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2014 California elections

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2014 California elections
← Nov 2012
November 4, 2014 (2014-11-04)
2016 →
Registered17,803,823[1]
Turnout42.20% (Decrease 30.16 pp)[1]

Elections were held in California on November 4, 2014. It was the first year in which the top statewide offices were elected under the nonpartisan blanket primary, pursuant to Proposition 14, which passed with 53% voter approval in June 2010. Under this system, which first went into effect during the 2012 election year, all candidates appear on the same ballot, regardless of party. In the primary, voters may vote for any candidate, regardless of their party affiliation. The top two finishers, regardless of party, then advance to face each other in the general election in November.

The elections for statewide offices also coincided with those for all of California's seats to the House of Representatives, all of the seats of the State Assembly, all even-numbered seats of the State Senate, and statewide ballot propositions.

The primary election was held on June 3, and the general election on November 4. Although the general election saw the California Republican Party lose every statewide election (including the gubernatorial race), the party did make gains in both houses of the California State Legislature, with a net gain of four seats in the Assembly and two seats in the Senate. In both cases, the Republican gains ended the supermajorities of the California Democratic Party in those chambers.

U.S. House of Representatives

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All 53 U.S. Representatives from California were up for election in 2014, but neither of the state's two U.S. Senate seats.

Constitutional officers

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Overview

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California Constitutional officers elections, 2014
Primary election — June 3, 2014
Party Votes Percentage Candidates Advancing to general Offices contesting
Democratic 15,280,653 46.97% 15 7 7
Republican 11,611,163 35.69% 19 7 7
Nonpartisan 3,797,417 11.67% 3 2 1
Green 788,568 2.42% 5 0 0
No party preference 592,003 1.82% 9 0 0
Peace and Freedom 305,373 0.94% 3 0 0
Libertarian 99,056 0.30% 1 0 0
Americans Elect 56,072 0.17% 1 0 0
Valid votes 32,530,305 — — —
Invalid votes — — —
Totals 100.00% 56 16 —
Voter turnout
California Constitutional officers elections, 2014
General election — November 4, 2014
Party Votes Percentage Officers +/–
Democratic 28,423,041 50.77% 7 Steady
Nonpartisan 6,074,201 10.85% 1 Steady
Republican 21,483,596 38.38% 0 Steady
Valid votes 55,980,838 — —
Invalid votes — —
Totals 100.00% 8 —
Voter turnout

Governor

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Incumbent Democratic governor Jerry Brown won re-election to a second consecutive and fourth overall term in office. Although governors are limited to lifetime service of two terms in office, Brown previously served as governor from 1975 to 1983, and the law only affects terms served after 1990.[2][3][4]

2014 California gubernatorial election
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jerry Brown (incumbent) 2,354,769 54.3
Republican Neel Kashkari 839,767 19.4
Republican Tim Donnelly 643,236 14.8
Republican Andrew Blount 89,749 2.1
Republican Glenn Champ 76,066 1.8
Green Luis J. Rodriguez 66,872 1.5
Peace and Freedom Cindy Sheehan 52,707 1.2
Republican Alma Marie Winston 46,042 1.1
No party preference Robert Newman 44,120 1.0
Democratic Akinyemi Agbede 37,024 0.9
Republican Richard William Aguirre 35,125 0.8
No party preference "Bo" Bogdan Ambrozewicz 14,929 0.3
No party preference Janel Hyeshia Buycks 12,136 0.3
No party preference Rakesh Kumar Christian 11,142 0.3
No party preference Joe Leicht 9,307 0.2
Democratic Karen Jill Bernal (write-in) 17 0.0
No party preference Nickolas Wildstar (write-in) 17 0.0
No party preference Jimelle L. Walls (write-in) 3 0.0
Total votes 4,333,028 100.0
General election
Democratic Jerry Brown (incumbent) 4,388,368 60.0
Republican Neel Kashkari 2,929,213 40.0
Total votes 7,317,581 100.0
Democratic hold

Lieutenant governor

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Incumbent Democratic lieutenant governor Gavin Newsom won re-election to a second term in office.

