United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2014
The 2014 U.S. House of Representatives elections in California took place on November 4, 2014. Voters elected 53 candidates to serve in the U.S. House, one from each of the state's 53 congressional districts.
| 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.[1][2]
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).[3]
- See also: California elections, 2014
Battleground races
California was home to four battleground districts in 2014: California's 7th Congressional District, California's 21st Congressional District, California's 36th Congressional District and California's 52nd Congressional District.
District 7
California's 7th Congressional District was a battleground in 2014.[4] The district had a very slight Democratic lean.[5][6] Incumbent Ami Bera (D) won election in 2012 by only 3.4 percent, and the district was won by President Barack Obama by 5 percent or less in both 2008 and 2012. Additionally, incumbent Ami Bera was a freshman representative.
Bera won re-election. He defeated Doug Ose (R) in the general election on November 4, 2014. The race remained uncalled for over two weeks following the general election.
District 21
Our analysis pointed to California's 21st Congressional District being a battleground with a Republican incumbent that leaned Democratic.[5][6] The district was won by President Barack Obama by 11.1% in 2012 and 6% in 2008. Additionally, incumbent David Valadao (R) was a freshman representative.
Valadao won re-election, defeating Amanda Renteria (D) in the general election on November 4, 2014.
District 36
California's 36th Congressional District was a battleground in 2014. The district had very close to even numbers of Democratic and Republican voters.[5][6] The district was won by President Barack Obama by 3.2% in 2012 and 3% in 2008. Additionally, incumbent Raul Ruiz (D) was a freshman representative.
Ruiz won re-election, defeating state representative Brian Nestande (R) in the general election on November 4, 2014.
District 52
Our analysis pointed to California's 52nd Congressional District being a battleground with a slight Democratic lean.[5][6] Incumbent Scott Peters (D) won election by 2.4 percent in 2012 and was a freshman member of the U.S. House.
Peters defeated Carl DeMaio in the general election on November 4, 2014. The race remained uncalled for several days following the election. DeMaio conceded to Peters on November 9, 2014.
Partisan breakdown
Heading into the November 4 election, the Democratic Party held 38 of the 53 congressional seats from California.
| Members of the U.S. House from California -- Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2014 | After the 2014 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 38 | 39 | |
| Republican Party | 15 | 14 | |
| Total | 53 | 53 | |
Incumbents
The 53 incumbents prior to the election are listed below. Click "show" to reveal the table.
Margin of victory for winners
There were a total of 53 seats up for election in 2014 in California. The following table shows the margin of victory for each district winner, which is calculated by examining the percentage difference between the two candidates who received the most votes. If the race was uncontested, the margin of victory is listed as 100 percent.
| District | Winner | Margin of Victory | Total Vote | Top Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 1 |  Doug La Malfa |
22.1% | 216,372 | Heidi Hall |
| District 2 |  Jared Huffman |
50% | 217,524 | Dale Mensing |
| District 3 | John Garamendi |
5.4% | 150,260 | Dan Logue |
| District 4 | Tom McClintock |
20.1% | 211,134 | Art Moore |
| District 5 | Mike Thompson |
51.5% | 171,148 | James Hinton |
| District 6 | Doris Matsui |
45.4% | 133,456 | Joseph McCray, Sr. |
| District 7 | Ami Bera |
0.8% | 183,587 | Doug Ose |
| District 8 | Paul Cook |
35.3% | 114,536 | Bob Conaway |
| District 9 | Jerry McNerney |
4.7% | 121,204 | Tony Amador |
| District 10 | Jeff Denham |
12.3% | 125,705 | Michael Eggman |
| District 11 | Mark DeSaulnier |
34.5% | 174,662 | Tue Phan-Quang |
