United States Senate election in California, 2024

	← 2022
U.S. Senate, California
	Top-two primary; General election
Election details
	Filing deadline: December 8, 2023
	Primary: March 5, 2024; General: November 5, 2024; Pre-election incumbent:; Laphonza Butler (D)
How to vote
	Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Voting in California
Race ratings
	Cook Political Report: Solid Democratic; DDHQ and The Hill: Safe Democratic; Inside Elections: Solid Democratic; Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
	U.S. Senate battlegrounds; U.S. House battlegrounds; Federal and state primary competitiveness; Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
See also
	U.S. Senate, California; U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th • 15th • 16th • 17th • 18th • 19th • 20th • 21st • 22nd • 23rd • 24th • 25th • 26th • 27th • 28th • 29th • 30th • 31st • 32nd • 33rd • 34th • 35th • 36th • 37th • 38th • 39th • 40th • 41st • 42nd • 43rd • 44th • 45th • 46th • 47th • 48th • 49th • 50th • 51st • 52nd ; California elections, 2024; U.S. Congress elections, 2024; U.S. Senate elections, 2024; U.S. House elections, 2024; Arizona U.S. Senate raceCalifornia U.S. Senate raceConnecticut U.S. Senate raceDelaware U.S. Senate raceFlorida U.S. Senate raceHawaii U.S. Senate raceIndiana U.S. Senate raceMaine U.S. Senate raceMaryland U.S. Senate raceMassachusetts U.S. Senate raceMichigan U.S. Senate raceMinnesota U.S. Senate raceMississippi U.S. Senate raceMissouri U.S. Senate raceMontana U.S. Senate raceNebraska U.S. Senate raceNevada U.S. Senate raceNew Jersey U.S. Senate raceNew Mexico U.S. Senate raceNew York U.S. Senate raceNorth Dakota U.S. Senate raceOhio U.S. Senate racePennsylvania U.S. Senate raceRhode Island U.S. Senate raceTennessee U.S. Senate raceTexas U.S. Senate raceUtah U.S. Senate raceVermont U.S. Senate raceVirginia U.S. Senate raceWashington U.S. Senate raceWest Virginia U.S. Senate raceWisconsin U.S. Senate raceWyoming U.S. Senate raceSubmit

California 2024 elections

U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Congressional special elections • State Senate • State Assembly • State ballot measures • Local ballot measures • School boards • Municipal • Recalls • All other local • How to run for office

This page contains information on the regular 2024 election. For information on the special 2024 election, see this article.

Adam Schiff (D) defeated Steve Garvey (R) in the general election for the U.S. Senate in California on November 5, 2024. Click here for detailed results.

Sen. Laphonza Butler (D), who was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) after Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) died on September 29, 2023, did not run for re-election.

Schiff was a state senator from 1996 to 2000 and had served in the U.S. House since 2001. Schiff ran on his record in Congress, citing his role as impeachment manager in former President Donald Trump's (R) impeachment, his efforts to lower prescription drug costs, and to build affordable housing.^[1] In a campaign ad, Schiff called Garvey "too conservative for California."^[2] Politico's Christopher Cadelago and Melanie Mason said the ad against Garvey was "a clear signal to the state’s GOP voters to back him" in the primary and that Garvey was Schiff's preferred general election opponent.^[3]

Garvey, who played professional baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres, presented himself as a centrist candidate, writing on X in June 2024, "From day one I’ve said I never played for Republicans, Democrats, or Independents—I played for all the fans."^[4]^[5] Garvey campaign adviser Matt Shupe said, "It's not like we're avoiding the Republican brand. It's that we are having Steve Garvey be defined by Steve Garvey and nobody else."^[6] Garvey said he was running a common sense campaign and that Schiff "used his position on the House Intelligence Committee to lie to the American people" about ties between Trump and Russia.^[7]^[8] Garvey's campaign said it was "focused on quality-of-life issues, public safety, and education."^[9]

In an October 8, 2024, debate, Schiff said voters were "not looking for some MAGA mini-me in a baseball uniform."^[10] Garvey said, "How can you think about one man every day and focus on that when you’ve got millions of people in California to take care of?"^[10]

As of October 30, 2024, four major election forecasters each rated the general election Solid/Safe Democratic.

As of November 25, 2024, Schiff raised $48 million and spent $62 million, and Garvey raised and spent $20 million. To review all the campaign finance figures in full detail, click here.