2014 California lieutenant gubernatorial election
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Gavin Newsom (incumbent) 2,082,902 49.9
Republican Ron Nehring 976,128 23.4
Republican David Fennell 357,242 8.6
Republican George Yang 333,857 8.0
Democratic Eric Korevaar 232,596 5.6
Green Jena F. Goodman 98,338 2.4
Americans Elect Alan Reynolds 56,027 1.3
Peace and Freedom Amos Johnson 39,675 0.9
Total votes 4,176,765 100.0
General election
Democratic Gavin Newsom (incumbent) 4,107,051 57.2
Republican Ron Nehring 3,078,039 42.8
Total votes 7,185,090 100.0
Democratic hold

Attorney general

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Incumbent Democratic attorney general Kamala Harris won re-election to a second term in office.

2014 California Attorney General election
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Kamala Harris (incumbent) 2,177,480 53.2
Republican Ronald Gold 504,091 12.3
Republican Phil Wyman 479,498 11.7
Republican David King 368,190 9.0
Republican John Haggerty 336,433 8.2
No party preference Orly Taitz 130,451 3.2
Libertarian Jonathan Jaech 99,056 2.4
Total votes 4,095,169 100.0
General election
Democratic Kamala Harris (incumbent) 4,102,649 57.5
Republican Ronald Gold 3,033,476 42.5
Total votes 7,136,125 100.0
Democratic hold

Secretary of State

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Incumbent Democratic secretary of state Debra Bowen was term-limited out of office.

2014 California Secretary of State election
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Alex Padilla 1,217,371 30.2
Republican Pete Peterson 1,194,715 29.7
Democratic Leland Yee (withdrawn) 380,361 9.4
No party preference Dan Schnur 369,898 9.2
Democratic Derek Cressman 306,375 7.6
Republican Roy Allmond 256,668 6.4
Democratic Jeffrey H. Drobman 178,521 4.4
Green David Curtis 121,618 3.0
Total votes 4,025,527 100.0
General election
Democratic Alex Padilla 3,799,711 53.6
Republican Pete Peterson 3,285,334 46.4
Total votes 7,085,045 100.0
Democratic hold

Treasurer

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Incumbent Democratic state treasurer Bill Lockyer was term-limited out of office.

2014 California State Treasurer election
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John Chiang 2,250,098 55.0
Republican Greg Conlon 1,571,532 38.4
Green Ellen Brown 270,388 6.6
Total votes 4,092,018 100.0
General election
Democratic John Chiang 4,176,793 58.8
Republican Greg Conlon 2,925,895 41.2
Total votes 7,102,688 100.0
Democratic hold

Controller

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Incumbent Democratic State Controller John Chiang was term-limited out of office.

2014 California State Controller election
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ashley Swearengin 1,001,473 24.8
Democratic Betty T. Yee 878,195 21.7
Democratic John Pérez 877,714 21.7
Republican David Evans 850,109 21.0
Green Laura Wells 231,352 5.7
Democratic Tammy D. Blair 200,532 5.0
Total votes 4,039,375 100.0
General election
Democratic Betty T. Yee 3,810,304 54.0
Republican Ashley Swearengin 3,249,688 46.0
Total votes 7,059,992 100.0
Democratic hold

Insurance Commissioner

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Incumbent Democratic Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones won re-election to a second term in office.

2014 California Insurance Commissioner election
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dave Jones (incumbent) 2,106,671 53.1
Republican Ted Gaines 1,651,242 41.6
Peace and Freedom Nathalie Hrizi 212,991 5.4
Total votes 3,970,904 100.0
General election
Democratic Dave Jones (incumbent) 4,038,165 57.5
Republican Ted Gaines 2,981,951 42.5
Total votes 7,020,116 100.0
Democratic hold

Superintendent of Public Instruction

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Incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson won reelection to a second term in office. The office is nonpartisan.

2014 California Superintendent of Public Instruction election – primary
Candidate Votes %
Tom Torlakson (incumbent) 1,765,257 46.5
Marshall Tuck 1,098,441 28.9
Lydia A. Gutiérrez 931,719 24.5
Total votes 3,797,417 100.0
2014 California Superintendent of Public Instruction election – general
Candidate Votes %
Tom Torlakson (incumbent) 3,167,212 52.1
Marshall Tuck 2,906,989 47.9
Total votes 6,074,201 100.0

Board of Equalization

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Incumbent Board of Equalization members Republican George Runner and Democrat Jerome Horton ran for re-election, while Republican Michelle Steel and Democrat Betty T. Yee were term-limited out of office.

