| Election Name: | 1938 California gubernatorial election |
| Country: | California |
| Type: | presidential |
| Flag Image: | Flag of California (1924–1953).pngborder |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1934 California gubernatorial election |
| Previous Year: | 1934 |
| Next Election: | 1942 California gubernatorial election |
| Next Year: | 1942 |
| Election Date: | November 8, 1938 |
| Image1: | Culbert L. Olson at a convention for the California Federation of Democratic Women's Clubs (cropped).jpg |
| Nominee1: | Culbert Olson |
| Party1: | California Democratic Party |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,391,734 |
| Percentage1: | 52.49% |
| Nominee2: | Frank Merriam |
| Party2: | California Republican Party |
| Popular Vote2: | 1,171,019 |
| Percentage2: | 44.17% |
| Map Size: | 300px |
| Governor | |
| Before Election: | Frank Merriam |
| After Election: | Culbert Olson |
| Before Party: | California Republican Party |
| After Party: | California Democratic Party |
The 1938 California gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1938. Culbert L. Olson defeated incumbent governor Frank F. Merriam to become the first Democrat elected Governor of California since James Budd in 1894. Merriam had angered the left and the right throughout his tenure as governor, leading a significant swing in favor of the Democratic party.
Olson was the first Democrat since George Stoneman in 1882 to receive an absolute majority of the vote. For the first time since 1882, Alameda County, Los Angeles County, and Ventura County were carried by a Democrat and San Diego County backed a Democrat for governor for the first time since 1879. California would not elect a Democrat as governor again until 1958. This was the last time until Gray Davis in 1998 that a Democrat who was not a member of the Brown family won the governorship.
| County | Culbert L. Olson Democratic | Frank F. Merriam Republican | Raymond L. Haight Progressive | Robert Noble Commonwealth | Scattering Write-in | Margin | Total votes cast | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | % | ||||||||||||||||||
| Alameda | 109,010 | 49.48% | 106,694 | 48.43% | 3,825 | 1.74% | 753 | 0.34% | 39 | 0.02% | 2,316 | 1.05% | 220,321 | ||||||||||
| Alpine | 29 | 18.95% | 110 | 71.90% | 14 | 9.15% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | -81 | -52.94% | 153 | ||||||||||
| Amador | 1,803 | 52.47% | 1,486 | 43.25% | 132 | 3.84% | 15 | 0.44% | 0 | 0.00% | 317 | 9.23% | 3,436 | ||||||||||
| Butte | 8,408 | 48.45% | 8,249 | 47.53% | 542 | 3.12% | 155 | 0.89% | 0 | 0.00% | 159 | 0.92% | 17,354 | ||||||||||
| Calaveras | 1,818 | 46.44% | 1,866 | 47.66% | 207 | 5.29% | 24 | 0.61% | 0 | 0.00% | -48 | -1.23% | 3,915 | ||||||||||
| Colusa | 1,768 | 41.11% | 2,339 | 54.38% | 168 | 3.91% | 26 | 0.60% | 0 | 0.00% | -571 | -13.28% | 4,301 | ||||||||||
| Contra Costa | 23,782 | 56.82% | 17,096 | 40.84% | 835 | 1.99% | 139 | 0.33% | 4 | 0.01% | 6,686 | 15.97% | 41,856 | ||||||||||
| Del Norte | 1,092 | 43.58% | 1,325 | 52.87% | 73 | 2.91% | 16 | 0.64% | 0 | 0.00% | -233 | -9.30% | 2,506 | ||||||||||
