1918 California gubernatorial election
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 County results Stephens: 40–50% 50–60 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Bell: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in California |
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The 1918 California gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1918. William Stephens had defeated James Rolph for the Republican nomination and won the general election in a landslide after Rolph was denied the Democratic Party's nomination. Stephens was the first governor elected with an absolute majority of the vote since Henry Gage in 1898 and won the highest share of the vote since Frederick Low in 1863.
Primary election
[edit]San Francisco mayor James Rolph, a Republican, cross-filed in both the Republican and Democratic primaries, won the Democratic primary, and received the most overall votes of any candidate in the primary election across all parties. However, because he failed to win his own party's nomination, he was barred from receiving the Democratic nomination thanks to the 1917 Hawson amendment to California electoral law, leaving the Democratic Party without a candidate. Incumbent Republican governor William Stephens won the Republican, Prohibition, and Progressive nominations. The only other primary candidate to advance to the general election was Socialist Henry H. Roser, running unopposed.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William Stephens | 169,942 | 44.99% | |
| Republican | James Rolph | 146,990 | 38.91% | |
| Republican | J. O. Hayes | 24,676 | 6.53% | |
| Republican | Walter Bordwell | 17,038 | 4.51% | |
| Republican | Charles Fickert | 13,259 | 3.51% | |
| Republican | C. A. A. McGee | 4,014 | 1.06% | |
| Republican | Francis J. Heney | 1,539 | 0.41% | |
| Republican | Thomas Lee Woolwine | 276 | 0.07% | |
| Republican | Henry H. Roser | 8 | 0.00% | |
| Total votes | 377,742 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James Rolph | 74,955 | 43.76% | |
| Democratic | Francis J. Heney | 60,662 | 35.41% | |
| Democratic | Thomas Lee Woolwine | 28,879 | 16.86% | |
| Democratic | William Stephens | 6,257 | 3.65% | |
| Democratic | J. O. Hayes | 309 | 0.18% | |
| Democratic | Charles Fickert | 91 | 0.05% | |
| Democratic | Walter Bordwell | 73 | 0.04% | |
| Democratic | C. A. A. McGee | 54 | 0.03% | |
| Democratic | Henry H. Roser | 10 | 0.01% | |
| Total votes | 171,290 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prohibition | William Stephens | 12,853 | 96.97% | |
| Prohibition | Francis J. Heney | 157 | 1.18% | |
| Prohibition | James Rolph | 97 | 0.73% | |
| Prohibition | Walter Bordwell | 53 | 0.40% | |
| Prohibition | Thomas Lee Woolwine | 35 | 0.26% | |
| Prohibition | J. O. Hayes | 31 | 0.23% | |
| Prohibition | Charles Fickert | 21 | 0.16% | |
| Prohibition | C. A. A. McGee | 7 | 0.05% | |
| Prohibition | Henry H. Roser | 1 | 0.01% | |
| Total votes | 13,255 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progressive | William Stephens | 5,142 | 53.44% | |
| Progressive | Francis J. Heney | 3,418 | 35.52% | |
| Progressive | James Rolph | 980 | 1.18% | |
| Progressive | J. O. Hayes | 26 | 0.27% | |
| Progressive | Walter Bordwell | 18 | 0.19% | |
| Progressive | Thomas Lee Woolwine | 17 | 0.18% | |
| Progressive | Charles Fickert | 13 | 0.14% | |
| Progressive | C. A. A. McGee | 6 | 0.06% | |
| Progressive | Henry H. Roser | 2 | 0.02% | |
| Total votes | 9,622 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socialist | Henry H. Roser | 7,931 | 85.43% | |
| Socialist | James Rolph | 704 | 7.58% | |
| Socialist | Francis J. Heney | 382 | 4.11% | |
| Socialist | William Stephens | 214 | 2.31% | |
| Socialist | J. O. Hayes | 29 | 0.31% | |
| Socialist | Thomas Lee Woolwine | 19 | 0.20% | |
| Socialist | Walter Bordwell | 3 | 0.09% | |
| Socialist | Charles Fickert | 1 | 0.01% | |
| Socialist | C. A. A. McGee | 1 | 0.01% | |
| Total votes | 9,284 | 100.00% | ||
After the Democrats were left without a nominee, Theodore Arlington Bell, who had been the Democratic nominee for governor in 1906 and 1910, entered the race as an independent. His second-place finish in the general election indicated that Democrats regarded him as their de facto candidate.
