PolitiFinder

1954 California Gubernatorial Election

California · 2 candidates · See every 1954 Governor race

Who won the 1954 California Gubernatorial Election?

Goodwin Knight won the 1954 California Gubernatorial Election. Goodwin Knight received 2,290,519 popular votes (56.83%). The main challenger was Richard Graves (43.16%).

See the full head-to-head between Knight and Graves

Knight +13.7 pts · won by 551,151 votes
Goodwin KnightRepublicanWINNER56.83%
2,290,519 votes
Richard GravesDemocratic43.16%
1,739,368 votes
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.