2022 United States Senate elections in California explained

Election Name:2022 United States Senate elections in California
Country:California
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2016 United States Senate election in California
Previous Year:2016
Next Election:2028 United States Senate election in California
Next Year:2028
Election Date:November 8, 2022
1Blank:Regular election
2Blank:Special election
Image1:Alex Padilla 117th Congress portrait (3) (cropped).jpg
Candidate1:Alex Padilla
Party1:Democratic Party (United States)
Candidate2:Mark Meuser
Party2:Republican Party (United States)
U.S. senator
Before Election:Alex Padilla
Before Party:Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:Alex Padilla
After Party:Democratic Party (United States)
1Data1:6,621,616
61.06%
1Data2:4,222,025
38.94%
2Data1:6,559,303
60.89%
2Data2:4,212,446
39.11%

Two 2022 United States Senate elections in California were held concurrently on November 8, 2022, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of California. There were two ballot items for the same Class 3 seat: a special election to fill the seat for the final weeks of the 117th United States Congress (ending on January 3, 2023), and a general election for a full term (beginning on the same day), starting in the 118th United States Congress.

Incumbent Democratic Senator Alex Padilla was appointed in 2021 by Governor Gavin Newsom to fill the vacancy created by Kamala Harris's election to the vice presidency in 2020, and he sought a full term.[1] [2] A jungle primary for each of the terms took place on June 7.[3] The top two candidates in each primary, regardless of party, advanced to the special and regular general elections in November. With his advancement out of the primary, Mark P. Meuser became the first Republican since 2012 to advance to the general election, as both the 2016 and 2018 Senate elections solely featured Democrats as the top two candidates. This race was a rematch between the two, as both had previously run for the secretary of state in 2018. Padilla won both elections with more than 60% of the vote.[4] He became the first Latino elected to the U.S. Senate from California, and the first male elected to the Senate from California since Pete Wilson was re-elected in 1988 and the first male elected to the Class 3 Senate seat from California since Alan Cranston was re-elected in 1986.[5] This was the first time since 1988 where both major party nominees for a Senate seat in California were men and was also the first time where both major party nominees for the Class 3 Senate seat in California were men since 1986.

This was the best performance for a Republican candidate in a California Senate election since 2010.

Candidates

Democratic Party

Advanced to general

Eliminated in primary

Declined

Republican Party

Advanced to general

Eliminated in primary

Withdrawn

Green Party

Eliminated in primary

Peace and Freedom Party

Eliminated in primary

No party preference

Eliminated in primary

Primary elections

Campaign

Incumbent senator Alex Padilla was appointed to the job in January 2021 following Kamala Harris's election to the office of Vice President of the United States.[17] Following his appointment, Padilla quickly began to focus on his 2022 election campaign, as the fact that he has not been elected to the position means that he has a relatively low profile.[9] Padilla's election strategy focused on advocating for progressive policies and building ties with left-wing organizations that had a poor relationship with California's other Senator, Dianne Feinstein.[9] [18] The potential Democratic opponent to Padilla considered most likely to join the race was U.S. Representative Ro Khanna, a staunchly left-wing Democrat who rose to prominence as the co-chair of the Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign, and who had a loyal base of support from California's Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities.[9] [10] On August 9, 2021, Khanna announced that he would be endorsing Padilla for election, which was viewed as likely ending any possibility that Padilla would face a serious Democratic opponent.[19] It was noted by the San Francisco Chronicle that it was considered unlikely that Padilla would face any serious Republican opponent, as California's heavily Democratic lean caused potentially strong candidates, such as U.S. Representatives Mike Garcia and Young Kim, to prefer to remain in their positions rather than launch a long-shot Senate run.[20]

In April 2022, billionaire businessman Dan O'Dowd entered the race, launching a $650,000 ad campaign.[8] O'Dowd's goal with this ad buy, and with entering the race in the first place, was to "make computers safe for humanity"[21] [22] and draw the attention of the public and politicians to the dangers of Tesla's unfinished Full Self-Driving software being rolled out to 100,000 cars on public roads.[23]

