1992 United States Senate election in California
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November 3, 1992
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 Boxer: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Herschensohn: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in California |
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The 1992 United States Senate election in California took place on November 3, 1992, at the same time as the special election to the United States Senate in California. Incumbent Democrat Alan Cranston decided to retire. Democrat Barbara Boxer won the open seat. This election was noted as both of California's senators were elected for the first time. This is not a unique occurrence; it would happen again in Tennessee in 1994, Kansas in 1996, and Georgia in 2021. Fellow Democrat Dianne Feinstein, California's senior senator, won the special election and was inaugurated in November 1992.
Democratic primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]- Barbara Boxer, U.S. representative from Greenbrae
- Charles Greene, perennial candidate
- Mel Levine, U.S. representative from Santa Monica
- Leo T. McCarthy, lieutenant governor of California and nominee for Senate in 1988
Results
[edit]In the primary election in June, Boxer defeated McCarthy and Levine with 43.6% of the vote.[1]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Barbara Boxer | 1,339,126 | 43.58% | |
| Democratic | Leo T. McCarthy | 943,229 | 30.70% | |
| Democratic | Mel Levine | 667,359 | 21.72% | |
| Democratic | Charles Greene | 122,954 | 4.00% | |
| Total votes | 3,072,668 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]- Sonny Bono, mayor of Palm Springs and retired entertainer, best known as a member of Sonny & Cher
- John M. Brown, resident of Stockton[3]
- Tom Campbell, U.S. representative from Silicon Valley
- Bruce Herschensohn, political commentator for KABC-TV in Los Angeles and candidate for Senate in 1986
- Alexander Swift Justice, Pasadena gem cutter and candidate for U.S. representative in 1990[4]
- John W. Spring, independent candidate for Senate in 1986
- Isaac Park Yonker, candidate for U.S. representative in 1990 from Mariposa
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bruce Herschensohn | 956,146 | 38.80% | |
| Republican | Tom Campbell | 859,970 | 34.90% | |
| Republican | Sonny Bono | 417,848 | 16.96% | |
| Republican | Isaac Park Yonker | 94,623 | 3.84% | |
| Republican | Alexander Swift Justice | 60,104 | 2.44% | |
| Republican | John W. Spring | 54,941 | 2.23% | |
| Republican | John M. Brown | 20,810 | 0.84% | |
| Total votes | 2,464,442 | 100.00% | ||
Peace and Freedom primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]- Genevieve Torres
- Shirley Lee
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peace and Freedom | Genevieve Torres | 5,492 | 60.34% | |
| Peace and Freedom | Shirley Lee | 3,610 | 39.66% | |
| Total votes | 9,102 | 100.00% | ||
General election
[edit]Candidates
[edit]- Barbara Boxer, U.S. representative from Greenbrae (Democratic)
- June R. Genis (Libertarian)
- Bruce Herschensohn, political commentator for KABC-TV in Los Angeles and candidate for Senate in 1986 (Republican)
- Jerome N. McCready (American Independent)
- Genevieve Torres (Peace and Freedom)
Campaign
[edit]Initially, Herschensohn was given little chance in the election because of his relatively conservative views, support from the religious right, and the large lead of Democratic nominee Bill Clinton in the presidential campaign in the state. Herschensohn proposed cutting funding for nearly every federal agency except the Department of Defense, repealing the Endangered Species Act, banning abortion with exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mothers, replacing the progressive income tax with a flat tax, and eliminating federal emergency relief aid for riots and most natural disasters (despite the Los Angeles riots which had occurred in the spring).[7] Herschensohn also opposed restrictions on international trade and proposed a strong international military presence, citing his views as "constitutionalist."[7] Despite these views, which were generally considered out-of-step with the California electorate, Herschensohn won support with a media-friendly approach, which observers and voters, including women, described as "down to earth" and contrasted with the "overly shrill" Boxer. His years of experience on Los Angeles television had also made him familiar to voters. He also criticized Boxer for her involvement in the House banking scandal, having overdrawn 143 checks on public funds during her time as U.S. representative.[7]