California Board of Equalization elections, 2014
Primary election — June 3, 2014
Party Votes Percentage Candidates Advancing to general Seats contesting
Democratic 2,003,631 55.2% 4 4 4
Republican 1,624,246 44.8% 8 4 4
Libertarian 198 0.0% 1 0 0
Peace and Freedom 170 0.0% 2 0 0
Valid votes 3,628,255 — — —
Invalid votes — — —
Totals 100% 16 8 —
Voter turnout
California Board of Equalization elections, 2014
General election — November 4, 2014
Party Votes Percentage Seats +/–
Democratic 3,674,237 53.50% 2 Steady
Republican 3,193,444 46.50% 2 Steady
Valid votes 6,867,681 — —
Invalid votes — —
Totals 100% 4 —
Voter turnout

District 1

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California's 1st Board of Equalization district election, 2014
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican George Runner (incumbent) 608,637 59.8
Democratic Chris Parker 408,343 40.2
Total votes 1,016,980 100.0
General election
Republican George Runner (incumbent) 984,604 57.8
Democratic Chris Parker 718,129 42.2
Total votes 1,702,733 100.0
Republican hold

District 2

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California's 2nd Board of Equalization district election, 2014
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Fiona Ma 876,378 68.9
Republican James E. Theis 396,241 31.1
Total votes 1,272,619 100.0
General election
Democratic Fiona Ma 1,448,657 68.7
Republican James E. Theis 660,973 31.3
Total votes 2,109,630 100.0
Democratic hold

District 3

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California's 3rd Board of Equalization district election, 2014
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jerome Horton (incumbent) 402,244 99.5
Republican G. Rick Marshall (write-in) 1,849 0.5
Libertarian Jose E. Castaneda (write-in) 198 0.0
Peace and Freedom Eric S. Moren (write-in) 134 0.0
Peace and Freedom Jan B. Tucker (write-in) 36 0.0
Total votes 404,461 100.0
General election
Democratic Jerome Horton (incumbent) 858,471 62.4
Republican G. Rick Marshall 517,287 37.6
Total votes 1,375,758 100.0
Democratic hold

District 4

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California's 4th Board of Equalization district election, 2014
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Diane Harkey 324,642 34.8
Democratic Nader Shahatit 316,666 33.9
Republican John F. Kelly 101,836 10.9
Republican Van Tran 84,162 9.0
Republican Shirley Horton 74,794 8.0
Republican Lewis Da Silva 32,094 3.4
Total votes 934,194 100
General election
Republican Diane Harkey 1,030,580 61.4
Democratic Nader Shahatit 648,980 38.6
Total votes 1,679,560 100.00
Republican hold

State legislature

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State Senate

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Voters in the 20 even-numbered districts of the California State Senate elected their representatives.

State Assembly

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Voters in all 80 of California's state assembly districts elected their representatives.

State Supreme Court

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Three associate justices on the Supreme Court of California faced retention in 2014.[5]

Justice Werdegar retention

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Results by county
For:
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  •   80–90%

Kathryn Werdegar was appointed by Governor Pete Wilson in 1994 to succeed Edward Panelli.[6]

California Supreme Court Associate Justice Werdegar retention election
ChoiceVotes%
For3,763,88972.58
Against1,422,31427.42
Total5,186,203100.00
Source: California Secretary of State[7]

Justice Liu retention

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Results by county
For:
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  •   80–90%
Against:
  •   50–60%

Goodwin Liu was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown in 2011 to succeed Carlos Moreno.[8]

California Supreme Court Associate Justice Liu retention election
ChoiceVotes%
For3,582,40767.11
Against1,755,38132.89
Total5,337,788100.00
Source: California Secretary of State[7]

Justice Cuéllar retention

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Results by county
For:
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  •   80–90%
Against:
  •   50–60%
Tie:
  •   50%

Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown in July 2014 to succeed Marvin Baxter.[9]

California Supreme Court Associate Justice Cuéllar retention election
ChoiceVotes%
For3,605,25167.74
Against1,717,09932.26
Total5,322,350100.00
Source: California Secretary of State[7]

Statewide ballot propositions

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June primary election

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Two statewide propositions were on the June ballot.[10]

2014 California propositions (June)
Name Description Votes Type
Yes % No %
Proposition 41 Authorizes $600 million in bonds for affordable multifamily housing for veterans and their families in order to prevent homelessness.[11] 2,708,933 65.39 1,434,060 34.61 Bond issue
Proposition 42 Requires local agencies to comply with the California Public Records Act.[12] 2,467,357 61.84 1,522,406 38.16 Legislatively referred constitutional amendment
Source: California Secretary of State[13]

