2022 California gubernatorial election


The 2022 California gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of California, with the statewide top-two primary election taking place on June 7, 2022. Incumbent Democratic Party Governor Gavin Newsom was elected to a second term after surviving a recall election in 2021, during his first term.
The elections featured universal mail-in ballots; in-person voting was also available. All statewide elected offices are currently held by Democrats. Newsom won 61.9% of the vote in both the 2018 gubernatorial election and the 2021 recall election. He received 55.9% of the top-two primary vote and faced Republican Party state senator Brian Dahle, who received 17.7% of the primary vote, in the general election.
Newsom received 59.2% of the vote to Dahle's 40.8%, a smaller margin of victory than in 2018 and 2021 and the smallest since 2010. Dahle flipped five counties that Newsom carried in 2018: Lake, Merced, Orange, San Bernardino, and San Joaquin. Dahle also received 32% of the vote in Los Angeles County, the highest percentage received by a Republican in the state's most populous county since 2014. Additionally, Dahle managed to carry two congressional districts represented by Democrats: CA-09 and CA-47. This election marks the fourth consecutive California gubernatorial election in which a Democratic candidate won.

Candidates

Democratic Party

Advanced to general

  • Gavin Newsom, incumbent governor

    Eliminated in primary

  • Anthony Fanara, restaurant owner
  • Armando Perez-Serrato, businessman and candidate in the 2021 recall election
  • Joel Ventresca, former Service Employees International Union committee member, retired airport analyst and perennial candidate

    Republican Party

Advanced to general

  • Brian Dahle, state senator from the 1st district and former Minority Leader of the California State Assembly

    Eliminated in primary

  • Ronald A. Anderson, contractor and businessman
  • Gurinder Bhangoo
  • Shawn Collins, U.S. Navy veteran and attorney
  • Ron Jones, former police officer
  • Jenny Rae Le Roux, entrepreneur and candidate in the 2021 recall election
  • David Lozano, attorney and candidate in the 2021 recall election
  • Daniel R. Mercuri, businessman, candidate in the 2021 recall election and for in 2020
  • Cristian Raul Morales, manufacturing executive
  • Robert C. Newman, psychologist and candidate in the 2021 recall election
  • Lonnie Sortor, business owner
  • Anthony Trimino, entrepreneur and candidate in the 2021 recall election
  • Major Williams, entrepreneur and write-in candidate in the 2021 recall election
  • Leo S. Zacky, businessman, broadcaster, and candidate in the 2021 recall election

    Declined

  • Larry Elder, conservative talk show host, author, and candidate in the 2021 recall election
  • Kevin Faulconer, former mayor of San Diego and candidate in the 2021 recall election
  • Kimberly Guilfoyle, television personality, former advisor to Donald Trump and ex-wife of Gavin Newsom
  • Kevin Kiley, state assemblyman from the 6th district and candidate in the 2021 recall election ''''

    Green Party

Eliminated in primary

Eliminated in primary

  • Jeff Scott ''''

    No party preference

Eliminated in primary

  • Serge Fiankan, small business owner
  • James G. Hanink, former Loyola Marymount University philosophy professor and candidate in the 2021 recall election
  • Woodrow Sanders III, entrepreneur and engineer
  • Frederic C. Schultz, attorney
  • Reinette Senum, former mayor of Nevada City
  • Michael Shellenberger, environmental policy writer and Democratic candidate for governor in 2018
  • Bradley Zink, children's book author

    Withdrew

  • Adriel Hampton, digital media businessman and candidate for in 2009

    Endorsements

Primary election

The list of candidates was announced on Mar 31, 2022 by the secretary of state.

Polling

Results

General election

Predictions

Debates

Governor Gavin Newsom and State Senator Brian Dahle met on October 23 for their only debate.

Polling

Aggregate polls

Graphical summary

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Gavin
Newsom 		Brian
Dahle 		OtherUndecided
Research Co.November 4–6, 2022450 ± 4.6%56%37%7%-
USCOctober 30 – November 2, 2022802 ± 3.5%62%38%––
UC BerkeleyOctober 25–31, 20225,972 ± 2.0%58%37%–4%
ActiVoteJuly 29 – October 27, 2022200 ± 7.0%61%39%––
Public Policy Institute of CaliforniaOctober 14–23, 20221,060 ± 5.4%55%36%4%5%
SurveyUSAOctober 7–10, 20221,013 ± 4.4%57%35%–8%
UC BerkeleySeptember 22–27, 20226,939 ± 2.5%53%32%2%13%
Public Policy Institute of CaliforniaSeptember 2–11, 20221,060 ± 5.4%58%31%5%7%
UC BerkeleyAugust 9–15, 20229,254 ± 2.0%52%25%4%19%
UC BerkeleyAugust 9–15, 20226,321 ± 2.4%55%31%3%11%

Gavin Newsom vs. Kevin Faulconer

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Gavin
Newsom 		Kevin
Faulconer 		Undecided
Berkeley IGSAugust 30 – September 6, 20219,809 ± 2.3%49%27%24%

Gavin Newsom vs. John Cox

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Gavin
Newsom 		John
Cox 		Undecided
Berkeley IGSAugust 30 – September 6, 20219,809 ± 2.3%51%26%23%

Gavin Newsom vs. Larry Elder

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Gavin
Newsom 		Larry
Elder 		Undecided
Berkeley IGSAugust 30 – September 6, 20219,809 ± 2.3%52%30%18%

Gavin Newsom vs. Kevin Kiley

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Gavin
Newsom 		Kevin
Kiley 		Undecided
Berkeley IGSAugust 30 – September 6, 20219,809 ± 2.3%50%25%25%

Results

By county

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
Newsom won 38 of 52 congressional districts, with the remaining 14 going to Dahle, including two that elected Democrats.
DistrictNewsomDahleRepresentative
33%67%Doug LaMalfa
71%29%Jared Huffman
43%57%Kevin Kiley
63%37%Mike Thompson
37%63%Tom McClintock
54%46%Ami Bera
64%36%Doris Matsui
74%26%John Garamendi
48%52%Josh Harder
65%35%Mark DeSaulnier
86%14%Nancy Pelosi
90%10%Barbara Lee
46%54%John Duarte
68%32%Eric Swalwell
76%24%Jackie Speier
76%24%Kevin Mullin
73%27%Anna Eshoo
71%29%Ro Khanna
68%32%Zoe Lofgren
65%35%Jimmy Panetta
30%70%Kevin McCarthy
51%49%Jim Costa
48%52%David Valadao
39%61%Jay Obernolte
59%41%Salud Carbajal
53%47%Raul Ruiz
54%46%Julia Brownley
49%51%Mike Garcia
63%37%Judy Chu
73%27%Tony Cárdenas
75%25%Adam Schiff
58%42%Grace Napolitano
66%34%Brad Sherman
55%45%Pete Aguilar
82%18%Jimmy Gomez
55%45%Norma Torres
67%33%Ted Lieu
85%15%Karen Bass
85%15%Sydney Kamlager-Dove
58%42%Linda Sánchez
55%45%Mark Takano
45%55%Young Kim
45%55%Ken Calvert
67%33%Lucille Roybal-Allard
67%33%Robert Garcia
78%22%Maxine Waters
69%31%Nanette Barragán
49%51%Michelle Steel
60%40%Lou Correa
49.7%50.3%Katie Porter
38%62%Darrell Issa
50.4%49.6%Mike Levin
61%39%Scott Peters
60%40%Sara Jacobs
63%37%Juan Vargas