| El Dorado | 3,375 | 57.23% | 2,079 | 35.26% | 402 | 6.82% | 41 | 0.70% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,296 | 21.98% | 5,897 | ||||||||||
| Fresno | 32,937 | 55.52% | 22,728 | 38.31% | 3,370 | 5.68% | 294 | 0.50% | 0 | 0.00% | 10,209 | 17.21% | 59,329 | ||||||||||
| Glenn | 2,068 | 39.88% | 2,924 | 56.39% | 168 | 3.24% | 25 | 0.48% | 0 | 0.00% | -856 | -16.51% | 5,185 | ||||||||||
| Humboldt | 8,795 | 46.00% | 9,617 | 50.30% | 571 | 2.99% | 137 | 0.72% | 0 | 0.00% | -822 | -4.30% | 19,120 | ||||||||||
| Imperial | 5,495 | 45.47% | 6,259 | 51.79% | 203 | 1.68% | 129 | 1.07% | 0 | 0.00% | -764 | -6.32% | 12,086 | ||||||||||
| Inyo | 1,184 | 42.44% | 1,456 | 52.19% | 135 | 4.84% | 15 | 0.54% | 0 | 0.00% | -272 | -9.75% | 2,790 | ||||||||||
| Kern | 25,392 | 58.66% | 16,116 | 37.23% | 1,332 | 3.08% | 448 | 1.03% | 1 | 0.00% | 9,276 | 21.43% | 43,289 | ||||||||||
| Kings | 5,545 | 53.35% | 4,395 | 42.28% | 359 | 3.45% | 92 | 0.89% | 3 | 0.03% | 1,150 | 11.06% | 10,394 | ||||||||||
| Lake | 1,571 | 37.72% | 2,438 | 58.54% | 91 | 2.18% | 65 | 1.56% | 0 | 0.00% | -867 | -20.82% | 4,165 | ||||||||||
| Lassen | 2,764 | 48.53% | 2,624 | 46.08% | 258 | 4.53% | 49 | 0.86% | 0 | 0.00% | 140 | 2.46% | 5,695 | ||||||||||
| Los Angeles | 612,499 | 55.76% | 446,069 | 40.61% | 24,958 | 2.27% | 14,552 | 1.32% | 339 | 0.03% | 166,430 | 15.15% | 1,098,417 | ||||||||||
| Madera | 4,148 | 57.11% | 2,805 | 38.62% | 273 | 3.76% | 37 | 0.51% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,343 | 18.49% | 7,263 | ||||||||||
| Marin | 8,340 | 43.46% | 10,445 | 54.42% | 351 | 1.83% | 52 | 0.27% | 4 | 0.02% | -2,105 | -10.97% | 19,192 | ||||||||||
| Mariposa | 1,362 | 54.50% | 1,043 | 41.74% | 59 | 2.36% | 35 | 1.40% | 0 | 0.00% | 319 | 12.77% | 2,499 | ||||||||||
| Mendocino | 5,355 | 45.92% | 5,897 | 50.57% | 286 | 2.45% | 123 | 1.05% | 0 | 0.00% | -542 | -4.65% | 11,661 | ||||||||||
| Merced | 8,303 | 54.05% | 6,367 | 41.45% | 547 | 3.56% | 140 | 0.91% | 4 | 0.03% | 1,936 | 12.60% | 15,361 | ||||||||||
| Modoc | 1,472 | 48.26% | 1,416 | 46.43% | 132 | 4.33% | 30 | 0.98% | 0 | 0.00% | 56 | 1.84% | 3,050 | ||||||||||
| Mono | 445 | 47.39% | 446 | 47.50% | 42 | 4.47% | 6 | 0.64% | 0 | 0.00% | -1 | -0.11% | 939 | ||||||||||
| Monterey | 9,736 | 44.82% | 11,436 | 52.65% | 428 | 1.97% | 122 | 0.56% | 0 | 0.00% | -1,700 | -7.83% | 21,722 | ||||||||||
| Napa | 4,786 | 42.03% | 6,275 | 55.10% | 261 | 2.29% | 65 | 0.57% | 1 | 0.01% | -1,489 | -13.08% | 11,388 | ||||||||||
| Nevada | 3,494 | 43.84% | 4,052 | 50.84% | 379 | 4.76% | 45 | 0.56% | 0 | 0.00% | -558 | -7.00% | 7,970 | ||||||||||
| Orange | 24,257 | 43.27% | 29,774 | 53.11% | 1,166 | 2.08% | 863 | 1.54% | 4 | 0.01% | -5,517 | -9.84% | 56,064 | ||||||||||
| Placer | 6,653 | 58.92% | 3,834 | 33.96% | 747 | 6.62% | 57 | 0.50% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,819 | 24.97% | 11,291 | ||||||||||
| Plumas | 2,373 | 56.25% | 1,607 | 38.09% | 198 | 4.69% | 41 | 0.97% | 0 | 0.00% | 766 | 18.16% | 4,219 | ||||||||||
| Riverside | 17,026 | 45.93% | 18,895 | 50.97% | 737 | 1.99% | 409 | 1.10% | 2 | 0.01% | -1,869 | -5.04% | 37,069 | ||||||||||
| Sacramento | 32,885 | 54.07% | 25,836 | 42.48% | 1,921 | 3.16% | 174 | 0.29% | 5 | 0.01% | 7,049 | 11.59% | 60,821 | ||||||||||
