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1954 California gubernatorial election

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FieldValue
election_name1954 California gubernatorial election
countryCalifornia
typepresidential
ongoingno
previous_election1950 California gubernatorial election
previous_year1950
next_election1958 California gubernatorial election
next_year1958
election_dateNovember 2, 1954
image1Goodwin J. Knight, 31st Governor of California Crop Edit.jpg
nominee1Goodwin Knight
party1Republican Party (United States)
popular_vote12,290,519
percentage156.83%
image2Richard Graves 1954 Edit.jpg
nominee2Richard Graves
party2Democratic Party (United States)
popular_vote21,739,368
percentage243.16%
map_image1954 California gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
map_size300px
map_captionCounty results
titleGovernor
before_electionGoodwin Knight
before_partyRepublican Party (United States)
after_electionGoodwin Knight
after_partyRepublican Party (United States)

Knight:
Graves: The 1954 California gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1954. Incumbent Republican governor Goodwin Knight, who had ascended to the office after Earl Warren resigned to become Chief Justice of the United States the previous year, won a full term against Democrat Richard Graves.

Graves was the first Democratic nominee for governor to carry Yolo County since 1910; since 1954 it has been won by the Democratic nominee in all but three elections. Knight remains the last Republican gubernatorial nominee to date to carry San Francisco.

Primary elections

Primary elections were held on June 8, 1954.

Democratic primary

Candidates

  • Richard P. Graves, former director of the League of California Cities
  • Goodwin J. Knight, incumbent Governor (cross-filing)
  • Roderick J. Wilson

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

  • Cornell L. Gabrish
  • Richard P. Graves, former director of the League of California Cities (cross-filing)
  • Goodwin J. Knight, incumbent Governor

Results

Independent–Progressive primary

Candidates

  • Cornell L. Galbrish (cross-filing)

Results

Galbrish was disqualified from the general election as he had not won his own party's nomination.

General election results

Results by county

CountyGoodwin J. Knight
RepublicanRichard P. Graves
DemocraticScattering
Write-inMarginTotal votes cast#%#%#%#%Total2,290,51956.83%1,739,36843.16%4810.01%551,15113.67%4,030,368
Alameda143,00749.93%143,35050.05%520.02%-343-0.12%286,409
Alpine11080.88%2619.12%00.00%8461.76%136
Amador1,96445.86%2,31954.14%00.00%-355-8.29%4,283
Butte14,39058.92%10,03541.08%00.00%4,35517.83%24,425
Calaveras2,57453.64%2,22546.36%00.00%3497.27%4,799
Colusa2,33757.76%1,70942.24%00.00%62815.52%4,046
Contra Costa58,34051.61%54,68148.37%150.01%3,6593.24%113,036
Del Norte2,58464.86%1,40035.14%00.00%1,18429.72%3,984
El Dorado3,96854.87%3,26445.13%00.00%7049.73%7,232
Fresno44,58149.12%46,16850.87%20.00%-1,587-1.75%90,751
Glenn3,19757.45%2,36842.55%00.00%82914.90%5,565
Humboldt16,32463.39%9,42636.61%00.00%6,89826.79%25,750
Imperial7,66458.25%5,49441.75%00.00%2,17016.49%13,158
Inyo2,66266.45%1,34433.55%00.00%1,31832.90%4,006
Kern35,30151.69%32,99748.31%10.00%2,3043.37%68,299
Kings5,07042.75%6,78957.25%00.00%-1,719-14.50%11,859
Lake3,40964.98%1,83735.02%00.00%1,57229.97%5,246
Lassen2,59745.30%3,13654.70%00.00%-539-9.40%5,733
Los Angeles950,61157.31%707,73442.67%3030.02%242,87714.64%1,658,648
Madera5,14746.94%5,81753.06%00.00%-670-6.11%10,964
Marin23,83064.01%13,39235.97%40.01%10,43828.04%37,226
Mariposa1,40560.80%90639.20%00.00%49921.59%2,311
Mendocino9,14659.94%6,11140.05%10.01%3,03519.89%15,258
Merced9,92448.46%10,55351.53%10.00%-629-3.07%20,478
Modoc1,76354.70%1,46045.30%00.00%3039.40%3,223
Mono60276.20%18823.80%00.00%41452.41%790
Monterey22,59359.45%15,41140.55%20.01%7,18218.90%38,006
Napa10,99260.59%7,14939.41%00.00%3,84321.18%18,141
Nevada4,37657.13%3,28442.87%00.00%1,09214.26%7,660
Orange63,14869.65%27,51130.34%70.01%35,63739.31%90,666
Placer7,45946.97%8,42053.03%00.00%-961-6.05%15,879
Plumas2,05343.50%2,66756.50%00.00%-614-13.01%4,720
Riverside39,04763.22%22,70636.77%60.01%16,34126.46%61,759
Sacramento55,27749.61%56,13750.38%120.01%-860-0.77%111,426
San Benito2,91164.86%1,57735.14%00.00%1,33429.72%4,488
San Bernardino60,41758.39%43,05841.61%50.00%17,35916.78%103,480
San Diego139,76964.23%77,81735.76%60.00%61,95228.47%217,592
San Francisco151,45855.97%119,13844.03%130.00%32,32011.94%270,609
San Joaquin36,11155.99%28,38444.01%60.01%7,72711.98%64,501
San Luis Obispo12,80858.34%9,14541.65%20.01%3,66316.68%21,955
San Mateo71,44063.02%41,91036.97%130.01%29,53026.05%113,363
Santa Barbara23,36862.63%13,94137.36%20.01%9,42725.27%37,311
Santa Clara72,69558.25%52,08841.74%90.01%20,60716.51%124,792
Santa Cruz19,00864.17%10,61335.83%10.00%8,39528.34%29,622
Shasta6,58244.69%8,14455.30%10.01%-1,560-10.61%14,727
Sierra57949.15%59950.85%00.00%-20-1.70%1,178
Siskiyou6,01952.72%5,39747.28%00.00%6225.45%11,416
Solano16,53748.87%17,30351.13%00.00%-766-2.26%33,840
Sonoma26,76664.55%14,69935.45%30.01%12,06729.10%41,468
Stanislaus21,48750.77%20,82849.22%40.01%6591.56%42,319
Sutter4,70458.15%3,38641.85%00.00%1,31816.29%8,090
Tehama4,56659.20%3,14740.80%00.00%1,41918.40%7,713
Trinity1,13749.16%1,17650.84%00.00%-39-1.69%2,313
Tulare21,49154.64%17,84245.36%10.00%3,6499.28%39,334
Tuolumne2,77347.60%3,05352.40%00.00%-280-4.81%5,826
Ventura19,92653.33%17,43446.66%40.01%2,4926.67%37,364
Yolo7,05349.77%7,11450.20%50.04%-61-0.43%14,172
Yuba3,46249.30%3,56150.70%00.00%-99-1.41%7,023

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

  • Alameda
  • Amador
  • Fresno
  • Kings
  • Lassen
  • Madera
  • Merced
  • Placer
  • Plumas
  • Sacramento
  • Shasta
  • Sierra
  • Solano
  • Trinity
  • Tuolumne
  • Yolo
  • Yuba

Notes

References

Bibliography

References

  1. . (8 June 1989). ["Richard P. Graves; Ran Against Gov. Knight in 1954"](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-06-08-mn-1664-story.html). *Los Angeles Times*.
  2. California Secretary of State. "State of California Statement of Vote Direct Primary Election June 8, 1954". State Printing Office.
  3. California Secretary of State. "State of California Statement of Vote General Election November 2, 1954". State Printing Office.
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