
 
3.2
 
219,912

Total votes: 6,915,356
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.

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Candidate comparison

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/AnneMarieSchubert.jpg

Anne Marie Schubert (Independent)

California needs a real prosecutor to be Attorney General. That's me. I've worked for 30 years as a District Attorney, dedicating my life to keeping our communities safe. I'm not a politician - the politicians have given us this mess - I'm a prosecutor. I will bring accountability back to our criminal justice system.

My passion for justice led me to be a national leader in pioneering the innovative use of DNA to solve crimes. That's how I led my office to identify and convict the Golden State Killer. Now, I want to bring that same passion to stop the chaos of crime and homelessness that infects communities throughout our state. Crime and drug use are rampant in the homeless population, and career politicians have failed to fix this crisis. We must compassionately ensure that the homeless are provided mental health services and drug rehabilitation, but also demand accountability from anyone who commits a crime.

I will reverse the Attorney General Office's policy of supporting early prison release for violent perpetrators of hate crimes, sex crimes, human trafficking, domestic violence and gun crimes. Due to this, and my other priorities, the men and women of law enforcement overwhelmingly support me as their choice for Attorney General. They know I will relentlessly work for you to Stop the Chaos. I'd be honored to have your vote.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/AnneMarieSchubert.jpg

Anne Marie Schubert (Independent)

As Attorney General, there are critical needs for effective law enforcement:

1. We must tackle rising violent crime by dedicating adequate resources to investigate and aggressively prosecute these criminals. 2. We must take illegal guns off the streets and out of the hands of felons and prohibited persons. This requires sufficient resources for law enforcement to proactively investigate these crimes. It also requires that we change the law to stop giving back guns to those who commit certain gun crimes such as bringing a gun to school or the state capitol. 3. We must amend California law to protect Californians from the early release of violent criminals. Under current law, felony domestic violence, drugging and raping an unconsious person, human trafficking of a child, and assault with a deadly weapon are NOT classified as “violent” crimes. As a result, these criminals are getting out early from prison after serving only a fraction of the sentence given by a judge.

4. We must end “zero bail” policies that fail to consider public safety and victims’ rights when letting dangerous people out of custody.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/AnneMarieSchubert.jpg

Anne Marie Schubert (Independent)

Public safety. Public safety is not a partisan issue and politics should never play a role in public safety. In my 31 years as a prosecutor, I have never allowed partisan politics to play a role in making any decisions on how we prosecute a crime. I am a strong advocate for victims’ rights and accountability.

Public safety is in chaos in California. As a result of a tsunami of bad public policies, bad laws and officials who won’t enforce good laws, we have rising violent crime, rampant theft, homelessness and drug addiction everywhere in California.

As the next Attorney General, I will lead this state back to good laws, strong public safety policies and accountability for those who commit crime.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/AnneMarieSchubert.jpg

Anne Marie Schubert (Independent)

Yes. Californians deserve an experienced prosecutor to be the chief law enforcement officer of the state.

I have spent over 30 years as a prosecutor in California, protecting kids from sexual predators and human trafficking, and making sure violent criminals are held accountable for their crimes. I am an international expert in DNA/Cold Case investigations and prosecutions.

My experience stands in contrast to recently appointed Attorney General Rob Bonta, a career politician who was appointed to the job with no experience in public safety or as a prosecutor.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/AnneMarieSchubert.jpg

Anne Marie Schubert (Independent)

July 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon. I was 5 years old. My siblings and I watched it on our family's black and white television. Amazing memory.


Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Image of Rob Bonta

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: 

Biography:  Bonta received a bachelor's degree in history from Yale College and a law degree from Yale Law School. Bonta's career experience includes working as a deputy city attorney in the San Francisco City Attorney's Office.



Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.


Bonta emphasized his experience as attorney general, saying, "Just one year into this office, I think the California Department of Justice’s track record speaks for itself. We are fighting everyday to keep Californians safe and protect their rights."


Bonta said "[s]afeguarding the health of communities and our natural resources" would be one of his top prioririties as attorney general. 


Bonta said, "At a moment when so many Californians feel like their constitutional rights — from the right to choose to LGBTQ self-expression and the right to privacy — are under attack by far-right forces nationally, California’s Department of Justice is aggressively defending those rights in court and fighting back against the extreme forces trying to overturn 60-plus years of jurisprudence."


Show sources

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Attorney General of California in 2022.