General election results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William Stephens (incumbent) | 387,547 | 56.27% | +26.92% | |
| Independent | Theodore Arlington Bell | 251,189 | 36.47% | ||
| Socialist | Henry H. Roser | 29,003 | 4.21% | −1.26% | |
| Republican | James Rolph (write-in) | 20,605 | 2.99% | ||
| Scattering | 326 | 0.05% | |||
| Majority | 136,358 | 19.80% | |||
| Total votes | 688,670 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | Swing | -0.54% | |||
Results by county
[edit]| County | William D. Stephens Republican |
Theodore A. Bell Independent |
Henry H. Roser Socialist |
James Rolph Write-in |
Scattering Write-in |
Margin | Total votes cast[3] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Alameda | 42,276 | 56.72% | 27,332 | 36.67% | 4,288 | 5.75% | 619 | 0.83% | 18 | 0.02% | 14,944 | 20.05% | 74,533 |
| Alpine | 56 | 82.35% | 9 | 13.24% | 3 | 4.41% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 47 | 69.12% | 68 |
| Amador | 933 | 46.39% | 887 | 44.11% | 45 | 2.24% | 146 | 7.26% | 0 | 0.00% | 46 | 2.29% | 2,011 |
| Butte | 3,637 | 55.01% | 1,496 | 22.63% | 236 | 3.57% | 1,235 | 18.68% | 7 | 0.11% | 2,141 | 32.39% | 6,611 |
| Calaveras | 905 | 55.52% | 650 | 39.88% | 56 | 3.44% | 0 | 0.00% | 19 | 1.17% | 255 | 15.64% | 1,630 |
| Colusa | 1,200 | 54.05% | 722 | 32.52% | 51 | 2.30% | 247 | 11.13% | 0 | 0.00% | 478 | 21.53% | 2,220 |
| Contra Costa | 4,539 | 50.69% | 3,778 | 42.19% | 534 | 5.96% | 103 | 1.15% | 0 | 0.00% | 761 | 8.50% | 8,954 |
| Del Norte | 585 | 64.36% | 268 | 29.48% | 52 | 5.72% | 0 | 0.00% | 4 | 0.44% | 317 | 34.87% | 909 |
| El Dorado | 950 | 41.36% | 681 | 29.65% | 75 | 3.27% | 591 | 25.73% | 0 | 0.00% | 269 | 11.71% | 2,297 |
| Fresno | 15,607 | 66.99% | 6,679 | 28.67% | 944 | 4.05% | 67 | 0.29% | 0 | 0.00% | 8,928 | 38.32% | 23,297 |
| Glenn | 1,685 | 59.06% | 757 | 26.53% | 77 | 2.70% | 331 | 11.60% | 3 | 0.11% | 928 | 32.53% | 2,853 |
| Humboldt | 5,974 | 65.25% | 2,317 | 25.31% | 467 | 5.10% | 389 | 4.25% | 9 | 0.10% | 3,657 | 39.94% | 9,156 |
| Imperial | 2,748 | 68.61% | 1,066 | 26.62% | 188 | 4.69% | 0 | 0.00% | 3 | 0.07% | 1,682 | 42.00% | 4,005 |
| Inyo | 744 | 64.64% | 315 | 27.37% | 88 | 7.65% | 0 | 0.00% | 4 | 0.35% | 429 | 37.27% | 1,151 |
| Kern | 5,894 | 52.58% | 4,897 | 43.68% | 413 | 3.68% | 0 | 0.00% | 6 | 0.05% | 997 | 8.89% | 11,210 |
| Kings | 3,286 | 67.93% | 1,375 | 28.43% | 162 | 3.35% | 13 | 0.27% | 1 | 0.02% | 1,911 | 39.51% | 4,837 |
| Lake | 1,032 | 58.80% | 619 | 35.27% | 87 | 4.96% | 0 | 0.00% | 17 | 0.97% | 413 | 23.53% | 1,755 |
| Lassen | 1,068 | 56.18% | 444 | 23.36% | 82 | 4.31% | 307 | 16.15% | 0 | 0.00% | 624 | 32.82% | 1,901 |
| Los Angeles | 106,198 | 63.78% | 54,031 | 32.45% | 6,094 | 3.66% | 63 | 0.04% | 121 | 0.07% | 52,167 | 31.33% | 166,507 |
