2010 California gubernatorial election


The 2010 California gubernatorial election was held November 2, 2010, to elect the governor of California. The primary elections were held on June 8, 2010. Because constitutional office holders in California have been prohibited from serving more than two terms in the same office since November 6, 1990, incumbent [California California Republican Party|Republican Party|Republican] Arnold Schwarzenegger was ineligible to run for re-election due to term limits. Former Governor Jerry Brown, who served as the 34th governor of California from 1975 to 1983, to whom the term limits did not apply due to a grandfather clause, defeated Meg Whitman in the general election and was sworn into office on January 3, 2011. As of 2025, this remains the most recent time the governor's office in California has changed partisan control.

Primary election

Candidates

Democratic party

Candidates

Declared

American Independent primary

Candidates

Chelene Nightingale, business owner
  • Markham Robinson, owner of a software firm

Green primary

Candidates

  • S. Deacon Alexander, studentLaura Wells, financial systems consultant

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Peace and Freedom primary

Candidates

General election

Campaign

Both Whitman and Brown were criticized for negative campaigning during the election. During their final debate at the 2010 Women's Conference a week before the election, moderator Matt Lauer asked both candidates to pull attack ads for the rest of the election, which elicited loud cheers from the audience. Brown agreed and picked one ad each of his and Whitman's that he thought, if Whitman would agree, should be the only ones run, but Whitman, who had been loudly cheered earlier as the prospective first woman governor of the state, was booed when she stated that she would keep "the ads that talk about where Gov. Brown stands on the issues."
The Los Angeles Times reported that nearly $250 million was spent on the Governor's race. At least two spending records were broken during the campaign. Whitman broke personal spending records by spending $140 million of her own money on the campaign, and independent expenditures exceeded $31.7 million, with almost $25 million of that spent in support of Brown.
In an interview with CNN, the reporter opined that Whitman was hurt most during the campaign by a matter involving Nicky Diaz, her former Mexican maid, whom Whitman fired after Diaz asked for help as she was an illegal immigrant.
As of 2024, this is the last time the American Independent Party ran in a California gubernatorial election.

Candidates' stances on issues

Jobs:
Meg Whitman

1. Eliminate small business start-up tax

2. Eliminate factory tax

3. Increase R&D tax credit

4. Promote investments in agriculture

5. Eliminate the state tax on capital gains



Jerry Brown


1. Stimulate clean energy jobs

2. Invest in infrastructure/construction jobs

2. Overhaul state testing program

3. Change school funding formulas and consolidate the 62 existing categorical programs

4. Teacher recruitment and training

5. Simplify the Education Code and return more decision-making to local school districts

6. A more balanced and creative school curriculum

7. Place special emphasis on teaching science, technology, engineering, and math

8. Increase proficiency in English

9. Improve high school graduation rates

10. Charter schools

11. Magnet or theme schools

12. Citizenship and character

Polling

Poll sourceDate administeredSample
size		Margin of
error		Jerry
Brown 		Meg
Whitman 		OtherUndecided
Rasmussen ReportsJanuary 14, 2009500±4.5%40%38%––––
Research 2000August 9, 2009600±4.0%42%36%––––
Rasmussen ReportsSeptember 24, 2009500±4.5%44%35%3%18%
The Field PollSept. 15–Oct. 5, 20091,005±3.2%50%29%––21%
Rasmussen ReportsNovember 17, 2009500±4.5%41%41%3%14%
Public Policy Institute of CaliforniaDecember 16, 20092,004±2.0%43%37%––20%
The Field PollJanuary 5–17, 2010958±3.3%46%36%––18%
Rasmussen ReportsJanuary 19, 2010500±4.5%43%39%7%11%
Public Policy Institute of CaliforniaJanuary 27, 20102,001±2.0%41%36%––23%
Rasmussen ReportsFebruary 15, 2010500±4.5%43%43%6%8%
Research 2000March 10, 2010600±4.0%45%41%––14%
Rasmussen ReportsMarch 15, 2010500±4.5%40%40%6%14%
The Field PollMarch 17, 2010748±3.7%43%46%––11%
Public Policy Institute of CaliforniaMarch 24, 20102,002±2.0%39%44%––17%
USC/Los Angeles TimesMarch 23–30, 2010––––41%44%––––
Rasmussen ReportsApril 19, 2010500±4.5%44%38%9%9%
Public Policy Institute of CaliforniaMay 9–16, 20102,003±2.0%42%37%––21%
Research 2000May 17–19, 2010600±4.0%46%42%––18%
Public Policy PollingMay 21–23, 2010921±3.2%48%36%––16%
Rasmussen ReportsMay 24, 2010500±4.5%45%41%8%7%
USC/Los Angeles TimesMay 19–26, 2010––––44%38%––––
Rasmussen ReportsJune 9, 2010500±4.5%45%44%4%7%
ReutersJune 30, 2010600±4.5%45%39%3%14%
The Field PollJune 22-July 5, 20101,005±3.2%44%43%––13%
Survey USAJuly 8–11, 2010614±4.0%39%46%7%8%
Rasmussen ReportsJuly 12, 2010500±4.5%46%47%4%3%
Public Policy PollingJuly 23–25, 2010614±3.95%46%40%––14%
Rasmussen ReportsAugust 3, 2010750±4.0%43%41%6%10%
Survey USAAugust 9–11, 2010602± 4.1%43%44%—13%
Rasmussen ReportsAugust 24, 2010750±4.0%40%48%6%6%
Survey USAAugust 31-September 1, 2010569±4.2%40%47%9%4%
Rasmussen ReportsSeptember 6, 2010750±4.0%45%48%3%4%
CNNSeptember 2–7, 2010866± 3.5%46%48%——
FOX NewsSeptember 11, 20101,000± 3%43%49%4%4%
Public Policy PollingSeptember 14–16, 2010630±3.9%47%42%––12%
Field PollSeptember 14–21, 2010599±4.1%41%41%––18%
Fox News/Pulse Opinion ResearchSeptember 18, 20101,000±3.0%45%45%4%6%
Rasmussen ReportsSeptember 20, 2010750±4.0%47%46%4%3%
Survey USASeptember 19–21, 2010610±4.0%46%43%8%3%
The Los Angeles Times/USCSeptember 15–22, 20101,500±3.3%49%44%----
PPICSeptember 19–26, 20101,104±3%37%38%7%18%
CNN/Time/Opinion Research CorporationSeptember 24–28, 2010786±3.5%52%43%5%3%
Rasmussen ReportsOctober 3, 2010750±4.0%49%44%4%4%
Reuters/IpsosOctober 4, 2010600±4%50%43%——
Angus Reid Public OpinionOctober 6, 2010501±4.5%53%41%6%—
Rasmussen ReportsOctober 13, 2010750±4.0%50%44%2%4%
Los Angeles Times/USCOctober 13–20, 20101,501±2.5%52%39%3%6%
Reuters October 29–31, 2010882± 3.3%51%46%—3%