| District 12 | Nancy Pelosi |
66.5% | 192,264 | John Dennis |
| District 13 | Barbara Lee |
77% | 190,431 | Dakin Sundeen |
| District 14 | Jackie Speier |
53.4% | 149,146 | Robin Chew |
| District 15 | Eric Swalwell |
39.6% | 142,906 | Hugh Bussell |
| District 16 | Jim Costa |
1.5% | 91,220 | Johnny Tacherra |
| District 17 | Mike Honda |
3.5% | 134,408 | Ro Khanna |
| District 18 | Anna Eshoo |
35.5% | 196,386 | Richard Fox |
| District 19 | Zoe Lofgren |
34.4% | 127,788 | Robert Murray |
| District 20 | Sam Farr |
50.4% | 141,044 | Ronald Paul Kabat |
| District 21 | David Valadao |
15.7% | 79,377 | Amanda Renteria |
| District 22 | Devin Nunes |
44.1% | 133,342 | Suzanna Aguilera-Marrero |
| District 23 | Kevin McCarthy |
49.7% | 134,043 | Raul Garcia |
| District 24 | Lois Capps |
3.9% | 198,794 | Chris Mitchum |
| District 25 | Stephen Knight |
6.7% | 114,072 | Tony Strickland |
| District 26 | Julia Brownley |
2.7% | 169,829 | Jeff Gorell |
| District 27 | Judy Chu |
18.7% | 127,580 | Jack Orswell |
| District 28 | Adam Schiff |
53% | 120,264 | Steve Stokes |
| District 29 | Tony Cardenas |
49.2% | 67,141 | William Leader |
| District 30 | Brad Sherman |
31.3% | 131,883 | Mark Reed |
| District 31 | Pete Aguilar |
3.5% | 99,784 | Paul Chabot |
| District 32 | Grace Napolitano |
19.3% | 84,406 | Art Alas |
| District 33 | Ted Lieu |
18.4% | 183,031 | Elan Carr |
| District 34 | Xavier Becerra |
45.1% | 61,621 | Adrienne Nicole Edwards |
| District 35 | Norma Torres |
26.9% | 62,255 | Christina Gagnier |
| District 36 | Raul Ruiz |
8.4% | 134,139 | Brian Nestande |
| District 37 | Karen Bass |
68.6% | 114,838 | Adam King |
| District 38 | Linda Sanchez |
18.2% | 98,480 | Benjamin Campos |
| District 39 | Edward Royce |
37.1% | 133,225 | Peter Anderson |
| District 40 | Lucille Roybal-Allard |
22.4% | 49,379 | David Sanchez |
| District 41 | Mark Takano |
13.3% | 82,884 | Steve Adams |
| District 42 | Ken Calvert |
31.5% | 113,390 | Tim Sheridan |
| District 43 | Maxine Waters |
41.9% | 98,202 | John Wood |
| District 44 | Janice Hahn |
73.3% | 68,862 | Adam Shbeita |
| District 45 | Mimi Walters |
30.2% | 162,902 | Drew Leavens |
| District 46 | Loretta Sanchez |
19.4% | 83,315 | Adam Nick |
| District 47 | Alan Lowenthal |
12% | 123,400 | Andy Whallon |
| District 48 | Dana Rohrabacher |
28.2% | 174,795 | Sue Savary |
| District 49 | Darrell Issa |
20.3% | 163,142 | Dave Peiser |
| District 50 | Duncan Hunter |
42.4% | 157,299 | James Kimber |
| District 51 | Juan Vargas |
37.6% | 81,950 | Stephen Meade |
| District 52 | Scott Peters |
3.2% | 191,572 | Carl DeMaio |
| District 53 | Susan Davis |
17.7% | 148,044 | Larry Wilske |
Issues
Top-two primary system
After California implemented the top-two primary system, minor party and no party preference candidates had a harder time making it onto the ballot. In 2012, minor parties put 21 candidates on the ballot in California. For the 10 years prior to that election, they averaged a combined 133 candidates on the ballot.[7] Additionally, in the 111 elections for federal or state office in which a minor party did place a candidate on the primary ballot against at least two major party candidates in a top-two primary system, no minor party candidate placed first or second in order to move on to the general election.[8][9]
Candidates
| Candidate ballot access |
|---|
 |
| Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. |
1st Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Doug La Malfa - Incumbent
- Gregory Cheadle
- Heidi Hall
- Dan Levine
Withdrew
2nd Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Jared Huffman - Incumbent
- Andy Caffrey
- Dale Mensing
3rd Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- John Garamendi - Incumbent
- Dan Logue
Withdrew
4th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Tom McClintock - Incumbent
- Art Moore
Jeffrey Gerlach
Withdrew
5th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Mike Thompson - Incumbent
- James Hinton
- Doug Van Raam
Withdrew
6th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Doris Matsui - Incumbent
- Joseph McCray, Sr.