| Madera | 1,763 | 60.50% | 994 | 34.11% | 138 | 4.74% | 17 | 0.58% | 2 | 0.07% | 769 | 26.39% | 2,914 |
| Marin | 2,811 | 46.59% | 2,961 | 49.08% | 261 | 4.33% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | -150 | -2.49% | 6,033 |
| Mariposa | 605 | 54.65% | 439 | 39.66% | 58 | 5.24% | 5 | 0.45% | 0 | 0.00% | 166 | 15.00% | 1,107 |
| Mendocino | 2,780 | 52.17% | 2,281 | 42.80% | 268 | 5.03% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 499 | 9.36% | 5,329 |
| Merced | 2,751 | 63.62% | 1,337 | 30.92% | 208 | 4.81% | 28 | 0.65% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,414 | 32.70% | 4,324 |
| Modoc | 930 | 60.74% | 428 | 27.96% | 54 | 3.53% | 115 | 7.51% | 4 | 0.26% | 502 | 32.79% | 1,531 |
| Mono | 114 | 56.44% | 67 | 33.17% | 20 | 9.90% | 1 | 0.50% | 0 | 0.00% | 47 | 23.27% | 202 |
| Monterey | 3,739 | 62.97% | 1,954 | 32.91% | 188 | 3.17% | 57 | 0.96% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,785 | 30.06% | 5,938 |
| Napa | 1,805 | 32.31% | 3,511 | 62.84% | 165 | 2.95% | 106 | 1.90% | 0 | 0.00% | -1,706 | -30.54% | 5,587 |
| Nevada | 1,899 | 52.23% | 875 | 24.06% | 135 | 3.71% | 727 | 19.99% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,024 | 28.16% | 3,636 |
| Orange | 9,192 | 73.17% | 2,985 | 23.76% | 384 | 3.06% | 0 | 0.00% | 2 | 0.02% | 6,207 | 49.41% | 12,563 |
| Placer | 1,978 | 44.23% | 937 | 20.95% | 121 | 2.71% | 1,436 | 32.11% | 0 | 0.00% | 542[a] | 12.12% | 4,472 |
| Plumas | 540 | 51.28% | 251 | 23.84% | 50 | 4.75% | 212 | 20.13% | 0 | 0.00% | 289 | 27.45% | 1,053 |
| Riverside | 7,181 | 74.71% | 2,021 | 21.03% | 410 | 4.27% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 5,160 | 53.68% | 9,612 |
| Sacramento | 9,004 | 43.64% | 5,517 | 26.74% | 438 | 2.12% | 5,675 | 27.50% | 0 | 0.00% | 3,329[a] | 16.13% | 20,634 |
| San Benito | 1,227 | 56.94% | 858 | 39.81% | 55 | 2.55% | 14 | 0.65% | 1 | 0.05% | 369 | 17.12% | 2,155 |
| San Bernardino | 9,899 | 69.56% | 3,909 | 27.47% | 422 | 2.97% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 5,990 | 42.09% | 14,230 |
| San Diego | 16,333 | 65.07% | 7,618 | 30.35% | 1,132 | 4.51% | 12 | 0.05% | 5 | 0.02% | 8,715 | 34.72% | 25,100 |
| San Francisco | 36,099 | 35.96% | 56,726 | 56.51% | 5,249 | 5.23% | 2,302 | 2.29% | 6 | 0.01% | -20,627 | -20.55% | 100,382 |
| San Joaquin | 9,475 | 57.10% | 5,776 | 34.81% | 713 | 4.30% | 630 | 3.80% | 0 | 0.00% | 3,699 | 22.29% | 16,594 |
| San Luis Obispo | 3,128 | 59.21% | 1,806 | 34.19% | 349 | 6.61% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,322 | 25.02% | 5,283 |
| San Mateo | 3,909 | 47.16% | 3,817 | 46.05% | 422 | 5.09% | 138 | 1.66% | 3 | 0.04% | 92 | 1.11% | 8,289 |
| Santa Barbara | 4,699 | 67.32% | 1,915 | 27.44% | 351 | 5.03% | 0 | 0.00% | 15 | 0.21% | 2,784 | 39.89% | 6,980 |
