Merton D. Short

U.S. Senate candidate
Home state
California
Party
Independent
On the ballot
1988
0-1
RecordWin–Loss
Total Popular Votes
Short66,288
Opponents9.7M
1
Elections run

Merton D. Short, an Independent politician from California, ran once for U.S. office, losing the 1988 U.S. Senate election in California to Pete Wilson, receiving 66,288 votes (0.68%).

Browse every U.S. Senate election in California or all 1988 U.S. Senate races.

How many votes has Merton D. Short received?

Merton D. Short has received 66,288 popular votes across 1 U.S. election, with a career record of 0–1.

Election history

Merton D. Short’s election history
YearOfficeResultVotesOpponent(s)
1988U.S. SenateCaliforniaLost66,2880.68%Pete Wilson
Leo McCarthy

M. Elizabeth Munoz

Jack Dean
Cite this profile. PolitiFinder, “Merton D. Short: election history & vote totals.” https://politifinder.com/p/merton-short. Accessed [date].

Compiled by PolitiFinder. Election results from official certified sources and the MIT Election Lab. See Data & sources and methodology. Data last verified July 28, 2026.