PolitiFinder

1970 California U.S. Senate Election

California · 4 candidates · See every 1970 U.S. Senate race

Who won the 1970 California U.S. Senate Election?

John V Tunney won the 1970 California U.S. Senate Election. John V Tunney received 3,496,558 popular votes (53.86%). The main challenger was George Murphy (44.32%).

See the full head-to-head between Tunney and Murphy

Tunney +9.5 pts · won by 618,941 votes
John V TunneyDemocraticWINNER53.86%
3,496,558 votes
George MurphyRepublican44.32%
2,877,617 votes
Charles C. RipleyIndependent0.94%
61,251 votes
Robert ScheerPeace & Freedom0.87%
56,731 votes
Popular-vote totals for this U.S. Senate election come from the Constituency-Level Elections Archive (CLEA) and the official public record.

Data last verified July 28, 2026.