Special election blanket primary

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin
Daphne
Bradford
(NPP)
James
Bradley
(R)
Jon
Elist
(R)
Myron
Hall
(R)
Mark
Meuser
(R)
Dan
O'Dowd
(D)
Alex
Padilla
(D)
Timothy
Ursich Jr.
(D)
Undecided
Berkeley IGSMay 24–31, 20223,438 (LV)± 2.2%1%7%5%2%14%3%44%2%21%
SurveyUSAMay 13–15, 2022709 (LV)± 4.5%1%8%7%3%11%6%40%2%22%

Results

Regular election blanket primary

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Berkeley IGSMay 24–31, 20223,438 (LV)± 2.2%1%0%3%0%2%1%0%0%1%0%1%0%11%1%42%1%0%1%1%6%1%1%2%22%
SurveyUSAMay 13–15, 2022709 (LV)± 4.5%2%0%9%1%4%0%0%0%3%0%3%2%4%1%36%0%1%2%2%2%1%1%1%24%

Results

General elections

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
align=left The Cook Political Report[24] March 4, 2022
align=left Inside Elections[25] April 1, 2022
align=left Sabato's Crystal Ball[26] March 1, 2022
Politico[27] April 1, 2022
RCP[28] February 24, 2022
align=left Fox News[29] May 12, 2022
DDHQ[30] July 20, 2022
538[31] June 30, 2022
The Economist[32] September 7, 2022

Polling

Special election
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Alex
Padilla (D)
Mark
Meuser (R)
Undecided
Research Co.November 4–6, 2022450 (LV)± 4.6%59%35%6%
SurveyUSAOctober 7–10, 20221,013 (LV)± 4.4%56%34%10%
Regular election
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Alex
Padilla (D)
Mark
Meuser (R)
Undecided
Research Co.November 4–6, 2022450 (LV)± 4.6%60%35%5%
USCOctober 30 – November 2, 2022802 (RV)± 3.5%63%37%
ActiVoteJuly 22 – October 20, 2022208 (LV)± 7.0%65%35%
SurveyUSAOctober 7–10, 20221,013 (LV)± 4.4%56%34%11%

Results

By county

CountyAlex Padilla
Democratic
Mark Meuser
Republican
MarginTotal
votes
data-sort-type="number" data-sort-type="number" %data-sort-type="number" data-sort-type="number" %data-sort-type="number" data-sort-type="number" %
Alameda383,30080.2694,28319.74289,01760.52477,583
Alpine37260.7824039.2213221.56612
Amador6,52235.3711,91764.63-5,395-29.2618,439
Butte33,46746.7138,18353.29-4,716-6.5871,650
Calaveras7,64936.3113,41563.69-5,766-27.3821,064
Colusa1,80733.113,65166.89-1,844-33.785,458
Contra Costa267,33169.72116,12230.28151,20939.44383,453
Del Norte3,40041.204,85258.80-1,452-17.608,252
El Dorado36,66941.8151,02558.19-14,356-16.3887,694
Fresno100,96347.00113,84553.00-12,882-10.16214,808
Glenn2,23428.525,60071.48-4,070-51.327,930
Humboldt30,61264.1717,09635.8313,51628.3447,708
Imperial17,77459.8611,91940.145,85519.7229,693
Inyo3,488 47.353,87852.65-390-5.307,366
Kern73,77939.41113,42860.59-39,649-21.18188,703
Kings10,06737.8516,53362.15-6,466-24.3026,600
Lake10,13850.939,76949.073691.8619,907
Lassen1,88820.827,18179.18-5,293-58.369,069
Los Angeles1,670,30670.00715,91330.00954,39340.002,386,219
Madera14,01838.3722,51461.63-8,496-23.2636,532
Marin95,49681.0522,32618.9573,17062.10117,822
Mariposa3,05039.344,70360.66-1,653-21.327,753
Mendocino19,74565.4910,40634.519,33930.9830,151
Merced26,75548.9627,89351.04-1,138-2.0854,648
Modoc80223.912,55276.09-1,750-52.183,354
Mono2,59457.401,92542.6066914.804,519
Monterey67,15366.3734,02633.6333,12732.74101,179
Napa32,65166.3616,54933.6416,10232.7249,200
Nevada27,89855.3822,478 44.625,42010.7650,376
Orange479,49449.50489,18550.50-9,691-1.00968,679
Placer77,54043.05102,59756.95-25,057-13.90180,137
Plumas3,40539.795,15360.21-1,748-20.428,558
Riverside289,59949.40296,68750.60-7,088-1.20586,286
Sacramento283,11759.98188,92540.0294,19219.96472,042
San Benito11,01656.838,36843.172,64813.6619,384
San Bernardino218,49449.10226,47050.90-7,976-1.80444,964
San Diego586,28457.57432,02742.43154,25715.141,018,311
San Francisco254,75685.6542,69914.35212,05771.30297,455
San Joaquin90,28951.4985,07848.515,2112.98175,367
San Luis Obispo63,07653.3855,08746.627,9896.76118,163
San Mateo186,89176.3757,82523.63129,06652.74244,716
Santa Barbara82,25561.5751,33938.4330,91623.14133,594
Santa Clara383,15271.43153,24928.57229,90342.86536,401
Santa Cruz80,67577.9622,81022.0457,86555.92103,485
Shasta20,80530.8046,75069.20-25,945-38.4067,555
Sierra57237.0297362.98-401-25.961,545
Siskiyou6,89239.3910,60760.61-3,715-21.2217,499
Solano80,31761.9049,44338.1030,87423.80129,760
Sonoma143,19773.3751,98226.6391,21546.74195,179
Stanislaus57,86144.9770,79255.03-12,931-10.06128,653
Sutter9,79735.4717,82764.53-8,030-29.0627,624
Tehama5,67027.7214,78472.28-9,114-44.5620,454
Trinity2,01944.802,48855.20-469-10.404,507
Tulare35,21538.8855,35961.12-20,144-22.2490,574
Tuolumne8,93238.9214,01661.08-5,084-22.1622,948
Ventura155,23156.03121,82243.9733,40912.06277,053
Yolo46,09468.6821,02231.3225,07237.3667,116
Yuba7,04336.1512,43963.85-5,396-27.7019,482
Totals6,621,61661.064,222,02538.942,399,59122.1210,843,641

