1980 California U.S. Senate Election

California · 5 candidates · See every 1980 U.S. Senate race

Who won the 1980 California U.S. Senate Election?

Alan Cranston won the 1980 California U.S. Senate Election. Alan Cranston received 4,704,098 popular votes (56.51%). The main challenger was Paul Gann (37.14%).

See the full head-to-head between Cranston and Gann

Cranston +19.4 pts · won by 1,612,427 votes

Alan Cranston DemocraticWINNER56.51%

4,704,098 votes

Paul Gann Republican37.14%

3,091,671 votes

David BerglandLibertarian2.43%

202,410 votes

David WaldPeace And Freedom2.36%

196,260 votes

James C. GriffinAmerican Independent1.56%

129,573 votes

Popular-vote totals for U.S. Senate elections come from the MIT Election Data and Science Lab (1976–2024).

Data last verified July 28, 2026.