Image of Eric Early

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  Eric Early earned a B.F.A. degree from New York University in 1981 and a law degree from Southwestern Law School in 1993. Early’s career experience includes working as an attorney and managing partner of Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae LLP.



Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.


Early said he does not consider himself to be a politician: "I am the only person in California’s Attorney General race who has never been paid by a government paycheck, and the only person in the race who owns and runs a business — a great nationally recognized law firm that has helped scores of people against fraudsters who have tried to take their homes, as well as businesses big and small."


Early said he "supports law enforcement and wants a California with low crime, good schools, thriving businesses, secure borders, fair elections, a strong Second Amendment, and government overregulation out of our lives."


Early said "California is overpriced, schools are failing and our neighborhoods have become dangerous" because "professional politicians leading our State are taking us in the wrong direction."


Show sources

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Attorney General of California in 2022.

Image of Nathan Hochman

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

  • Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice (2008)
  • Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California (1990-1997)

Biography:  Hochman received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University and a Juris Doctor degree at Stanford Law School. Hochman's career experience includes working as a defense attorney, civil litigator, and appellate counsel.



Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.


Hochman emphasized his legal experience, saying, "I’ve been on all sides of the courtroom. I was a judge’s clerk, a prosecutor, an assistant U.S. attorney general, a defense attorney, a civil litigator, an appellate lawyer and a victims’ rights advocate."


Hochman said his "360-degree perspective allows me to be in the best position to evaluate those who constitute true public safety threats and must be incarcerated from those who don’t pose such threats and can serve their debt to society through, for example, community service."


Hochman said the state's current policies have "led to a 'spiral of lawlessness' in our communities, where criminals know their actions go unpunished and double down on their behavior because they know they will get away with it."


Show sources

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Attorney General of California in 2022.

Image of Anne Marie Schubert

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Independent

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography "I am the Elected District Attorney of Sacramento County with 31 years experience as a career prosecutor. I am proud to be an internationally recognized law enforcement leader; famous for my successful prosecutions in cases such as the Golden State Killer, the Second Story Rapist, Californian unemployment fraud (EDD), and other well-known criminal cases."


Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.


California needs a real prosecutor to be Attorney General. That's me. I've worked for 30 years as a District Attorney, dedicating my life to keeping our communities safe. I'm not a politician - the politicians have given us this mess - I'm a prosecutor. I will bring accountability back to our criminal justice system.


My passion for justice led me to be a national leader in pioneering the innovative use of DNA to solve crimes. That's how I led my office to identify and convict the Golden State Killer. Now, I want to bring that same passion to stop the chaos of crime and homelessness that infects communities throughout our state. Crime and drug use are rampant in the homeless population, and career politicians have failed to fix this crisis. We must compassionately ensure that the homeless are provided mental health services and drug rehabilitation, but also demand accountability from anyone who commits a crime.


I will reverse the Attorney General Office's policy of supporting early prison release for violent perpetrators of hate crimes, sex crimes, human trafficking, domestic violence and gun crimes. Due to this, and my other priorities, the men and women of law enforcement overwhelmingly support me as their choice for Attorney General. They know I will relentlessly work for you to Stop the Chaos. I'd be honored to have your vote.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Attorney General of California in 2022.

Campaign advertisements

Democratic Party Rob Bonta

Have a link to Rob Bonta's campaign ads on YouTube? Email us.


Republican Party Eric Early

June 28, 2021
June 28, 2021
June 28, 2021

View more ads here:


Republican Party Nathan Hochman

May 13, 2022
May 8, 2022
April 20, 2022

View more ads here:


Green Party Daniel Kapelovitz

Have a link to Daniel Kapelovitz's campaign ads on YouTube? Email us.


Independent Anne Marie Schubert

April 25, 2022
April 6, 2022
November 5, 2021

View more ads here:


News and conflicts in this primary

This race was featured in The Heart of the Primaries, a newsletter capturing stories related to conflicts within each major party. Click here to read more about conflict in this and other 2022 attorney general primaries. Click here to subscribe to the newsletter.

Endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

Click the links below to see official endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites for any candidates that make that information available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.

Election competitiveness

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.


Election spending

Campaign finance

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
  • Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
  • State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
  • Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.

