United States Senate election in California, 2016
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November 8, 2016 |
June 7, 2016 |
Kamala Harris  |
Barbara Boxer |
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Cook Political Report: Solid D[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe D[2] Rothenberg & Gonzales: Safe D[3] |
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Voters in California elected one member to the U.S. Senate in the election on November 8, 2016.
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated California's U.S. Senate race as safely Democratic. California's U.S. Senate seat was open following the retirement of incumbent Barbara Boxer (D). Thirty-four candidates filed to run to replace Boxer, including seven Democrats, 12 Republicans, and 15 third-party candidates. Two Democrats, Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez, defeated the other 32 candidates to advance to the general election. Harris won the general election.[4][5]
| 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.[6][7]
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 August 2024, California was one of five states to use a top-two primary system, or a variation of the top-two system. See here for more information.
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Incumbent: The election filled the Class 3 Senate seat held by Barbara Boxer (D). She was first elected in 1992. Boxer announced on January 8, 2015, that she would retire at the end of the term.
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Kamala Harris |
61.6% | 7,542,753 | |
| Democratic | Loretta Sanchez | 38.4% | 4,710,417 | |
| Total Votes | 12,253,170 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State | ||||
Primary election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |
Kamala Harris |
40.2% | 3,000,689 | |
| Democratic | Loretta Sanchez |
19% | 1,416,203 | |
| Republican | Duf Sundheim | 7.8% | 584,251 | |
| Republican | Phil Wyman | 4.7% | 352,821 | |
| Republican | Tom Del Beccaro | 4.3% | 323,614 | |
| Republican | Greg Conlon | 3.1% | 230,944 | |
| Democratic | Steve Stokes | 2.3% | 168,805 | |
| Republican | George Yang | 1.5% | 112,055 | |
| Republican | Karen Roseberry | 1.5% | 110,557 | |
| Republican | Tom Palzer | 1.2% | 93,263 | |
| Libertarian | Gail Lightfoot | 1.3% | 99,761 | |
| Republican | Ron Unz | 1.2% | 92,325 | |
| Democratic | Massie Munroe | 0.8% | 61,271 | |
| Green | Pamela Elizondo | 1.3% | 95,677 | |
| Republican | Don Krampe | 0.9% | 69,635 | |
| Republican | Jarrell Williamson | 0.9% | 64,120 | |
| Independent | Elanor Garcia | 0.9% | 65,084 | |
| Republican | Von Hougo | 0.9% | 63,609 | |
| Democratic | President Cristina Grappo | 0.8% | 63,330 | |
| Republican | Jerry Laws | 0.7% | 53,023 | |
| Libertarian | Mark Matthew Herd | 0.6% | 41,344 | |
| Independent | Ling Ling Shi | 0.5% | 35,196 | |
| Peace and Freedom | John Parker | 0.3% | 22,374 | |
| Democratic | Herbert Peters | 0.4% | 32,638 | |
| Democratic | Emory Rodgers | 0.4% | 31,485 | |
| Independent | Mike Beitiks | 0.4% | 31,450 | |
| Independent | Clive Grey | 0.4% | 29,418 | |
| Independent | Jason Hanania | 0.4% | 27,715 | |
| Independent | Paul Merritt | 0.3% | 24,031 | |
| Independent | Jason Kraus | 0.3% | 19,318 | |
| Independent | Don Grundmann | 0.2% | 15,317 | |
| Independent | Scott Vineberg | 0.2% | 11,843 | |
| Independent | Tim Gildersleeve | 0.1% | 9,798 | |
| Independent | Gar Myers | 0.1% | 8,726 | |
| Total Votes | 7,461,690 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State |
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Candidates
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General election candidates: Kamala Harris  Loretta Sanchez |
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Primary candidates: President Cristina Grappo[4] Kamala Harris - Attorney General[4] Massie Munroe[4] Herbert Peters[4] Emory Rodgers[8][4] Loretta Sanchez - U.S. Rep.[9][4] Steve Stokes - Small business owner[10][4] Greg Conlon[4] Tom Del Beccaro - Former state party chair[11][4] Von Hougo[12][4] Don Krampe[4] Jerry Laws[4] Tom Palzer[13][4] Karen Roseberry[14][4] Duf Sundheim - Former state party chair[15][4] Ron Unz[16][4] Jarrell Williamson[4] Phil Wyman[17][4] George Yang[4] Pamela Elizondo (Green)[4] Mark Matthew Herd (Libertarian)[18][4] Gail Lightfoot (Libertarian)[19][4] John Thompson Parker (Peace and Freedom)[4] Mike Beitiks (Independent)[20][4] Eleanor Garcia (Independent)[4] Tim Gildersleeve (Independent)[4] Clive Grey (Independent)[21][4] Don Grundmann (Independent)[4] Jason Hanania (Independent)[4] Jason Kraus (Independent)[22][4] Paul Merritt (Independent)[23][4] Gar Myers (Independent)[24][4] Ling Ling Shi (Independent)[4] Scott Vineberg (Independent)[4] |
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Withdrew: Rocky Chavez (R) - Assemblyman[25] Akinyemi Agbede - Mathematician[26][4] John Estrada (R) - Business owner[4] Mark Hardie (R)[27][4] Al Ramirez (R)[28][4] Ronnie Brackett (Independent) - Recording artist[29][4] Hilaire Fuji Shioura (Independent)[30][4] |
Endorsements
Kamala Harris
Harris was endorsed by the following individuals and groups. For a full list of endorsements, click here.