In September, pollster Mervin Field gave Boxer a 22-point lead, but he found that her lead had halved to 11 points by October. No such narrowing was found in the presidential campaign nor the race for California's other Senate seat. Boxer attributed her campaign's issues to early, massive spending by the National Republican Senatorial Committee to criticize her record. By contrast, Boxer's advertisements avoided direct attacks on her opponent.[7]
At the eleventh hour, controversy emerged that the Republican nominee attended a strip club.[8] Four days before Election Day, polls showed Herschensohn had narrowed a double digit deficit, to come within by 3 percentage points. Political operative Bob Mulholland disrupted a Herschensohn campaign appearance with a large poster advertising a strip club shouting "Should the voters of California elect someone who frequently travels the strip joints of Hollywood?" Herschensohn admitted he had visited a strip club once, with his girlfriend and another couple. With press coverage of the story, Herschensohn spent the waning days of the campaign denying related allegations.[9] Although some Republicans later blamed Herschensohn's defeat on Mulholland and accused the Boxer campaign of dirty tricks, evidence of the connection between Mulholland's outburst and the Boxer campaign never surfaced.[10][11][12]
Results
[edit]The election was very close. Boxer was declared the winner by the Associated Press at 1:22 A.M. Pacific Coast Time.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Barbara Boxer | 5,173,467 | 47.90% | |
| Republican | Bruce Herschensohn | 4,644,182 | 43.00% | |
| American Independent | Jerome N. McCready | 373,051 | 3.45% | |
| Peace and Freedom | Genevieve Torres | 372,817 | 3.45% | |
| Libertarian | June R. Genis | 235,919 | 2.18% | |
| Write-in | Joel Britton | 110 | 0.00% | |
| Write-in | John Cortese | 101 | 0.00% | |
| Write-in | Robert L. Bell | 56 | 0.00% | |
| Total votes | 10,799,647 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
By county
[edit]Final results from the Secretary of State of California.[13]
| County | Boxer | Votes | Hersch. | Votes | McC. | Votes | Torres | Votes | Genis | Votes | W/I | V's |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | 76.57% | 233,068 | 18.72% | 56,972 | 1.48% | 4,503 | 1.84% | 5,602 | 1.38% | 4,214 | 0.00% | 13 |
| Alameda | 66.94% | 343,020 | 25.08% | 128,489 | 3.08% | 15,768 | 2.85% | 14,610 | 2.04% | 10,477 | 0.01% | 29 |
| Marin | 63.47% | 80,902 | 29.14% | 37,150 | 2.59% | 3,299 | 2.08% | 2,656 | 2.72% | 3,464 | 0.00% | 1 |
| Santa Cruz | 61.21% | 67,927 | 29.27% | 32,482 | 2.98% | 3,309 | 3.18% | 3,525 | 3.36% | 3,726 | 0.00% | 2 |
| San Mateo | 59.39% | 158,490 | 32.68% | 87,209 | 2.49% | 6,638 | 2.87% | 7,669 | 2.58% | 6,879 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Yolo | 58.23% | 35,006 | 33.10% | 19,900 | 3.70% | 2,222 | 2.85% | 1,711 | 2.12% | 1,274 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Sonoma | 56.76% | 108,991 | 32.65% | 62,696 | 4.05% | 7,772 | 3.69% | 7,084 | 2.85% | 5,476 | 0.00% | 7 |
| Mendocino | 55.99% | 19,818 | 33.10% | 11,718 | 4.60% | 1,627 | 3.28% | 1,160 | 3.03% | 1,074 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Contra Costa | 55.17% | 203,563 | 35.76% | 131,923 | 3.65% | 13,462 | 3.06% | 11,290 | 2.36% | 8,711 | 0.00% | 3 |
| Santa Clara | 54.11% | 314,884 | 35.55% | 206,913 | 3.61% | 21,001 | 3.59% | 20,922 | 3.14% | 18,261 | 0.00% | 2 |
| Los Angeles | 52.55% | 1,410,423 | 39.60% | 1,062,974 | 2.56% | 68,630 | 3.57% | 95,779 | 1.72% | 46,195 | 0.00% | 65 |