The second-quarter reports showed Garvey outraised Schiff for the first time in the race. Pollster Angie Friedman told the California Globe in July 2024, "It may be a simple outraising of funds, but that is also still a victory." Friedman added, "Not many recent GOP Senate candidates in California can claim that."^[11]

Heading into the election, Republicans had not won a statewide race since 2006.^[12] As of February 2024, 47% of registered voters in California were Democratic, 24% were Republican, and the remainder were registered with a minor party or had no party preference.^[13]

The outcome of this race affected the partisan balance of the U.S. Senate in the 119th Congress. Thirty-four of 100 seats were up for election, including one special election. Of the seats up for election in 2024, Democrats held 19, Republicans held 11, and independents held four.

At the time of the election, Democrats had a 50-49 majority.^[14] As a result of the election, Republicans gained a 53-47 majority in the U.S. Senate.Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag To read more about the 2024 U.S. Senate elections, click here.

Election news

This section includes a timeline of events leading up to the election.

Election news (Apr.-Nov. 2024)
- October 16, 2024: Emerson College Polling/The Hill released a poll of 1,000 respondents showing Schiff at 56% and Garvey at 33%. The margin of error was ± 3.5 percentage points.^[15]
- October 11, 2024: Berkeley IGS released a poll of 3,045 respondents showing Schiff at 53% and Garvey at 36%. The margin of error was ± 2.5 percentage points.^[16]
- September 25, 2024: Center for Urban Politics and Policy at CSU Long Beach, University of Southern California, and Cal Poly Pomona released a poll of 1,685 respondents showing Schiff at 57% and Garvey at 37%. The margin of error was ± 2.4 percentage points.^[17]
- September 21, 2024: ActiVote released a poll of 400 respondents showing Schiff at 63% and Garvey at 37%. The margin of error was ± 4.9 percentage points.^[18]
- September 18, 2024: Public Policy Institute of California released a poll of 1,071 respondents showing Schiff at 63% and Garvey at 35%. The margin of error was ± 3.7 percentage points.^[19]
- September 6, 2024: Emerson College Polling/The Hill released a poll of 815 respondents showing Schiff at 55% and Garvey at 33%. The margin of error was ± 3.4 percentage points.^[20]
- August 15, 2024: Berkeley IGS released a poll of 3,765 respondents showing Schiff at 53% and Garvey at 33%. The margin of error was ± 2.0 percentage points.^[21]
- August 12, 2024: ActiVote released a poll of 400 respondents showing Schiff at 66% and Garvey at 34%. The margin of error was ± 4.9 percentage points.^[22]
- July 18, 2024: Public Policy Institute of California released a poll of 1,261 respondents showing Schiff at 64%, Garvey at 33%, and 2% undecided. The margin of error was ± 3.7 percentage points.^[23]
- June 13, 2024: Public Policy Institute of California released a poll of 1,095 respondents showing Schiff at 62%, Garvey at 37%, and 1% undecided. The margin of error was ± 3.7 percentage points.^[24]
- April 10, 2024 : Public Policy Institute of California released a poll of 1,089 respondents showing Schiff at 61%, Garvey at 37%, and 2% undecided. The margin of error was ± 3.9 percentage points.^[25]

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. Senate California

Adam Schiff defeated Steve Garvey in the general election for U.S. Senate California on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Adam Schiff (D)	58.9	9,036,252
	Steve Garvey (R)	41.1	6,312,594

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 15,348,846
= 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 U.S. Senate California