- President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden[31]
- Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein[32]
- Sen. Chuck Schumer - "We certainly want a (Senate) majority. But we also need really high-quality people as part of that majority. People who understand what America needs. People who are willing to stand up to the special interests. People who have an intelligence, an articulateness, a compassion that will make a difference. I know Kamala. I have endorsed her. I am helping her. And I hope you will do everything you can for her."[33]
- The California Democratic Party[34]
- San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee[35]
- Rep. Jared Huffman[36]
- Rep. Mike Honda[37]
- Rep. Karen Bass[38]
- Controller Betty Yee
- SEIU California[39]
- AFSCME[40]
- Rep. Jerry McNerney[41]
- San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo - "As a former prosecutor, I watched with admiration as she took on the nation’s biggest banks during the mortgage crisis, winning $20 billion dollars to help families and homeowners in our state. And I’ve seen her work hard to keep protect our kids – whether she’s taking down transnational criminal gangs or tackling elementary school truancy and working to ensure every child has a shot at success in school and in life. I’m proud to endorse Kamala in this race and am looking forward to her continuing her fight for us in the U.S. Senate."[42]
- Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon - Harris "is an environmental leader — successfully defending California’s world-class environmental protections in court. She’ll fight to bring California’s climate leadership to Washington and get results for families across our state."[43]
- State Treasurer John Chiang[44]
- UNITE HERE - "As California's Attorney General, Kamala took on Wall Street and the deep-pocketed special interests and delivered victories for our families. She's the leader California needs in the U.S. Senate, and our members will work hard to make sure she gets there."[45]
- Gov. Jerry Brown[46]
Loretta Sanchez
Sanchez was endorsed by the following individuals:
- Rep. Pete Aguilar
- Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard
- Rep. Tony Cardenas
- Rep. Susan Davis
- Rep. Janice Hahn
- Rep. Alan Lowenthal
- Rep. Linda Sanchez,
- Rep. Norma Torres
- Rep. Juan Vargas
- Rep. Anna Eshoo
- Rep. Sam Farr[47][48]
- Rep. Jim Costa, former Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante and former State Assemblywoman Sarah Reyes[49]
Tom Del Becarro
For a full list of Del Becarro's endorsements, click here.
- Rep. Tom McClintock - “Tom Del Beccaro has my support not only because he is the only Constitutional-conservative in the race, but because he holds a command on the many issues we are facing and can effectively convey the conservative solution in order to get things done in a system known for gridlock.”[50]
Duf Sundheim
Sundheim received the following endorsements after Rocky Chavez exited the race:[51]
- General William Lyon
- Rep. Mimi Walters
- State Senate Minority Leader Jean Fuller
- The California Small Business Association
Polls
| California Senate - Kamala Harris vs. Loretta Sanchez | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Kamala Harris |
Loretta Sanchez | Margin of Error | Sample Size | |||||||||||||||
| KABC/SurveyUSA October 13-15, 2016 | 45% | 24% | +/-3.7 | 725 | |||||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA September 27-28, 2016 | 40% | 29% | +/-3.6 | 732 | |||||||||||||||
| PPIC September 9-18, 2016 | 32% | 25% | +/-4.5 | 1,055 | |||||||||||||||
| Field September 7-13, 2016 | 42% | 20% | +/--- | 1,426 | |||||||||||||||
| KBAC/SurveyUSA September 8-11, 2016 | 44% | 27% | +/-3.8 | 678 | |||||||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected] | |||||||||||||||||||
Media
Kamala Harris
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Loretta Sanchez
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Election history
2012
On November 6, 2012, Dianne Feinstein won re-election to the United States Senate. She defeated Elizabeth Emken (R) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dianne Feinstein Incumbent |
62.5% | 7,864,624 | |
| Republican | Elizabeth Emken | 37.5% | 4,713,887 | |
| Total Votes | 12,578,511 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
2010
On November 2, 2010, Barbara Boxer won re-election to the United States Senate. She defeated Carly Fiorina (R), Gail Lightfoot (L), Marsha Feinland (P&F), Duane Roberts (G), Edward Noonan (American Independent), and several write-in candidates in the general election.[52]
| U.S. Senate, California General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Barbara Boxer incumbent |
52.2% | 5,218,441 | |
| Republican | Carly Fiorina | 42.2% | 4,217,366 | |
| Libertarian | Gail Lightfoot | 1.8% | 175,242 | |
| Peace and Freedom | Marsha Feinland | 1.4% | 135,093 | |
| Green | Duane Roberts | 1.3% | 128,510 | |
| American Independent | Edward Noonan | 1.3% | 125,441 | |
| Write-in | James Harris | 0% | 41 | |
| Write-in | Connor Vlakancic | 0% | 11 | |
| Write-in | Jerry Leon Carroll | 0% | 10 | |
| Write-in | Hans Kugler | 0% | 5 | |
| Total Votes | 10,000,160 | |||
Important dates and deadlines
- See also: California elections, 2016
The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in California in 2016.
| Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Event type | Event description | |
| February 1, 2016 | Campaign finance | Semi-annual report due | |
| February 25, 2016 | Ballot access | Close of signature in lieu of filing fee period for voter-nominated offices | |
| March 11, 2016 | Ballot access | Close of declaration of candidacy and nomination paper period for voter-nominated offices | |
| April 28, 2016 | Campaign finance | Pre-election report due | |
| May 26, 2016 | Campaign finance | Pre-election report due | |
| August 1, 2016 | Campaign finance | Semi-annual report due | |
| June 7, 2016 | Election date | Primary election | |
| November 8, 2016 | Election date | General election | |
| Sources: California Secretary of State, "Key Dates and Deadlines," accessed January 11, 2016 California Fair Political Practices Commission, "Filing Schedule for State Candidate Controlled Committees Listed on the June 7, 2016 Ballot," accessed January 11, 2016 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2016
- United States Senate elections, 2016
- Barbara Boxer
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2016 Senate Race Ratings for July 11, 2016," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2016 Senate," accessed July 18, 2016
- ↑ Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, "Senate Ratings," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 4.20 4.21 4.22 4.23 4.24 4.25 4.26 4.27 4.28 4.29 4.30 4.31 4.32 4.33 4.34 4.35 4.36 4.37 4.38 4.39 4.40 California Secretary of State, "Certified List of Candidates for Voter-Nominated Offices June 7, 2016, Presidential Primary Election," accessed April 4, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "California Primary Results," June 7, 2016
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed August 13, 2024
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Primary Elections in California," accessed August 13, 2024
- ↑ Emory Rodgers for U.S. Senate, "Home," accessed March 30, 2016
- ↑ The Sacramento Bee, "Loretta Sanchez campaign changes course, says no decision on Senate run," May 12, 2015
- ↑ Steve Stokes for Senate, "Home," accessed January 31, 2016
- ↑ San Jose Mercury News, "Former GOP chairman Tom Del Beccaro of Lafayette enters 2016 Senate race," April 27, 2015
- ↑ Von Hougo for U.S. Senate, "Home," accessed February 29, 2016
- ↑ Tom Palzer's campaign website, "Tom Palzer," accessed May 4, 2015
- ↑ Karen Roseberry for Senate, "Meet Karen," accessed February 15, 2016
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Duf Sundheim enters race for Barbara Boxer's Senate seat," September 9, 2015
- ↑ The Sacramento Bee, "Republican Ron Unz enters California U.S. Senate race," March 16, 2016
- ↑ Email submission to Ballotpedia, January 3, 2016
- ↑ Mark Matthew Herd for Senate, "Home," accessed January 19, 2016
- ↑ Lightfoot for U.S. Senate, "Home," accessed March 7, 2016
- ↑ Beitiks for U.S. Senate, "Home," accessed February 24, 2016
- ↑ Clive Grey for US Senate, "Home," accessed March 24, 2016
- ↑ Yahoo Finance, "Jason Kraus Announces Candidacy for United States Senate," February 3, 2016
- ↑ Merritt for Senate, "Home," accessed March 23, 2016
- ↑ The Orange Juice Blog, "UPDATED: Where Do We Stand Now That Most All of the Primary Signups are Done?" March 14, 2016
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Chavez exit stuns Republican Senate debate, shakes up local race," February 8, 2016
- ↑ Akinyemi Agbede for U.S. Senate, "Home," accessed September 1, 2015
- ↑ Inside Bay Area.com, "San Diego’s Faulconer endorses Chávez for Senate," April 10, 2015
- ↑ Al Ramirez for Senate, "Home," accessed February 15, 2016
- ↑ Email submission to Ballotpedia, November 28, 2015
- ↑ Fuji for U.S. Senate, "Home," accessed January 26, 2016
- ↑ KESQ.com, "President Obama endorses attorney general Kamala Harris to be California's next U.S. Senator," July 19, 2016
