PolitiFinder

1918 California Gubernatorial Election

California · 2 candidates · See every 1918 Governor race

Who won the 1918 California Gubernatorial Election?

William Stephens won the 1918 California Gubernatorial Election. William Stephens received 387,547 popular votes (56.27%). The main challenger was Theodore Arlington Bell (36.47%).

See the full head-to-head between Stephens and Bell

Stephens +19.8 pts · won by 136,358 votes
William StephensRepublicanWINNER56.27%
387,547 votes
Theodore Arlington BellIndependent36.47%
251,189 votes
Other candidates received the remaining 7.3% of the popular vote; only the leading candidates are individually recorded for this election.
Popular-vote totals for governor elections are compiled from official state results (via Wikipedia); Louisiana shows the decisive round of its jungle primary.

Data last verified July 28, 2026.