Presidential elections

See also: Presidential voting trends in California and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for California, 2022
District Incumbent Party PVI
California's 1st Doug LaMalfa Ends.png Republican R+12
California's 2nd Jared Huffman Electiondot.png Democratic D+23
California's 3rd Open Ends.png Republican R+4
California's 4th Mike Thompson Electiondot.png Democratic D+17
California's 5th Tom McClintock Ends.png Republican R+9
California's 6th Ami Bera Electiondot.png Democratic D+7
California's 7th Doris Matsui Electiondot.png Democratic D+17
California's 8th John Garamendi Electiondot.png Democratic D+26
California's 9th Josh Harder Electiondot.png Democratic D+5
California's 10th Mark DeSaulnier Electiondot.png Democratic D+18
California's 11th Nancy Pelosi Electiondot.png Democratic D+37
California's 12th Barbara Lee Electiondot.png Democratic D+40
California's 13th Open Electiondot.png Democratic D+4
California's 14th Eric Swalwell Electiondot.png Democratic D+22
California's 15th Open Electiondot.png Democratic D+28
California's 16th Anna Eshoo Electiondot.png Democratic D+26
California's 17th Ro Khanna Electiondot.png Democratic D+23
California's 18th Zoe Lofgren Electiondot.png Democratic D+21
California's 19th Jimmy Panetta Electiondot.png Democratic D+18
California's 20th Kevin McCarthy Ends.png Republican R+16
California's 21st Jim Costa Electiondot.png Democratic D+9
California's 22nd David Valadao Ends.png Republican D+5
California's 23rd Jay Obernolte Ends.png Republican R+8
California's 24th Salud Carbajal Electiondot.png Democratic D+13
California's 25th Raul Ruiz Electiondot.png Democratic D+6
California's 26th Julia Brownley Electiondot.png Democratic D+8
California's 27th Mike Garcia Ends.png Republican D+4
California's 28th Judy Chu Electiondot.png Democratic D+16
California's 29th Tony Cardenas Electiondot.png Democratic D+26
California's 30th Adam Schiff Electiondot.png Democratic D+23
California's 31st Grace Napolitano Electiondot.png Democratic D+15
California's 32nd Brad Sherman Electiondot.png Democratic D+20
California's 33rd Pete Aguilar Electiondot.png Democratic D+12
California's 34th Jimmy Gomez Electiondot.png Democratic D+32
California's 35th Norma Torres Electiondot.png Democratic D+13
California's 36th Ted Lieu Electiondot.png Democratic D+21
California's 37th Open Electiondot.png Democratic D+37
California's 38th Linda Sanchez Electiondot.png Democratic D+14
California's 39th Mark Takano Electiondot.png Democratic D+12
California's 40th Young Kim Ends.png Republican R+2
California's 41st Ken Calvert Ends.png Republican R+3
California's 42nd Open Electiondot.png Democratic D+22
California's 43rd Maxine Waters Electiondot.png Democratic D+32
California's 44th Nanette Barragan Electiondot.png Democratic D+24
California's 45th Michelle Steel Ends.png Republican D+2
California's 46th Lou Correa Electiondot.png Democratic D+15
California's 47th Katie Porter Electiondot.png Democratic D+3
California's 48th Darrell Issa Ends.png Republican R+9
California's 49th Mike Levin Electiondot.png Democratic D+3
California's 50th Scott Peters Electiondot.png Democratic D+14
California's 51st Sara Jacobs Electiondot.png Democratic D+12
California's 52nd Juan Vargas Electiondot.png Democratic D+18


2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, California[12]
District Joe Biden Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
California's 1st 39.2% 58.3%
California's 2nd 73.5% 24.0%
California's 3rd 47.9% 49.7%
California's 4th 67.1% 30.5%
California's 5th 42.7% 55.0%
California's 6th 57.9% 39.4%
California's 7th 67.4% 30.3%
California's 8th 76.0% 22.0%
California's 9th 55.2% 42.6%
California's 10th 68.6% 29.3%
California's 11th 86.3% 11.7%
California's 12th 89.3% 8.6%
California's 13th 54.3% 43.4%
California's 14th 71.7% 26.2%
California's 15th 77.7% 20.4%
California's 16th 75.4% 22.4%
California's 17th 72.7% 25.3%
California's 18th 71.0% 26.9%
California's 19th 68.7% 29.1%
California's 20th 36.4% 61.3%
California's 21st 59.1% 38.8%
California's 22nd 55.3% 42.3%
California's 23rd 43.9% 53.7%
California's 24th 63.3% 34.3%
California's 25th 56.7% 41.4%
California's 26th 58.9% 39.0%
California's 27th 55.1% 42.7%
California's 28th 66.1% 31.9%
California's 29th 74.5% 23.2%
California's 30th 72.2% 26.0%
California's 31st 64.5% 33.4%
California's 32nd 69.5% 28.7%
California's 33rd 61.5% 36.2%
California's 34th 81.0% 16.7%
California's 35th 62.7% 35.1%
California's 36th 71.0% 26.9%
California's 37th 85.7% 12.4%
California's 38th 64.1% 33.9%
California's 39th 62.0% 35.8%
California's 40th 49.9% 48.0%
California's 41st 48.6% 49.7%
California's 42nd 71.7% 25.9%
California's 43rd 80.8% 17.0%
California's 44th 72.9% 24.7%
California's 45th 52.1% 46.0%
California's 46th 64.1% 33.7%
California's 47th 54.5% 43.4%
California's 48th 42.7% 55.0%
California's 49th 54.6% 43.2%
California's 50th 65.4% 32.2%
California's 51st 62.5% 35.2%
California's 52nd 67.4% 30.5%