| Solano | 51.87% | 67,007 | 36.50% | 47,148 | 5.12% | 6,615 | 4.02% | 5,188 | 2.49% | 3,217 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Napa | 49.63% | 25,746 | 39.81% | 20,655 | 4.32% | 2,240 | 3.55% | 1,841 | 2.69% | 1,396 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Sacramento | 49.09% | 215,853 | 40.90% | 179,844 | 3.96% | 17,425 | 3.79% | 16,684 | 2.25% | 9,911 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Monterey | 48.65% | 54,400 | 41.05% | 45,903 | 4.16% | 4,648 | 3.63% | 4,058 | 2.51% | 2,801 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Humboldt | 48.63% | 27,916 | 43.13% | 24,757 | 3.14% | 1,802 | 3.38% | 1,941 | 1.72% | 986 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Lake | 46.82% | 10,805 | 40.54% | 9,357 | 6.01% | 1,388 | 3.51% | 810 | 3.12% | 720 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Alpine | 45.18% | 272 | 43.19% | 260 | 5.81% | 35 | 4.65% | 28 | 1.16% | 7 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Santa Barbara | 45.11% | 70,998 | 46.25% | 72,793 | 3.49% | 5,486 | 3.46% | 5,444 | 1.70% | 2,673 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Stanislaus | 45.03% | 55,688 | 45.18% | 55,875 | 4.31% | 5,332 | 3.64% | 4,501 | 1.85% | 2,285 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Imperial | 44.66% | 11,614 | 43.79% | 11,389 | 3.15% | 819 | 7.07% | 1,839 | 1.33% | 347 | 0.00% | 0 |
| San Benito | 43.68% | 5,415 | 44.59% | 5,527 | 4.76% | 590 | 4.34% | 538 | 2.63% | 326 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Tuolumne | 42.81% | 9,811 | 46.24% | 10,596 | 4.86% | 1,113 | 3.87% | 886 | 2.21% | 507 | 0.01% | 2 |
| Del Norte | 42.36% | 3,891 | 46.69% | 4,289 | 6.00% | 551 | 3.05% | 280 | 1.91% | 175 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Mono | 42.23% | 1,820 | 47.19% | 2,034 | 4.01% | 173 | 3.83% | 165 | 2.74% | 118 | 0.00% | 0 |
| San Diego | 42.17% | 399,087 | 47.35% | 448,181 | 4.06% | 38,434 | 3.53% | 33,379 | 2.89% | 27,336 | 0.00% | 12 |
| San Joaquin | 42.15% | 66,484 | 47.57% | 75,032 | 4.41% | 6,963 | 3.94% | 6,213 | 1.92% | 3,036 | 0.00% | 0 |
| S. L. Obispo | 41.23% | 41,824 | 49.24% | 49,945 | 4.47% | 4,530 | 2.89% | 2,933 | 2.17% | 2,205 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Siskiyou | 40.60% | 8,115 | 47.87% | 9,568 | 6.33% | 1,266 | 3.00% | 599 | 2.21% | 441 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Plumas | 40.48% | 4,032 | 47.47% | 4,728 | 7.13% | 710 | 2.78% | 277 | 2.13% | 212 | 0.01% | 1 |
| Amador | 40.38% | 6,082 | 48.91% | 7,366 | 5.07% | 764 | 3.23% | 486 | 2.41% | 363 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Ventura | 39.62% | 104,335 | 50.62% | 133,274 | 3.89% | 10,253 | 3.66% | 9,629 | 2.20% | 5,793 | 0.01% | 25 |
| Nevada | 39.45% | 17,091 | 49.87% | 21,609 | 5.35% | 2,317 | 2.74% | 1,186 | 2.60% | 1,125 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Placer | 39.33% | 34,905 | 50.50% | 44,813 | 3.98% | 3,532 | 3.72% | 3,297 | 2.47% | 2,193 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Merced | 39.21% | 17,848 | 49.12% | 22,360 | 5.35% | 2,434 | 3.47% | 1,579 | 2.85% | 1,298 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Sierra | 38.69% | 705 | 48.19% | 878 | 7.14% | 130 | 3.02% | 55 | 2.96% | 54 | 0.00% | 0 |
| El Dorado | 38.66% | 24,601 | 50.86% | 32,368 | 4.68% | 2,975 | 3.33% | 2,116 | 2.48% | 1,576 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Calaveras | 38.35% | 6,402 | 49.54% | 8,269 | 5.80% | 969 | 3.35% | 559 | 2.96% | 494 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Lassen | 38.09% | 3,761 | 48.85% | 4,823 | 7.67% | 757 | 3.33% | 329 | 2.06% | 203 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Riverside | 38.05% | 160,630 | 51.83% | 218,778 | 4.39% | 18,512 | 3.63% | 15,323 | 2.11% | 8,891 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Butte | 37.41% | 31,505 | 51.47% | 43,338 | 5.11% | 4,306 | 3.28% | 2,762 | 2.73% | 2,296 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Fresno | 36.93% | 78,321 | 55.59% | 117,891 | 2.16% | 4,587 | 3.78% | 8,009 | 1.53% | 3,248 | 0.00% | 3 |
| S. Bernardino | 36.90% | 164,620 | 51.81% | 231,143 | 4.74% | 21,138 | 4.38% | 19,555 | 2.14% | 9,558 | 0.02% | 100 |
| Mariposa | 36.86% | 2,989 | 51.92% | 4,211 | 5.36% | 435 | 3.86% | 313 | 2.00% | 162 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Trinity | 35.16% | 2,261 | 49.51% | 3,184 | 7.79% | 501 | 4.15% | 267 | 3.39% | 218 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Yuba | 34.03% | 5,638 | 52.67% | 8,726 | 7.24% | 1,199 | 3.30% | 547 | 2.76% | 458 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Colusa | 33.57% | 1,859 | 56.19% | 3,112 | 5.00% | 277 | 3.21% | 178 | 2.02% | 112 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Orange | 33.41% | 317,740 | 57.89% | 550,502 | 3.20% | 30,400 | 3.21% | 30,550 | 2.29% | 21,783 | 0.00% | 2 |