November general election

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Six statewide propositions were on the November ballot.[10]

2014 California propositions (November)
Name Description Votes Type
Yes % No %
Proposition 1 Issues $7.12 billion in bonds for the state's water system.[14] 4,771,350 67.13 2,336,676 32.87 Bond issue
Proposition 2 Makes several changes relating to the state's reserve policy.[15] 4,831,045 69.12 2,158,004 30.88 Legislatively referred constitutional amendment
Proposition 45 Requires public notice for insurance company rates.[16] 2,917,882 41.08 4,184,416 58.92 Citizen-initiated state statute
Proposition 46 Increases the cap on damages that can be assessed in medical negligence lawsuits to over $1 million.[17] 2,376,817 33.24 4,774,364 66.76
Proposition 47 Reduces the classification of most nonviolent crimes from a felony to a misdemeanor.[18] 4,238,156 59.61 2,871,943 40.39
Proposition 48 Ratifies gaming compacts with the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California and the Wiyot tribe.[19] 2,702,157 39.04 4,219,881 60.96 Veto referendum
Source: California Secretary of State[7]

Removed from the ballot

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  • Proposition 49[20]
    Originally put on the ballot by the state legislature, Proposition 49 would have been non-binding advisory question presented to voters, asking if the U.S. Congress should propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. In that case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the government is prohibited from restricting campaign contributions and other political independent expenditures by corporations, associations, or labor unions.[21] This proposition alone would have no binding legal effect, and it will only be submitted to Congress as a formal request; under Article Five of the U.S. Constitution, the process for amending the Constitution can only be initiated by either Congress or a national convention assembled at the request of the legislatures of at least two-thirds (at present 34) of the states. On August 11, the California Supreme Court ordered that the measure be pulled from the November ballot pending further state constitutional review: at issue is that the state legislature has no defined specific power to place such advisory measures on the ballot.[22]

Local races

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Local races included:

References

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  1. 1 2 "Historical Voter Registration and Participation" (PDF). California Secretary of State.
  2. ↑ Shelley, Kevin (October 2003). "Summary of Qualifications and Requirements for the Office of Governor" (PDF). California Secretary of State Department. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 28, 2008. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Campaign Finance: Brown For Governor 2014". California Secretary of State. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Brown Shows Early Lead for 2014 California Gubernatorial Race". IVN. Archived from the original on August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
  5. ↑ "California judicial elections, 2014". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
  6. ↑ Dolan, Maura (May 4, 1994). "Wilson Names Appeals Judge to Supreme Court : Law: Kathryn Werdegar was an aide to retired Justice Panelli. She is a conservative and a friend of the governor". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Complete Statement of Vote" (PDF). California Secretary of State. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
  8. ↑ Kolker, Carlyn (July 27, 2011). "Gov. Brown nominates controversial judge for California court". Reuters. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
  9. ↑ Siders, David (July 22, 2014). "Jerry Brown names law school professor to California Supreme Court". The Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on July 24, 2014. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
  10. 1 2 "California 2014 ballot propositions". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  11. ↑ "California Proposition 41 (June 2014)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  12. ↑ "California Proposition 42 (June 2014)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Statewide Summary by County - Propositions 41 and 42" (PDF). California Secretary of State. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  14. ↑ "California Proposition 1 (2014)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  15. ↑ "California Proposition 2 (2014)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  16. ↑ "California Proposition 45 (2014)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  17. ↑ "California Proposition 46 (2014)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  18. ↑ "California Proposition 47 (2014)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  19. ↑ "California Proposition 48 (2014)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  20. ↑ "California Proposition 49, Amendment to Overturn Citizens United Ruling Question (2014)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  21. ↑ McGreevy, Patrick. "Gov. Brown allows advisory ballot measure on Citizens United decision - Los Angeles Times". latimes.com.
  22. ↑ "'Citizens United' Measure Removed From California's Fall Ballot". KQED. August 11, 2014. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Special election to replace Filner set for November 19". KFMB-TV. August 28, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  24. ↑ "Council sets Feb. 11 for special mayoral election | LGBT Weekly". Archived from the original on July 6, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  25. ↑ "Cortese, Liccardo in runoff for San Jose mayor". KTVU. June 4, 2014. Archived from the original on June 8, 2014. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
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