The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. Senate California on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Adam Schiff (D)	31.6	2,304,829
✔		Steve Garvey (R)	31.5	2,301,351
		Katie Porter (D)	15.3	1,118,429
		Barbara Lee (D)	9.8	717,129
		Eric Early (R)	3.3	242,055
		James P. Bradley (R)	1.4	98,778
		Christina Pascucci (D)	0.8	61,998
		Sharleta Bassett (R)	0.8	54,884
		Sarah Sun Liew (R)	0.5	38,718
	Submit photo	Laura Garza (No party preference)	0.5	34,529
		Jonathan Reiss (R)	0.5	34,400
		Sepi Gilani (D)	0.5	34,316
		Gail Lightfoot (L)	0.5	33,295
		Denice Gary-Pandol (R)	0.4	25,649
		James Macauley (R)	0.3	23,296
		Harmesh Kumar (D)	0.3	21,624
		David Peterson (D)	0.3	21,170
		Douglas Howard Pierce (D)	0.3	19,458
		Major Singh (No party preference)	0.2	17,092
		John Rose (D)	0.2	14,627
		Perry Pound (D)	0.2	14,195
		Raji Rab (D)	0.2	13,640
		Mark Ruzon (No party preference)	0.2	13,488
		Forrest Jones (American Independent Party of California)	0.2	13,140
	Submit photo	Stefan Simchowitz (R)	0.2	12,773
		Martin Veprauskas (R)	0.1	9,795
		Don Grundmann (No party preference)	0.1	6,641
		Michael Dilger (No party preference) (Write-in)	0.0	7
		Carlos Guillermo Tapia (R) (Write-in)	0.0	5
	Submit photo	John Dowell (No party preference) (Write-in)	0.0	3
		Danny Fabricant (R) (Write-in)	0.0	3

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,301,317
= 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

Lexi Reese (D)
Alexander Norbash (D)
Renee Martinez (No party preference)
Dominick Dorothy (D)
Joshua Bocanegra (D)
Barack Obama Mandela (R)
Joe Sosinski (No party preference)
James Shuster (R)
Rommell Montenegro (D)
Zakaria Kortam (R)
John Pappenheim (R)
Jacob Farmos (D)
Roxanne Lawler (R)
Jessica Resendez (D)
Jeremy Fennell (D)
Carson Franklin Jr. (D)
Fepbrina Keivaulqe Autiameineire (Vienmerisce Veittemeignzce USA)
Paul Anderson (G)
Peter Liu (R)
Dana Bobbitt (No party preference)
Zafar Inam (D)
Jehu Hand (R)
Eduardo Berdugo (No party preference)
Frank Ferreira (No party preference)

Voting information

See also: Voting in California

Election information in California: Nov. 5, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

In-person: Nov. 5, 2024
By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 21, 2024
Online: Oct. 21, 2024

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

Yes

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

In-person: N/A
By mail: N/A by N/A
Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

In-person: Nov. 5, 2024
By mail: Postmarked by Nov. 5, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Varies to Nov. 4, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (PST)

Candidate comparison

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.

Adam Schiff

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office:

United States House of Representatives (Assumed office: 2001)
California State Senate - District 21 (1996-2000)

Biography: Schiff received a B.A. from Stanford University in 1982 and a J.D. from Harvard University in 1985. He worked as a prosecutor with the Office of the United States Attorney for the Central District of California.

Key Messages

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

Schiff said he was "best known for his work to protect our democracy," and cited his roles as lead manager of the first impeachment trial of Donald Trump, member of the January 6th Committee, and lead author of The Protecting our Democracy Act.

Speaking on climate change, Schiff said he was an original co-sponsor of the Green New Deal, which "is not just a bold plan for climate action, it is also an urgent call to invest in growing a modern, green economy that is equitable and just for all."

Schiff listed improving the economy as a campaign priority and highlighted previous successes: "In 2021, we passed the American Rescue Plan Act which increased the monthly Child Tax Credit up to $300 per child per month, expanded health care coverage, extended unemployment insurance, and so much more. And most noteworthy, Democrats passed this $1.9 trillion rescue legislation without a single Republican vote."

Show sources

Sources: Adam Schiff For Senate, "About," accessed December 5, 2023; Adam Schiff For Senate, "Combating The Climate Crisis," accessed December 5, 2023, Adam Schiff For Senate, "Our Economy," accessed December 5, 2023; Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "Schiff, Adam," accessed December 5, 2023

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. Senate California in 2024.

Steve Garvey

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography: Garvey was a first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres from 1969 to 1987. He founded Garvey Marketing Group and worked with causes such as the Special Olympics, Juvenile Diabetes, The Blind Children Center, The Sisters of Carondelet, United Way, Ronald McDonald House, St. Vincent DePaul Center, and Pediatrics AIDS.

Key Messages

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

Speaking on education, Garvey said, "A quality education is the single most powerful tool we can provide for the future generations. Unfortunately, in California, we have failed to live up to that promise ... We must empower parents and teachers who know what’s best for their children and students. ... We must provide parents with more choices, reward great teachers, and bring back important trade skills to our education system."