7th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Ami Bera - Incumbent
- Igor Birman
- Elizabeth Emken - 2012 Republican candidate for U.S. Senate[10]
- Doug Ose
Douglas Arthur Tuma- Phill Tufi
8th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Paul Cook - Incumbent
- Paul Hannosh
- Bob Conaway
- Odessia Lee
Withdrew
9th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Jerry McNerney - Incumbent
- Tony Amador
- Steve Colangelo
- Karen Mathews Davis
10th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Jeff Denham - Incumbent
- Mike Barkley
- Michael Eggman
11th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Tony Daysog
- Mark DeSaulnier - State senator
- Ki Ingersol
- Cheryl Sudduth
- Tue Phan-Quang
- Jason Ramey
12th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Nancy Pelosi - Incumbent
- David Peterson
- Michael Steger
- John Dennis
Barry Hermanson
Frank Lara- Desmond Thorsson
- Jim Welles
Withdrew
13th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Barbara Lee - Incumbent
- Justin Jelincic
- Dakin Sundeen
- Lawrence Allen
14th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Jackie Speier - Incumbent
- Robin Chew
15th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Eric Swalwell - Incumbent
- Ellen Corbett - State Senate Majority Leader
- Hugh Bussell
16th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
Withdrew
17th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Mike Honda - Incumbent
- Ro Khanna - Former U.S. Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary[13]
- Vanila Singh
- Joel Vanlandingham
Disqualified
18th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Anna Eshoo - Incumbent
- Bruce Anderson
- Oscar Alejandro Braun
- Richard Fox
Withdrew
19th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Zoe Lofgren - Incumbent
- Robert Murray
20th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Sam Farr - Incumbent
- Ronald Paul Kabat
21st Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- David Valadao - Incumbent
- Amanda Renteria[14]
- John Hernandez[15]
22nd Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Devin Nunes - Incumbent
- John Catano
- Suzanna Aguilera-Marrero
23rd Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Kevin McCarthy - Incumbent
- Raul Garcia (write-in)[17][18]
24th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Lois Capps - Incumbent
- Paul Coyne, Jr.
- Sandra Marshall
- Bradley Allen
- Justin Fareed
- Dale Francisco
- Chris Mitchum
- Alexis Stuart
- Steve Isakson
25th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Lee Rogers
- Evan Thomas
- Troy Castagna
- Stephen Knight - State Senator
- Navraj Singh
- Tony Strickland - Former state senator
- David Bruce
- Michael Mussack
Withdrew
26th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Julia Brownley - Incumbent
- Jeff Gorell - State assemblyman[20]
- Rafael Dagnesses[21]
- Douglas Kmiec
27th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Judy Chu - Incumbent
- Jack Orswell
28th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Adam Schiff - Incumbent
- Sal Genovese
- Steve Stokes
29th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Tony Cardenas - Incumbent
- Venice Gamble
- William O'Callaghan Leader
30th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Brad Sherman - Incumbent
- Marc Litchman
- Pablo Kleinman
- Mark Reed
- Mike Powelson
31st Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Pete Aguilar
- Joe Baca - Former U.S. rep
- Danny Tillman
- Eloise Gomez Reyes
- Lesli Gooch - Aide to retiring Rep. Gary Miller
- Paul Chabot
- Ryan Downing
Withdrew
32nd Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Grace Napolitano - Incumbent
- Art Alas
33rd Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Vince Flaherty
- Wendy Greuel
- Kristie Holmes
- David Kanuth
- Ted Lieu
- Matt Miller
- Barbara Mulvaney
- Zein Obagi
- Michael Shapiro
- Elan Carr
- Lily Gilani
- Kevin Mottus
- Mark Matthew Herd
- Michael Ian Sachs
- Tom Fox
- Marianne Williamson[22]
Withdrew
34th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Xavier Becerra - Incumbent
- Adrienne Nicole Edwards
- Howard Johnson
35th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Christina Gagnier
- Scott Heydenfeldt
- Norma Torres - State senator
- Anthony Vieyra
Withdrew
36th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Raul Ruiz - Incumbent
- Ray Haynes
- Brian Nestande - State representative[24]
37th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Karen Bass - Incumbent
- Mervin Evans
- Adam King
38th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Linda Sanchez - Incumbent
- Benjamin Campos
39th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Edward Royce - Incumbent
- Peter Anderson
40th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Lucille Roybal-Allard - Incumbent