| Kings | 33.09% | 8,151 | 57.15% | 14,079 | 3.63% | 895 | 4.85% | 1,196 | 1.28% | 315 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Modoc | 32.64% | 1,429 | 54.07% | 2,367 | 8.18% | 358 | 3.22% | 141 | 1.90% | 83 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Madera | 31.89% | 9,401 | 59.74% | 17,609 | 3.42% | 1,009 | 3.82% | 1,127 | 1.12% | 329 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Inyo | 30.98% | 2,563 | 58.59% | 4,847 | 4.96% | 410 | 3.36% | 278 | 2.12% | 175 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Sutter | 30.83% | 7,719 | 59.04% | 14,783 | 4.86% | 1,216 | 3.23% | 809 | 2.05% | 513 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Tehama | 30.71% | 6,450 | 56.62% | 11,893 | 6.47% | 1,360 | 3.08% | 647 | 3.12% | 655 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Kern | 30.30% | 53,141 | 60.97% | 106,916 | 3.58% | 6,286 | 3.54% | 6,200 | 1.61% | 2,823 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Tulare | 29.24% | 25,311 | 62.21% | 53,856 | 3.54% | 3,066 | 3.78% | 3,273 | 1.23% | 1,067 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Shasta | 28.39% | 18,868 | 59.44% | 39,507 | 6.15% | 4,085 | 3.78% | 2,515 | 2.24% | 1,492 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Glenn | 26.27% | 2,271 | 62.16% | 5,373 | 6.12% | 529 | 3.23% | 279 | 2.22% | 192 | 0.00% | 0 |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Reinhold, Robert (June 3, 1992). "THE 1992 CAMPAIGN: California; 2 Women Win Nomination In California Senate Races". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Our Campaigns - CA US Senate - D Primary Race - Jun 02, 1992".
- ↑ Pyle, Amy (March 5, 2000). "Three Republicans Fight for Chance to Unseat Feinstein". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
- ↑ Ward, Mike (June 3, 1990). "ELECTIONS : Spotlight on 3 Seats in Assembly : Politics: A crowded ballot awaits San Gabriel Valley voters, but most attention will focus on the three districts where no incumbents are running". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
- ↑ "Our Campaigns - CA US Senate - R Primary Race - Jun 02, 1992".
- ↑ "Our Campaigns - CA US Senate - PFP Primary Race - Jun 02, 1992".
- 1 2 3 4 Reinhold, Robert (October 24, 1992). "THE 1992 CAMPAIGN: Senate Race; Republican Imperils Tide Of Democrats in California". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
- ↑ Eu, March Fong (December 12, 1992). "Statement of Vote General Election November 3, 1992" (PDF). p. 14 (24 in PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 30, 2008. Retrieved December 11, 2008.
- ↑ Murphy, Dean E.; Shuit, Douglas P. (October 31, 1992). "U.S. Senate Candidates Crisscross State for Votes Politics: Herschensohn reacts angrily to accusation that he went to strip joint, frequented adult newsstand". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
A clearly shaken Herschensohn, who has embraced the GOP "family values" platform, at first refused to comment on the accusations, calling them "a pretty desperate thing." But he later conceded that he once visited the Seventh Veil nude-dance club in Hollywood...
The authors were LA Times staff writers. - ↑ Steinberg, Arnold (November 17, 2000). "Beware the Trickster: Bob Mulholland oversees the recounting of the ballots in Florida". National Review. Archived from the original on January 4, 2009. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
That vintage Mulholland maneuver made it all but impossible for Herschensohn to stay on-message during the campaign's crucial closing days.
- ↑ Fund, John (December 5, 2005). "Arnold's 'Harriet Miers Moment' - Has Gov. Schwarzenegger jumped the shark?". John Fund on the Trail - WSJ.com. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
- ↑
Salladay, Robert (December 7, 2005). "Governor Faces Revolt in GOP". Los Angeles Times. p. A-1. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
Bob Mulholland, publicly accused Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bruce Herschensohn of visiting a Sunset Boulevard strip club. Herschensohn had been running as the traditional-values candidate.
Amid the controversy, Herschensohn lost the Senate race to Democrat Barbara Boxer, and the GOP was outraged at what it called a "smear campaign." Kennedy suspended Mulholland, but he soon returned to the party. - ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 30, 2008. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
External links
[edit]- JoinCalifornia 1992 General Election