| San Benito | 1,910 | 42.25% | 2,466 | 54.55% | 124 | 2.74% | 21 | 0.46% | 0 | 0.00% | -556 | -12.30% | 4,521 | ||||||||||
| San Bernardino | 30,696 | 51.47% | 27,515 | 46.14% | 1,001 | 1.68% | 409 | 0.69% | 13 | 0.02% | 3,181 | 5.33% | 59,634 | ||||||||||
| San Diego | 54,552 | 52.84% | 45,891 | 44.45% | 1,749 | 1.69% | 1,039 | 1.01% | 2 | 0.00% | 8,661 | 8.39% | 103,233 | ||||||||||
| San Francisco | 132,346 | 53.36% | 111,046 | 44.77% | 3,843 | 1.55% | 781 | 0.31% | 19 | 0.01% | 21,300 | 8.59% | 248,035 | ||||||||||
| San Joaquin | 22,340 | 50.34% | 20,990 | 47.30% | 895 | 2.02% | 147 | 0.33% | 5 | 0.01% | 1,350 | 3.04% | 44,377 | ||||||||||
| San Luis Obispo | 6,660 | 45.91% | 7,046 | 48.57% | 608 | 4.19% | 192 | 1.32% | 0 | 0.00% | -386 | -2.66% | 14,506 | ||||||||||
| San Mateo | 20,723 | 47.85% | 21,579 | 49.82% | 801 | 1.85% | 200 | 0.46% | 8 | 0.02% | -856 | -1.98% | 43,311 | ||||||||||
| Santa Barbara | 10,870 | 41.81% | 14,325 | 55.10% | 689 | 2.65% | 107 | 0.41% | 5 | 0.02% | -3,455 | -13.29% | 25,996 | ||||||||||
| Santa Clara | 32,994 | 46.70% | 36,191 | 51.23% | 1,217 | 1.72% | 226 | 0.32% | 20 | 0.03% | -3,197 | -4.53% | 70,648 | ||||||||||
| Santa Cruz | 8,962 | 45.17% | 10,198 | 51.40% | 531 | 2.68% | 150 | 0.76% | 0 | 0.00% | -1,236 | -6.23% | 19,841 | ||||||||||
| Shasta | 4,994 | 56.26% | 3,445 | 38.81% | 344 | 3.88% | 94 | 1.06% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,549 | 17.45% | 8,877 | ||||||||||
| Sierra | 719 | 49.72% | 565 | 39.07% | 149 | 10.30% | 13 | 0.90% | 0 | 0.00% | 154 | 10.65% | 1,446 | ||||||||||
| Siskiyou | 5,882 | 48.97% | 5,146 | 42.84% | 794 | 6.61% | 190 | 1.58% | 0 | 0.00% | 736 | 6.13% | 12,012 | ||||||||||
| Solano | 9,037 | 50.92% | 8,051 | 45.36% | 586 | 3.30% | 74 | 0.42% | 0 | 0.00% | 986 | 5.56% | 17,748 | ||||||||||
| Sonoma | 12,207 | 42.25% | 15,582 | 53.93% | 957 | 3.31% | 140 | 0.48% | 9 | 0.03% | -3,375 | -11.68% | 28,895 | ||||||||||
| Stanislaus | 12,730 | 47.34% | 12,333 | 45.86% | 1,598 | 5.94% | 226 | 0.84% | 6 | 0.02% | 397 | 1.48% | 26,893 | ||||||||||
| Sutter | 3,093 | 43.97% | 3,691 | 52.47% | 224 | 3.18% | 27 | 0.38% | 0 | 0.00% | -598 | -8.50% | 7,035 | ||||||||||
| Tehama | 2,740 | 44.99% | 2,882 | 47.32% | 427 | 7.01% | 41 | 0.67% | 0 | 0.00% | -142 | -2.33% | 6,090 | ||||||||||
| Trinity | 1,081 | 53.36% | 808 | 39.88% | 107 | 5.28% | 30 | 1.48% | 0 | 0.00% | 273 | 13.47% | 2,026 | ||||||||||
| Tulare | 16,162 | 50.29% | 14,571 | 45.34% | 1,113 | 3.46% | 283 | 0.88% | 8 | 0.02% | 1,591 | 4.95% | 32,137 | ||||||||||
| Tuolumne | 2,672 | 53.80% | 2,091 | 42.10% | 168 | 3.38% | 36 | 0.72% | 0 | 0.00% | 581 | 11.70% | 4,967 | ||||||||||
| Ventura | 11,264 | 49.31% | 10,647 | 46.61% | 789 | 3.45% | 139 | 0.61% | 2 | 0.01% | 617 | 2.70% | 22,841 | ||||||||||
| Yolo | 3,997 | 43.28% | 4,865 | 52.67% | 352 | 3.81% | 22 | 0.24% | 0 | 0.00% | -868 | -9.40% | 9,236 | ||||||||||
| Yuba | 3,133 | 48.65% | 3,097 | 48.09% | 182 | 2.83% | 26 | 0.40% | 2 | 0.03% | 36 | 0.56% | 6,440 | ||||||||||
| Total | 1,391,734 | 52.49% | 1,171,019 | 44.17% | 64,418 | 2.43% | 23,787 | 0.90% | 505 | 0.02% | 220,715 | 8.32% | 2,651,463 | ||||||||||