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Kamala Harris wins endorsements from Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein in U.S. Senate race," October 6, 2016
- ↑ The Sacramento Bee, "Chuck Schumer endorses Kamala Harris for U.S. Senate in California," August 2, 2016
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris overwhelmingly wins state Democratic Party endorsement," February 27, 2016
- ↑ Twitter, "Josh Richman," January 28, 2015
- ↑ Facebook, "Jared Huffman," January 27, 2015
- ↑ Contra Costa Times, "Mike Honda endorses Kamala Harris for Senate," January 22, 2015
- ↑ The Sacramento Bee, "In San Diego, Rep. Xavier Becerra fuels speculation about Senate run," March 30, 2015
- ↑ SEIU California, "SEIU California Endorses Kamala Harris for U.S. Senate," June 23, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "POLITICO California Playbook, presented by Chevron: GOLDEN REVENUES -- MARCO IN CA -- BIG UNION BACKS KAMALA -- ILLEGAL TAMALES AT LAX" November 19, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "POLITICO California Playbook, presented by Chevron: CA DEMS split over refugee bill -- MATT DAVID says ‘gloves are off’ -- HOLLYWOOD’s dead authors society," November 20, 2015
- ↑ Ibabuzz.com, "Sam Liccardo endorses Kamala Harris for Senate," November 30, 2015
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "New Assembly speaker endorses Kamala Harris for Senate," January 14, 2016
- ↑ Kamala Harris for U.S. Senate, "Endorsements," accessed February 3, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "California Playbook," March 30, 2016
- ↑ The Sacramento Bee, "Gov. Jerry Brown endorses Kamala Harris’ U.S. Senate bid," May 23, 2016
- ↑ Liberal OC, "Sanchez announces Congressional Endorsements for US Senate Seat," July 23, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "POLITICO California Playbook, presented by PhRMA: STEINBERG’s mayoral precedent — MARIJUANA bonanza — HONDA’s big-Dem backing," October 29, 2015
- ↑ Voice of OC, "Central Valley Leaders Endorse Loretta Sanchez for U.S. Senate," November 23, 2015
- ↑ Tom De Beccaro for Senate, "Endorsements," accessed February 22, 2016
- ↑ Sundheim for Senate, "Sundheim Announces Cascade of Endorsements After Chavez Exits Race," February 9, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
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For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!
Senators
Alex Padilla (D)
Adam Schiff (D)
Representatives
District 1
Doug LaMalfa (R)
District 2
Jared Huffman (D)
District 3
Kevin Kiley (R)
District 4
Mike Thompson (D)
District 5
Tom McClintock (R)
District 6
Ami Bera (D)
District 7
Doris Matsui (D)
District 8
John Garamendi (D)
District 9
Josh Harder (D)
District 10
Mark DeSaulnier (D)
District 11
Nancy Pelosi (D)
District 12
Barbara Lee (D)
District 13
John Duarte (R)
District 14
Eric Swalwell (D)
District 15
Kevin Mullin (D)
District 16
Anna Eshoo (D)
District 17
Ro Khanna (D)
District 18
Zoe Lofgren (D)
District 19
Jimmy Panetta (D)
District 20
Vince Fong (R)
District 21
Jim Costa (D)
District 22
David Valadao (R)
District 23
Jay Obernolte (R)
District 24
Salud Carbajal (D)
District 25
Raul Ruiz (D)
District 26
Julia Brownley (D)
District 27
Mike Garcia (R)
District 28
Judy Chu (D)
District 29
Tony Cárdenas (D)
District 30
Vacant
District 31
Grace Napolitano (D)
District 32
Brad Sherman (D)
District 33
Pete Aguilar (D)
District 34
Jimmy Gomez (D)
District 35
Norma Torres (D)
District 36
Ted Lieu (D)
District 37
District 38
Linda Sánchez (D)
District 39
Mark Takano (D)
District 40
Young Kim (R)
District 41
Ken Calvert (R)
District 42
Robert Garcia (D)
District 43
Maxine Waters (D)
District 44
Nanette Barragán (D)
District 45
Michelle Steel (R)
District 46
Lou Correa (D)
District 47
Katie Porter (D)
District 48
Darrell Issa (R)
District 49
Mike Levin (D)
District 50
Scott Peters (D)
District 51
Sara Jacobs (D)
District 52
Juan Vargas (D)
Democratic Party (41)
Republican Party (12)
Vacancies (1)