Poll sourceDates administeredSteve
Poizner 		Jerry
Brown
Rasmussen ReportsMay 24, 201042%43%
Public Policy PollingMay 21–23, 201032%48%
Research 2000May 17–19, 201037%47%
PPICMay 201032%45%
Rasmussen ReportsApril 19, 201032%50%
PPICMarch 24, 201031%46%
Rasmussen ReportsMarch 15, 201027%42%
Research 2000March 10, 201033%48%
Rasmussen ReportsFebruary 15, 201034%46%
PPICJanuary 27, 201029%44%
Rasmussen ReportsJanuary 19, 201035%45%
The Field PollJanuary 5–17, 201031%48%
PPICDecember 16, 200931%47%
Rasmussen ReportsNovember 17, 200932%43%
The Field PollSeptember 18–Oct. 5, 200925%50%
Rasmussen ReportsSeptember 24, 200932%45%
Research 2000August 9, 200934%43%
Lake Research PartnersFebruary 17–19, 200930%41%

Results

By county

;Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

By congressional district

Brown won 34 of 53 congressional districts, with the remaining 19 going to Whitman. Each candidate won a district that elected a representative of the other party.
DistrictWhitmanBrownRepresentative
35%59%Mike Thompson
55%38%Wally Herger
47%48%Dan Lungren
55%39%Tom McClintock
27%68%Doris Matsui
28%68%Lynn Woolsey
28%67%George Miller
16%80%Nancy Pelosi
11%85%Barbara Lee
39%57%John Garamendi
49%47%Jerry McNerney
29%68%Jackie Speier
27%69%Pete Stark
33%64%Anna Eshoo
36%60%Mike Honda
33%62%Zoe Lofgren
31%64%Sam Farr
41%52%Dennis Cardoza
55%40%George Radanovich
55%40%Jeff Denham
37%56%Jim Costa
58%36%Devin Nunes
58%34%Kevin McCarthy
39%56%Lois Capps
54%41%Elton Gallegly
51%41%Buck McKeon
50%44%David Dreier
37%58%Brad Sherman
26%69%Howard Berman
35%61%Adam Schiff
35%62%Henry Waxman
17%78%Xavier Becerra
29%65%Judy Chu
13%83%Diane Watson
13%83%Karen Bass
23%72%Lucille Roybal-Allard
16%79%Maxine Waters
39%56%Jane Harman
20%74%Laura Richardson
26%68%Grace Napolitano
34%60%Linda Sánchez
56%38%Ed Royce
53%38%Jerry Lewis
59%35%Gary Miller
30%62%Joe Baca
53%41%Ken Calvert
50%44%Mary Bono
56%39%Dana Rohrabacher
38%54%Loretta Sanchez
59%36%John B. T. Campbell III
57%36%Darrell Issa
55%40%Brian Bilbray
36%56%Bob Filner
57%37%Duncan L. Hunter
36%58%Susan Davis

By city

Cities & Unincorporated Areas that flipped from Republican to Tied
Cities & Unincorporated Areas that flipped from Republican to Democratic