1930 California gubernatorial election explained

The 1930 California gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1930. For the third consecutive election, the incumbent governor was defeated in the Republican primary. After ousting incumbent C. C. Young in the primary, Mayor of San Francisco James Rolph proceeded to win a landslide over Democratic nominee Milton K. Young. Upton Sinclair was the Socialist nominee for the second consecutive election.

Primary election results

Candidates

• Buron Fitts (R), Los Angeles County District Attorney
• James Rolph Jr. (R), Mayor of San Francisco
• C. C. Young (R), incumbent Governor
• Clara Shortridge Foltz (R), Deputy District Attorney of Los Angeles County
• Milton K. Young (D) (also cross-filed in Republican primary)
• Upton Sinclair (S), writer and activist

Results

General election results

Results by county

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.

County	James Rolph Republican		Milton K. Young Democratic		Upton Sinclair Socialist		Scattering Write-in		Margin		Total votes cast
		%		%		%		%		%
	Alameda		108,258		81.08%		18,797		14.08%		6,139		4.60%		334		0.25%		89,461		67.00%		133,528
	Alpine		56		96.55%		1		1.72%		1		1.72%		0		0.00%		55		94.83%		58
	Amador		1,278		82.29%		245		15.78%		30		1.93%		0		0.00%		1,033		66.52%		1,553
	Butte		6,991		72.78%		2,236		23.28%		379		3.95%		0		0.00%		4,755		49.50%		9,606
	Calaveras		1,696		79.51%		359		16.83%		70		3.28%		8		0.38%		1,337		62.68%		2,133
	Colusa		2,214		73.46%		745		24.72%		55		1.82%		0		0.00%		1,469		48.74%		3,014
	Contra Costa		15,673		80.24%		3,134		16.04%		726		3.72%		0		0.00%		12,539		64.19%		19,533
	Del Norte		1,600		86.02%		203		10.91%		57		3.06%		0		0.00%		1,397		75.11%		1,860
	El Dorado		2,299		80.81%		463		16.27%		83		2.92%		0		0.00%		1,836		64.53%		2,845
	Fresno		25,211		69.60%		9,925		27.40%		1,068		2.95%		18		0.05%		15,286		42.20%		36,222
	Glenn		2,326		68.84%		961		28.44%		86		2.55%		6		0.18%		1,365		40.40%		3,379
	Humboldt		11,594		86.24%		1,452		10.80%		398		2.96%		0		0.00%		10,142		75.44%		13,444
	Imperial		6,509		70.44%		2,475		26.78%		257		2.78%		0		0.00%		4,034		43.65%		9,241
	Inyo		1,800		76.01%		474		20.02%		94		3.97%		0		0.00%		1,326		56.00%		2,368
	Kern		13,388		75.08%		3,890		21.81%		554		3.11%		0		0.00%		9,498		53.26%		17,832
	Kings		4,563		69.20%		1,831		27.77%		198		3.00%		2		0.03%		2,732		41.43%		6,594
	Lake		2,266		73.00%		736		23.71%		99		3.19%		3		0.10%		1,530		49.29%		3,104
	Lassen		2,223		77.40%		542		18.87%		107		3.73%		0		0.00%		1,681		58.53%		2,872
	Los Angeles		299,417		61.77%		164,656		33.97%		20,075		4.14%		565		0.12%		134,761		27.80%		484,713
	Madera		3,060		66.74%		1,375		29.99%		146		3.18%		4		0.09%		1,685		36.75%		4,585
	Marin		11,775		86.01%		1,447		10.57%		468		3.42%		0		0.00%		10,328		75.44%		13,690
	Mariposa		747		79.64%		165		17.59%		26		2.77%		0		0.00%		582		62.05%		938
	Mendocino		6,833		79.69%		1,496		17.45%		224		2.61%		21		0.24%		5,337		62.25%		8,574
