Biggest governor landslides in California
The biggest landslide in a California governor’s race was in 1946, a margin of 84.6 points. Earl Warren beat Henry R. Schmidt, 2,344,542 to 180,579. Next widest are 1930 (48.1 points) and 1926 (46.5 points).
Every state is ranked together on Biggest governor landslides. For every gubernatorial race California has held, special elections included, see the California governor hub.
What is the biggest landslide in a California governor’s race?
The widest margin in a California gubernatorial general election came in 1946, 84.6 points. Earl Warren beat Henry R. Schmidt, 2,344,542 to 180,579. Next are 1930 (48.1 points) and 1926 (46.5 points).
Why do some huge wins not appear?
A blowout only counts here when somebody real finished second, which means at least 5% of the vote. Without that rule the list fills with uncontested races and with contests where the record is simply missing the major opponent, both of which show the winner near 100%.
Does this include recalls and special elections?
No, only regular general elections for governor. The California governor hub lists every race including specials and recalls.
| # | Election | Result | Votes | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1946 | Earl Warren R def. Henry R. Schmidt P | 2,344,542 – 180,579 | +84.6 points |
| 2 | 1930 | James Rolph R def. Milton K. Young D | 999,393 – 333,973 | +48.1 points |
| 3 | 1926 | C. C. Young R def. Justus S. Wardell D | 814,815 – 282,451 | +46.5 points |
| 4 | 1857 | John B. Weller D def. Edward Stanly R | 53,122 – 21,040 | +34.3 points |
| 5 | 1950 | Earl Warren R def. James Roosevelt D | 2,461,754 – 1,333,856 | +29.7 points |
| 6 | 1859 | Milton Latham D def. John Currey D | 61,352 – 31,298 | +28.0 points |
| 7 | 1849 | Peter Hardeman Burnett D def. Winfield S. Sherwood D | 6,783 – 3,220 | +25.1 points |
| 8 | 1875 | William Irwin D def. Timothy Guy Phelps R | 61,509 – 31,322 | +24.6 points |
| 9 | 2018 | Gavin Newsom D def. John H. Cox R | 7,721,410 – 4,742,825 | +23.9 points |
| 10 | 1922 | Friend William Richardson R def. Thomas Lee Woolwine D | 576,445 – 347,530 | +23.7 points |
| 11 | 1986 | George Deukmejian R def. Tom Bradley D | 4,505,601 – 2,781,714 | +23.2 points |
| 12 | 1914 | Hiram Johnson P def. John D. Fredericks R | 460,495 – 271,990 | +20.3 points |
| 13 | 2014 | Jerry Brown D def. Neel Kashkari R | 4,388,368 – 2,929,213 | +19.9 points |
| 14 | 1918 | William Stephens R def. Theodore Arlington Bell I | 387,547 – 251,189 | +19.8 points |
| 15 | 1958 | Pat Brown D def. William Knowland R | 3,140,076 – 2,110,911 | +19.6 points |
| 16 | 1998 | Gray Davis D def. Dan Lungren R | 4,860,702 – 3,218,030 | +19.6 points |
| 17 | 1978 | Jerry Brown D def. Evelle Younger R | 3,878,812 – 2,526,534 | +19.5 points |
| 18 | 1861 | Leland Stanford R def. John R. McConnell D | 56,036 – 33,751 | +18.4 points |
| 19 | 2022 | Gavin Newsom D def. Brian Dahle R | 6,470,104 – 4,462,914 | +18.4 points |
| 20 | 1863 | Frederick Low N def. John G. Downey D | 64,283 – 44,622 | +18.1 points |
| 21 | 2006 | Arnold Schwarzenegger R def. Phil Angelides D | 4,850,157 – 3,376,732 | +17.0 points |
| 22 | 1942 | Earl Warren R def. Culbert Olson D | 1,275,287 – 932,995 | +15.3 points |
| 23 | 1966 | Ronald Reagan R def. Pat Brown D | 3,742,913 – 2,749,174 | +15.3 points |
| 24 | 1994 | Pete Wilson R def. Kathleen Brown D | 4,781,766 – 3,519,799 | +14.6 points |
| 25 | 1882 | George Stoneman D def. Morris M. Estee R | 90,694 – 67,175 | +14.3 points |