- David Sanchez
41st Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Mark Takano - Incumbent
- Veronica Franco
- Steve Adams
- Yvonne Terrell Girard
42nd Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Ken Calvert - Incumbent
- Kerri Condley
- Chris Marquez
- Tim Sheridan
Withdrew
43rd Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Maxine Waters - Incumbent
- John Wood
44th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Janice Hahn - Incumbent
- Adam Shbeita (Peace and Freedom Party write-in)[26][27]
45th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Drew Leavens
- Greg Raths[28]
- Mimi Walters - State senator[28]
- Al Salehi
Withdrew
46th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Loretta Sanchez - Incumbent
- Ehab Atalla
- John Cullum
- Adam Nick
- Carlos Vazquez
47th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Alan Lowenthal - Incumbent
- Andy Whallon
48th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
Withdrew
49th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Darrell Issa - Incumbent
- Noboru Isagawa
- Dave Peiser[29]
Withdrew
50th Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Duncan Hunter - Incumbent
- James Kimber
- Michael Benoit
51st Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Juan Vargas - Incumbent
- Stephen Meade
52nd Congressional District
General election candidates
June 3, 2014, primary results
- Scott Peters - Incumbent
- Carl DeMaio
- Kirk Jorgensen
- Fred Simon
53rd Congressional District
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
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2014
- U.S. House battleground districts, 2014
- List of U.S. Congress incumbents not running for re-election in 2014
- Contested primaries in U.S. Congressional elections, 2014
External links
- California Secretary of State, Official primary candidate list
- California Secretary of State, Official primary election results
Footnotes
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, "DCCC Chairman Steve Israel Announces 2013-2014 Frontline Members," accessed March 5, 2013
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 FairVote, "FairVote Releases Projections for the 2014 Congressional Elections," accessed November 5, 2013
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS," accessed April 4, 2014
- ↑ Calnewsroom.com, "In statewide debut, top-two primary blocks third parties from June ballot," February 14, 2014
- ↑ Ballot Access News, "California Special Election Returns, State Senate District 23," March 26, 2014
- ↑ Ballot Access News, "Top-Two System Again Excludes All Minor Parties from General Election Campaign if At Least Two Major Party Members Ran," June 4, 2014
- ↑ The Sacramento Bee, "Elizabeth Emken eyes challenging Ami Bera in Sacramento seat," February 23, 2013
- ↑ Photo submission to Ballotpedia, October 19, 2013
- ↑ Facebook, "Tacherra For Congress," accessed October 9, 2013
- ↑ The San Francisco Chronicle," "Rep Honda to face Ro Khanna challenge," April 2, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ Roll Call, "Democrats Ready to Land Recruit in Elusive California District," September 18, 2013
- ↑ The Fresno Bee, "Political notebook: John Hernandez to seek rematch with David Valadao," October 11, 2013
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Certified List of Candidates for the November 4, 2014, General Election," accessed August 28, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Certified List of Write-in Candidates for the June 3, 2014, Statewide Direct Primary Election," accessed May 24, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed July 15, 2014
- ↑ Jorge Puentes' Campaign website, accessed October 11, 2013
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "GOP Assemblyman Jeff Gorell to challenge Rep. Julia Brownley," November 25, 2013
- ↑ KPCC, "A second GOP challenger for Ventura County Democrat's Congressional seat," December 4, 2013
- ↑ Campaign website, accessed October 23, 2013
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Brent Roske drops out of Waxman seat race, endorses Williamson," May 9, 2014
- ↑ My desert.com, "Brian Nestande says he'll challenge Rep. Raul Ruiz in 2014," April 9, 2013
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Certified List of Candidates for the November 4, 2014, General Election," accessed August 28, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Certified List of Write-in Candidates for the June 3, 2014, Statewide Direct Primary Election," accessed May 24, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed July 15, 2014
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 Roll Call, "GOP Primary Field Grows to Replace Campbell | #CA45," September 5, 2013
- ↑ Dave Peiser campaign website, accessed November 25, 2013