	Merced		4,987		65.84%		2,325		30.70%		262		3.46%		0		0.00%		2,662		35.15%		7,574
	Modoc		1,181		76.14%		322		20.76%		48		3.09%		0		0.00%		859		55.38%		1,551
	Mono		394		82.95%		58		12.21%		23		4.84%		0		0.00%		336		70.74%		475
	Monterey		8,368		79.22%		1,870		17.70%		325		3.08%		0		0.00%		6,498		61.52%		10,563
	Napa		5,658		77.53%		1,498		20.53%		135		1.85%		7		0.10%		4,160		57.00%		7,298
	Nevada		3,482		82.20%		614		14.49%		140		3.31%		0		0.00%		2,868		67.71%		4,236
	Orange		18,039		55.22%		14,019		42.91%		601		1.84%		8		0.02%		4,020		12.31%		32,667
	Placer		4,847		76.81%		1,194		18.92%		269		4.26%		0		0.00%		3,653		57.89%		6,310
	Plumas		1,659		84.56%		252		12.84%		51		2.60%		0		0.00%		1,407		71.71%		1,962
	Riverside		10,789		72.42%		3,612		24.24%		497		3.34%		0		0.00%		7,177		48.17%		14,898
	Sacramento		30,685		86.13%		4,082		11.46%		858		2.41%		0		0.00%		26,603		74.68%		35,625
	San Benito		1,816		74.92%		556		22.94%		45		1.86%		7		0.29%		1,260		51.98%		2,424
	San Bernardino		19,457		67.99%		8,242		28.80%		919		3.21%		0		0.00%		11,215		39.19%		28,618
	San Diego		41,835		72.49%		13,985		24.23%		1,887		3.27%		2		0.00%		27,850		48.26%		57,709
	San Francisco		130,547		86.11%		15,189		10.02%		5,845		3.86%		17		0.01%		115,358		76.09%		151,598
	San Joaquin		24,704		81.30%		4,891		16.10%		760		2.50%		33		0.11%		19,813		65.20%		30,388
	San Luis Obispo		7,192		74.88%		2,027		21.10%		386		4.02%		0		0.00%		5,165		53.77%		9,605
	San Mateo		18,556		85.44%		2,361		10.87%		781		3.60%		21		0.10%		16,195		74.57%		21,719
	Santa Barbara		10,611		80.80%		2,156		16.42%		350		2.67%		15		0.11%		8,455		64.38%		13,132
	Santa Clara		35,991		79.21%		8,088		17.80%		1,277		2.81%		83		0.18%		27,903		61.41%		45,439
	Santa Cruz		8,222		73.86%		2,598		23.34%		296		2.66%		16		0.14%		5,624		50.52%		11,132
	Shasta		4,033		79.34%		854		16.80%		196		3.86%		0		0.00%		3,179		62.54%		5,083
	Sierra		827		81.88%		157		15.54%		26		2.57%		0		0.00%		670		66.34%		1,010
	Siskiyou		5.511		78.74%		1,223		17.47%		265		3.79%		0		0.00%		4,288		61.27%		6,999
	Solano		9,658		82.22%		1,745		14.86%		343		2.92%		0		0.00%		7,913		67.37%		11,746
	Sonoma		16,788		79.56%		3,855		18.27%		458		2.17%		0		0.00%		12,933		61.29%		21,101
	Stanislaus		7,860		54.89%		5,866		40.97%		546		3.81%		47		0.33%		1,994		13.93%		14,319
	Sutter		3,284		76.98%		848		19.88%		134		3.14%		0		0.00%		2,436		57.10%		4,266
	Tehama		2,488		60.34%		1,444		35.02%		183		4.44%		8		0.19%		1,044		25.32%		4,123
	Trinity		928		79.32%		182		15.56%		60		5.13%		0		0.00%		746		63.76%		1,170
	Tulare		10,286		62.76%		5,517		33.66%		557		3.40%		30		0.18%		4,769		29.10%		16,390
	Tuolumne		2,234		75.35%		618		20.84%		113		3.81%		0		0.00%		1,616		54.50%		2,965
	Ventura		8,130		73.24%		2,610		23.51%		345		3.11%		16		0.14%		5,520		49.73%		11,101
	Yolo		4,206		77.06%		1,147		21.02%		97		1.78%		8		0.15%		3,059		56.05%		5,458
	Yuba		2,363		84.73%		360		12.91%		62		2.22%		4		0.14%		2,003		71.82%		2,789
Total	999,393	72.15%	333,973	24.11%	50,480	3.64%	1,283	0.09%	665,420	48.04%	1,385,129