2012-2020

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:


Following the 2020 presidential election, 83.3% of Californians lived in one of the state's 31 Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 8.3% lived in one of two Trending Democratic counties: Nevada and Orange. Overall, California was Solid Democratic, having voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2012, Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016, and Joe Biden (D) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in California following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Historical voting trends

California presidential election results (1900-2020)

  • 15 Democratic wins
  • 15 Republican wins
  • 1 other win
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020
Winning Party R R R P[13] D R R R D D D D D R R R D R R R R R R D D D D D D D D

Statewide elections

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from California

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in California.

U.S. Senate election results in California
Race Winner Runner up
2018 54.2%Democratic Party 45.8%Republican Party
2016 61.8%Democratic Party 38.2%Democratic Party
2012 62.5%Democratic Party 37.5%Republican Party
2010 52.1%Democratic Party 42.5%Republican Party
2006 59.4%Democratic Party 35.2%Republican Party
Average 58.0 39.8

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of California

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in California.

Gubernatorial election results in California
Race Winner Runner up
2018 61.9%Democratic Party 38.1%Republican Party
2014 60.0%Democratic Party 40.0%Republican Party
2010 53.8%Democratic Party 40.9%Republican Party
2006 55.9%Republican Party 38.9%Democratic Party
2003 48.6%Republican Party 31.5%Democratic Party
Average 56.0 37.9

State partisanship

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of California's congressional delegation as of November 2022.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from California, November 2022
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 2 42 44
Republican 0 11 11
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 53 55

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in California's top four state executive offices as of November 2022.

State executive officials in California, November 2022
Office Officeholder
Governor Democratic Party Gavin Newsom
Lieutenant Governor Democratic Party Eleni Kounalakis
Secretary of State Democratic Party Shirley Weber
Attorney General Democratic Party Rob Bonta

State legislature

The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the California State Legislature as of November 2022.

California State Senate

Party As of November 2022
     Democratic Party 31
     Republican Party 9
     Vacancies 0
Total 40

California State Assembly

Party As of November 2022
     Democratic Party 60
     Republican Party 19
     Independent 1
     Vacancies 0
Total 80

Trifecta control

As of November 2022, California was a Democratic trifecta, with majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and control of the governorship. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.

California Party Control: 1992-2022
Seventeen years of 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
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
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
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

Demographics

The table below details demographic data in California and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.

Demographic Data for California
California United States
Population 39,538,223 331,449,281
Land area (sq mi) 155,857 3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White 56.1% 70.4%
Black/African American 5.7% 12.6%
Asian 14.8% 5.6%
Native American 0.8% 0.8%
Pacific Islander 0.4% 0.2%
Other (single race) 14.3% 5.1%
Multiple 7.9% 5.2%
Hispanic/Latino 39.1% 18.2%
Education
High school graduation rate 83.9% 88.5%
College graduation rate 34.7% 32.9%
Income
Median household income $78,672 $64,994
Persons below poverty level 12.6% 12.8%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020).
**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.


2022 battleground elections

See also: Battlegrounds

This election was a battleground race. Other 2022 battleground elections included:

See also

California State Executive Elections News and Analysis
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California State Executive Offices
California State Legislature
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California elections: 2025202420232022202120202019201820172016
Party control of state government
State government trifectas
State of the state addresses
Partisan composition of governors

External links

Footnotes