By congressional district

Padilla won 42 of 52 congressional districts in the regular election, including two that elected Republicans.[33]

DistrictPadillaMeuserRepresentative
36%64%Doug LaMalfa
73%27%Jared Huffman
46%54%Kevin Kiley
66%34%Mike Thompson
40%60%Tom McClintock
57%43%Ami Bera
66%34%Doris Matsui
75%25%John Garamendi
51%49%Josh Harder
66%34%Mark DeSaulnier
86%14%Nancy Pelosi
91%9%Barbara Lee
49%51%John Duarte
70%30%Eric Swalwell
77%23%Jackie Speier (117th Congress)
Kevin Mullin (118th Congress)
74%26%Anna Eshoo
71%29%Ro Khanna
68%32%Zoe Lofgren
67%33%Jimmy Panetta
32%68%Kevin McCarthy
53%47%Jim Costa
51%49%David Valadao
41%59%Jay Obernolte
61%39%Salud Carbajal
55%45%Raul Ruiz
55%45%Julia Brownley
51%49%Mike Garcia
65%35%Judy Chu
76%24%Tony Cárdenas
77%23%Adam Schiff
61%39%Grace Napolitano
69%31%Brad Sherman
57%43%Pete Aguilar
83%17%Jimmy Gomez
57%43%Norma Torres
69%31%Ted Lieu
86%14%Karen Bass (117th Congress)
Sydney Kamlager-Dove (118th Congress)
60%40%Linda Sánchez
56%44%Mark Takano
46%54%Young Kim
47%53%Ken Calvert
69%31%Lucille Roybal-Allard (117th Congress)
Robert Garcia (118th Congress)
80%20%Maxine Waters
72%28%Nanette Barragán
49%51%Michelle Steel
61%39%Lou Correa
51%49%Katie Porter
40%60%Darrell Issa
52%48%Mike Levin
63%37%Scott Peters
61%39%Sara Jacobs
65%35%Juan Vargas

