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 County results Kuchel: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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The1962 United States Senate election in California was held on November 6, 1962.
IncumbentRepublicanThomas Kuchel was re-elected to a second full term in office, defeating Democratic State Senator Richard Richards. Kuchel carriedevery county in California and remains the most recent candidate for Senate to do so as of 2025.[a] As of 2025, this is the last time a Republican was elected to the Class 3 Senate seat from California.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Thomas Kuchel (incumbent) | 1,357,975 | 75.02% | |
| Republican | Loyd Wright | 247,300 | 13.66% | |
| Republican | Howard Jarvis | 180,768 | 9.99% | |
| Republican | William H. Reinholz | 24,100 | 1.33% | |
| Total votes | 1,810,143 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Richard B. Richards | 1,674,563 | 82.58% | |
| Democratic | Gabriel Green | 171,379 | 8.45% | |
| Democratic | J.F. Coleman | 170,926 | 8.43% | |
| Republican | Thomas Kuchel (incumbent) (write-in) | 10,927 | 0.54% | |
| Total votes | 2,027,795 | 100.00% | ||
Write-in campaigns were launched for anti-tax activistHoward Jarvis, 1962Nobel Peace Prize recipient and proponent ofnuclear disarmamentLinus Pauling, and Edward Brothers, but none made a significant impact on the race.
Shift by county
Trend by county| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Thomas Kuchel (incumbent) | 3,180,483 | 56.31% |  2.35 | |
| Democratic | Richard B. Richards | 2,452,839 | 43.43% |  9.47 | |
| Independent | Howard Jarvis (write-in) | 9,963 | 0.18% | N/A | |
| Independent | Linus Pauling (write-in) | 2,694 | 0.04% | N/A | |
| Independent | Edward Brothers (write-in) | 284 | 0.00% | N/A | |
| Write-in | All others | 1,689 | 0.02% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 5,647,952 | 100.00% | |||
| Republicanhold | Swing | ||||