Garvey highlighted inflation and the effect it had on the middle class and California. He said, "For the first time in history, more people are leaving California because they can’t afford to live in our great state. This is a direct result of ... passing foolish laws and increasing taxes and fees, resulting in higher costs for our basic needs ... I will take a stand against out-of-control inflation and be a voice for the middle class and working families. ..."

Garvey said, "We need to return to common-sense policies that hold criminals accountable, protect our victims, and places the safety of our families before politics. Our police departments need to be funded, our communities need to be engaged, and we must do all we can to make sure our neighborhood and schools are safe."

Show sources

Sources: Steve Garvey For U.S. Senate, "Steve's Vision," accessed December 6, 2023; Steve Garvey For U.S. Senate, "Steve's Story," accessed December 6, 2023

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. Senate California in 2024.

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. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign ads

Adam Schiff

March 5, 2024

January 16, 2024

January 15, 2024

View more ads here:

Steve Garvey

October 10, 2023

View more ads here:

Debates and forums

If you are aware of any debates, candidate forums, or other similar events where multiple candidates in this race participated, please email us.

Election competitiveness

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

U.S. Senate election in California, 2024: General election polls
Poll	Date	Schiff	Garvey	Undecided/Other	Margin of error	Sample size^[26]	Sponsor^[27]
Emerson College Polling	Oct. 12-14, 2024	56%	33%	11%^[28]	± 3.5	1,000 LV	The Hill
University of California Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies	Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2024	53%	36%	9%^[29]	± 2.5	3,045 LV	Los Angeles Times
Center for Urban Politics and Policy, CSU Long Beach/University of Southern California/Cal Poly Pomona	Sept. 12-25, 2024	56%	37%	7%^[30]	± 2.4	1,685 LV	N/A
ActiVote	Aug. 13-Sept. 21, 2024	63%	37%	N/A	± 4.9	400 LV	N/A
Public Policy Institute of California	Aug. 29-Sept. 9, 2024	63%	35%	2%^[31]	± 3.7	1,071 LV	N/A
Emerson College	Sept. 3-5, 2024	55%	33%	13%^[32]	± 3.4	815 LV	The Hill
ActiVote	July 16-Aug. 12, 2024	66%	34%	N/A	± 4.9	400 LV	N/A
University of California Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies	July 31-Aug. 11, 2024	53%	33%	14%^[33]	± 2.0	3,765 LV	Los Angeles Times
Public Policy Institute of California	June 24-July 2, 2024	64%	33%	2%^[34]	± 3.7	1,261 LV	N/A
Public Policy Institute of California	May 23-June 2, 2024	62%	37%	1%^[35]	± 3.7	1,095 LV	N/A
Public Policy Institute of California	Mar. 19-25, 2024	61%	37%	2%^[36]	± 3.9	1,089 LV	N/A

Click [show] to see older poll results
Poll	Date	Schiff	Garvey	Undecided/Other	Margin of error	Sample size^[37]	Sponsor^[38]
Emerson College	Feb. 24-27, 2024	32%	22%	17%^[39]	± 3	1,000 LV	The Hill, Inside California Politics
University of California Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies	Feb. 22-27, 2024	25%	27%	9%^[40]	± 2	3,304 LV	Los Angeles Times
Emerson College	Feb. 16-18, 2024	28%	22%	17%^[41]	± 3	935 LV	The Hill, Inside California Politics
Public Policy Institute of California	Feb. 6-13, 2024	24%	18%	17%^[42]	± 3	1,000 LV	N/A

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.^[43]
Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.^[44]^[45]^[46]

Race ratings: U.S. Senate election in California, 2024
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 5, 2024	October 29, 2024	October 22, 2024	October 15, 2024
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic
Decision Desk HQ and The Hill	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Noteworthy endorsements

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

Adam Schiff

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. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please email us.

Noteworthy endorsements
Endorser	Adam Schiff	Steve Garvey
Government officials
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D) ^source	✔
U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D) ^source	✔
U.S. Rep. Katie Porter (D) ^source	✔
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) ^source	✔
Organizations
Association of Flight Attendants ^source	✔
California GOP ^source		✔
End Citizens United ^source	✔
Jewish Democratic Council of America ^source	✔
Planned Parenthood Action Fund ^source	✔
Reproductive Freedom For All ^source	✔
Other
San Diego County Democratic Party ^source	✔