See also

External links

Official campaign websites

Notes and References

  1. News: Wilson. Reid. September 28, 2021. California rule change means Padilla faces extra election. The Hill. live. September 28, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210928225230/https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/574242-california-rule-change-means-padilla-faces-extra-election. September 28, 2021.
  2. Web site: Willon. Phil. McGreevy. Patrick. Alex Padilla becomes California's first Latino U.S. senator, replacing Kamala Harris. Los Angeles Times. December 22, 2020. December 22, 2020.
  3. Web site: Statewide Direct Primary Election - June 7, 2022. live. September 28, 2021. California Secretary of State. https://web.archive.org/web/20201223100223/https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/statewide-direct-primary-election-june-7-2022 . December 23, 2020 .
  4. Web site: 2022-11-09 . Alex Padilla makes history as first Latino elected to U.S. Senate from California . 2022-11-09 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  5. Web site: Meet the history-makers of the 2022 midterm elections | CNN Politics . . November 9, 2022 .
  6. News: December 23, 2020 . Alex Padilla and Shirley Weber will run in 2022. They'll likely have challengers. . SF Gate . Ting, Eric.
  7. Web site: Primary Election - June 7, 2022 . 26 March 2022 . March 26, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220326021149/https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/primary-election-june-7-2022 . dead .
  8. Web site: Cadelago. Christopher. April 16, 2022. He wants to destroy Elon Musk. He could end up endangering the Dems' Senate plans.. live. April 16, 2022. Politico. https://web.archive.org/web/20220416122459/https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/16/don-odowd-elon-musk-00025688 . April 16, 2022 .
  9. Web site: Sen. Alex Padilla, just months into the job, has a year and a half to convince voters he should keep it. Los Angeles Times. Haberkorn. Jennifer. May 3, 2021.
  10. News: Khanna won't challenge Padilla for Senate, ends intraparty threat from left. Politico. Marinucci. Carla. August 9, 2021. August 9, 2021.
  11. Web site: Official Certified List of Write-In Candidates - June 7, 2022 . California Secretary of State . May 27, 2022 . May 30, 2022 .
  12. Web site: Yvonne For US Senate 2022 . Yvonne For US Senate 2022 . 2007-02-26 . 2022-06-03 . April 20, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220420011832/https://yvonneforussenate2022.com/ . dead .
  13. Web site: FILING FEC-1503114. March 8, 2021 . fec.gov. March 8, 2021.
  14. Web site: Miller. Thaddeus. March 8, 2021. Fresno native to challenge for a U.S. Senate seat, blasts Newsom. Can she win?. Fresno Bee.
  15. Web site: Taub. David. December 17, 2021. Heng Enters House Race Even as the Lines Keep Changing. December 18, 2021. GV Wire.
  16. Web site: Two California Ballot-Qualified Parties Will Run a Joint Campaign for Statewide Office in 2022. Winger. Richard. Richard Winger. November 15, 2021.
  17. Web site: Alex Padilla: 5 things to know about California's new senator. Mercury News. Deruy. Emily. January 18, 2021. August 10, 2021.
  18. News: Progressives fed up with Feinstein, want her to resign now. San Francisco Chronicle. Garofoli. Joe. June 16, 2021. August 10, 2021.
  19. News: Khanna considered challenging Padilla, but now he's endorsing him for Senate. San Francisco Chronicle. Garofoli. Joe. August 9, 2021. August 9, 2021.
  20. News: Wildermuth. John. December 19, 2020. Can California GOP find a Senate candidate in 2022? If not, Alex Padilla could be set for years. February 8, 2021. San Francisco Chronicle.
  21. Web site: About Dan O'Dowd - Dan O'Dowd for U.S. Senate .
  22. Web site: Billionaire's Senate run focuses on banning 'self-driving' Tesla's. Korosec, Kirsten. April 20, 2022. techcrunch.com.
  23. Web site: Elon Musk Says Tesla's FSD Now Has over 100,000 Beta Testers. Loveday, Steven. April 18, 2022. Insideevs.com.
  24. Web site: 2022 Senate Race ratings . The Cook Political Report . January 14, 2021.
  25. Web site: Senate ratings . Inside Elections . January 18, 2021.
  26. Web site: 2022 Senate . Sabato's Crystal Ball . January 28, 2021.
  27. Web site: California Senate Race 2022. April 1, 2022 . Politico.
  28. Web site: Battle for the Senate 2022. January 10, 2022 . RCP.
  29. Web site: 2022 Election Forecast . Fox News . May 12, 2022 . May 12, 2022.
  30. Web site: 2022 Election Forecast . DDHQ . July 20, 2022 . July 20, 2022.
  31. Web site: 2022 Election Forecast . FiveThirtyEight . June 30, 2022 . June 30, 2022.
  32. News: Economist's 2022 Senate forecast . The Economist . September 7, 2022 . September 7, 2022.
  33. Results . docs.google.com .