| Santa Clara | 13,167 | 59.53% | 8,077 | 36.52% | 699 | 3.16% | 155 | 0.70% | 19 | 0.09% | 5,090 | 23.01% | 22,117 |
| Santa Cruz | 4,014 | 61.83% | 1,863 | 28.70% | 216 | 3.33% | 399 | 6.15% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,151 | 33.13% | 6,492 |
| Shasta | 1,949 | 55.35% | 937 | 26.61% | 178 | 5.06% | 450 | 12.78% | 7 | 0.20% | 1,012 | 28.74% | 3,521 |
| Sierra | 379 | 54.38% | 181 | 25.97% | 22 | 3.16% | 113 | 16.21% | 2 | 0.29% | 198 | 28.41% | 697 |
| Siskiyou | 2,196 | 48.49% | 1,360 | 30.03% | 216 | 4.77% | 757 | 16.71% | 0 | 0.00% | 836 | 18.46% | 4,529 |
| Solano | 3,254 | 43.88% | 3,497 | 47.15% | 235 | 3.17% | 430 | 5.80% | 0 | 0.00% | -243 | -3.28% | 7,416 |
| Sonoma | 5,258 | 41.77% | 6,696 | 53.20% | 366 | 2.91% | 258 | 2.05% | 9 | 0.07% | -1,438 | -11.42% | 12,587 |
| Stanislaus | 6,459 | 66.92% | 2,795 | 28.96% | 346 | 3.58% | 48 | 0.50% | 4 | 0.04% | 3,664 | 37.96% | 9,652 |
| Sutter | 1,093 | 50.37% | 495 | 22.81% | 56 | 2.58% | 526 | 24.24% | 0 | 0.00% | 567[a] | 26.13% | 2,170 |
| Tehama | 1,963 | 61.73% | 731 | 22.99% | 124 | 3.90% | 362 | 11.38% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,232 | 38.74% | 3,180 |
| Trinity | 475 | 52.37% | 245 | 27.01% | 60 | 6.62% | 127 | 14.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 230 | 25.36% | 907 |
| Tulare | 8,927 | 71.46% | 3,025 | 24.21% | 511 | 4.09% | 0 | 0.00% | 30 | 0.24% | 5,902 | 47.24% | 12,493 |
| Tuolumne | 1,263 | 56.18% | 827 | 36.79% | 157 | 6.98% | 1 | 0.04% | 0 | 0.00% | 436 | 19.40% | 2,248 |
| Ventura | 3,243 | 66.59% | 1,465 | 30.08% | 157 | 3.22% | 0 | 0.00% | 5 | 0.10% | 1,778 | 36.51% | 4,870 |
| Yolo | 1,765 | 47.07% | 1,238 | 33.01% | 71 | 1.89% | 676 | 18.03% | 0 | 0.00% | 527 | 14.05% | 3,750 |
| Yuba | 964 | 44.06% | 451 | 20.61% | 56 | 2.56% | 717 | 32.77% | 0 | 0.00% | 247[a] | 11.29% | 2,188 |
| Total | 387,547 | 56.27% | 251,189 | 36.47% | 29,003 | 4.21% | 20,605 | 2.99% | 326 | 0.05% | 136,358 | 19.80% | 688,670 |
Counties that flipped from Progressive to Independent
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e California Secretary of State. Statement of Vote at Primary Election held on August 27, 1918 in the State of California. Sacramento, California: State Printing Office. pp. 4–8. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
- ^ Melendy, H. Brett (1964). "California's Cross-Filing Nightmare: The 1918 Gubernatorial Election". Pacific Historical Review. 33 (3). University of California Press: 317–330. doi:10.2307/3636839. ISSN 0030-8684. JSTOR 3636839.
- ^ a b California Secretary of State. Statement of Vote at General Election held on November 5, 1918 in the State of California. Sacramento, California: State Printing Office. p. 7. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