Election spending

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Sepi Gilani	Democratic Party	$13,764	$11,559	$2,205	As of December 31, 2024
Harmesh Kumar	Democratic Party	$16,528	$12,845	$3,418	As of September 30, 2023
Barbara Lee	Democratic Party	$5,809,488	$5,760,696	$48,792	As of December 31, 2024
Christina Pascucci	Democratic Party	$456,535	$456,535	$0	As of March 28, 2024
David Peterson	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Douglas Howard Pierce	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Katie Porter	Democratic Party	$32,527,821	$31,114,157	$1,413,664	As of December 31, 2024
Perry Pound	Democratic Party	$34,129	$34,129	$0	As of December 31, 2024
Raji Rab	Democratic Party	$20,900	$21,275	$-375	As of December 31, 2024
John Rose	Democratic Party	$6,318	$6,193	$125	As of December 31, 2024
Adam Schiff	Democratic Party	$48,145,897	$62,787,830	$6,381,027	As of December 31, 2024
Sharleta Bassett	Republican Party	$23,079	$23,079	$0	As of April 19, 2024
James P. Bradley	Republican Party	$196,983	$180,015	$17,052	As of December 31, 2024
Eric Early	Republican Party	$904,179	$902,114	$2,065	As of December 31, 2024
Danny Fabricant	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Steve Garvey	Republican Party	$20,356,133	$19,775,164	$580,969	As of December 31, 2024
Denice Gary-Pandol	Republican Party	$129,409	$128,953	$456	As of December 31, 2024
Sarah Sun Liew	Republican Party	$48,420	$30,978	$241	As of September 30, 2024
James Macauley	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Jonathan Reiss	Republican Party	$14,156	$15,576	$39	As of December 31, 2024
Stefan Simchowitz	Republican Party	$8,524	$8,524	$0	As of March 12, 2024
Carlos Guillermo Tapia	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Martin Veprauskas	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Forrest Jones	American Independent Party of California	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Gail Lightfoot	Libertarian Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Michael Dilger	No party preference	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
John Dowell	No party preference	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Laura Garza	No party preference	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Don Grundmann	No party preference	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Mark Ruzon	No party preference	$25,489	$25,489	$0	As of March 31, 2024
Major Singh	No party preference	$4,201	$4,943	$514	As of December 31, 2024
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2024. 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. * Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

As of Oct. 28, 2024, the two major party candidates had the fourth largest difference in terms of total money raised between major party Senate candidates and the largest difference in terms of total spending. Click here to learn more.

Satellite spending

See also: Satellite spending

Satellite 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.^[47]^[48]

If available, satellite spending reports by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and OpenSecrets.org are linked below. FEC links include totals from monthly, quarterly, and semi-annual reports. OpenSecrets.org compiles data from those reports as well as 24- and 48-hour reports from the FEC.^[49]

Details about satellite spending of significant amounts and/or reported by media are included below those links. The amounts listed may not represent the total satellite spending in the election. To notify us of additional satellite spending, email us.

By candidate	By election
Adam Schiff Steve Garvey	Open Secrets Federal Election Commission

