1986 California U.S. Senate Election

California · 5 candidates · See every 1986 U.S. Senate race

Who won the 1986 California U.S. Senate Election?

Alan Cranston won the 1986 California U.S. Senate Election. Alan Cranston received 3,646,672 popular votes (49.29%). The main challenger was Ed Zschau (47.87%).

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

Cranston +1.4 pts · won by 104,868 votes

Alan Cranston DemocraticWINNER49.29%

3,646,672 votes

Ed Zschau Republican47.87%

3,541,804 votes

Edward B. Ed VallenIndependent1.48%

109,856 votes

Breck McKinleyLibertarian0.9%

66,261 votes

Paul KangasPeace And Freedom0.46%

33,869 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.