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

Statewide elections
State partisanship

Demographics

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, 2024
District	Incumbent	Party	PVI
California's 1st	Doug LaMalfa	Republican	R+12
California's 2nd	Jared Huffman	Democratic	D+23
California's 3rd	Kevin Kiley	Republican	R+4
California's 4th	Mike Thompson	Democratic	D+17
California's 5th	Tom McClintock	Republican	R+9
California's 6th	Ami Bera	Democratic	D+7
California's 7th	Doris Matsui	Democratic	D+17
California's 8th	John Garamendi	Democratic	D+26
California's 9th	Josh Harder	Democratic	D+5
California's 10th	Mark DeSaulnier	Democratic	D+18
California's 11th	Nancy Pelosi	Democratic	D+37
California's 12th	Barbara Lee	Democratic	D+40
California's 13th	John Duarte	Republican	D+4
California's 14th	Eric Swalwell	Democratic	D+22
California's 15th	Kevin Mullin	Democratic	D+28
California's 16th	Anna Eshoo	Democratic	D+26
California's 17th	Ro Khanna	Democratic	D+23
California's 18th	Zoe Lofgren	Democratic	D+21
California's 19th	Jimmy Panetta	Democratic	D+18
California's 20th	Vince Fong	Republican	R+16
California's 21st	Jim Costa	Democratic	D+9
California's 22nd	David Valadao	Republican	D+5
California's 23rd	Jay Obernolte	Republican	R+8
California's 24th	Salud Carbajal	Democratic	D+13
California's 25th	Raul Ruiz	Democratic	D+6
California's 26th	Julia Brownley	Democratic	D+8
California's 27th	Mike Garcia	Republican	D+4
California's 28th	Judy Chu	Democratic	D+16
California's 29th	Tony Cardenas	Democratic	D+26
California's 30th	Adam Schiff	Democratic	D+23
California's 31st	Grace Napolitano	Democratic	D+15
California's 32nd	Brad Sherman	Democratic	D+20
California's 33rd	Pete Aguilar	Democratic	D+12
California's 34th	Jimmy Gomez	Democratic	D+32
California's 35th	Norma Torres	Democratic	D+13
California's 36th	Ted Lieu	Democratic	D+21
California's 37th	Sydney Kamlager	Democratic	D+37
California's 38th	Linda Sanchez	Democratic	D+14
California's 39th	Mark Takano	Democratic	D+12
California's 40th	Young Kim	Republican	R+2
California's 41st	Ken Calvert	Republican	R+3
California's 42nd	Robert Garcia	Democratic	D+22
California's 43rd	Maxine Waters	Democratic	D+32
California's 44th	Nanette Barragan	Democratic	D+24
California's 45th	Michelle Steel	Republican	D+2
California's 46th	Lou Correa	Democratic	D+15
California's 47th	Katie Porter	Democratic	D+3
California's 48th	Darrell Issa	Republican	R+9
California's 49th	Mike Levin	Democratic	D+3
California's 50th	Scott Peters	Democratic	D+14
California's 51st	Sara Jacobs	Democratic	D+12
California's 52nd	Juan Vargas	Democratic	D+18

2020 presidential results by 2024 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2024 district lines, California^[50]
District	Joe Biden	Donald Trump
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:

County-level voting pattern categories
Democratic
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Democratic	D	D	D
Trending Democratic	R	D	D
Battleground Democratic	D	R	D
New Democratic	R	R	D
Republican
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Republican	R	R	R
Trending Republican	D	R	R
Battleground Republican	R	D	R
New Republican	D	D	R

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.

California county-level statistics, 2020
Solid Democratic	31	83.3%
Trending Democratic	2	8.3%
Solid Republican	23	7.8%
New Democratic	2	0.6%
Total voted Democratic	35	92.2%
Total voted Republican	23	7.8%

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^[51]	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

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
2022	61.1%	38.9%
2018	54.2%	45.8%
2016	61.8%	38.2%
2012	62.5%	37.5%
2010	52.1%	42.5%
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
2022	59.2%	40.8%
2018	61.9%	38.1%
2014	60.0%	40.0%
2010	53.8%	40.9%
2006	55.9%	38.9%
Average	56.0	37.9

See also: Party control of California state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of California's congressional delegation as of May 2024.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from California
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	2	43	45
Republican	0	9	9
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	52	54

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in California's top four state executive offices as of May 2024.

State executive officials in California, May 2024
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Gavin Newsom
Lieutenant Governor	Eleni Kounalakis
Secretary of State	Shirley Weber
Attorney General	Rob Bonta

State legislature

California State Senate

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	32
	Republican Party	8
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		40

California State Assembly

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	62
	Republican Party	18
	Independent	1
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		80

Trifecta control

The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.

California Party Control: 1992-2024
Nineteen 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	23	24
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
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
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

The table below details demographic data in California and compares it to the broader United States as of 2022.

Demographic Data for California
	California	United States
Population	39,538,223	331,449,281
Land area (sq mi)	155,858	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White	48.1%	65.9%
Black/African American	5.6%	12.5%
Asian	15.1%	5.8%
Native American	1%	0.8%
Pacific Islander	0.4%	0.2%
Other (single race)	16.2%	6%
Multiple	13.5%	8.8%
Hispanic/Latino	39.7%	18.7%
Education
High school graduation rate	84.4%	89.1%
College graduation rate	35.9%	34.3%
Income
Median household income	$91,905	$75,149
Persons below poverty level	8.5%	8.8%
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 2017-2022).
**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.

Election context

Ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in California in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in California, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2024
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
California	U.S. Senate	All candidates	65-100	$3,480.00^[52]	12/8/2023	Source

California U.S. Senate election history

The section below details election results for this state's U.S. Senate elections dating back to 2016.