The1986 California gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 1986. IncumbentRepublican George Deukmejian won easily in this rematch over theDemocratic challenger,Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley . This was the largest gubernatorial victory since that ofEarl Warren in1946 , who won 91.64% of the vote.
Both major party candidates from1982 were renominated with only token opposition.
American Independent Party [ edit ] American Independent primary results[ 1] Party Candidate Votes % American Independent Gary V. Miller 13,168 100.00% Total votes 13,168 100.00%
Libertarian primary results[ 1] Party Candidate Votes % Libertarian Joseph Fuhrig 9,123 100.00% Total votes 9,123 100.00%
Peace and Freedom Party [ edit ] General election results [ edit ] 1986 California gubernatorial election[ 2] Party Candidate Votes % ±% Republican George Deukmejian (incumbent)4,506,601 60.54% +11.27% Democratic Tom Bradley 2,781,714 37.37% −10.72% Libertarian Joseph Fuhrig 52,628 0.71% −0.32% Peace and Freedom Maria Elizabeth Muñoz 51,995 0.70% −0.19% American Independent Gary V. Miller 50,547 0.68% −0.04% Scattering 66 0.00% Majority 1,724,887 23.17% Total votes 7,443,551 100.00% Republican hold Swing +21.99%
George Deukmejian carried all but two counties. As of 2024, this is most recent election in which a Republican gubernatorial candidate wonMarin County ,San Mateo County , andSanta Cruz County .
County George Deukmejian Tom Bradley Joseph Fuhrig Maria Elizabeth Muñoz Gary V. Miller Margin Total votes cast[ a] [ 2] # % # % # % # % # % # % Alameda 174,555 47.79% 181,445 49.68% 3,164 0.87% 3,783 1.04% 2,280 0.62% -6,890 -1.89% 365,227 Alpine 280 64.22% 128 29.36% 0 0.00% 16 3.67% 12 2.75% 152 34.86% 436 Amador 7,357 74.43% 2,319 23.46% 60 0.61% 56 0.57% 93 0.94% 5,038 50.97% 9,885 Butte 40,546 70.81% 15,518 27.10% 398 0.70% 348 0.61% 448 0.78% 25,028 43.71% 57,258 Calaveras 8,221 74.77% 2,531 23.02% 73 0.66% 75 0.68% 95 0.86% 5,690 51.75% 10,995 Colusa 3,729 79.49% 882 18.80% 16 0.34% 24 0.51% 40 0.85% 2,847 60.69% 4,691 Contra Costa 159,105 63.31% 87,117 34.67% 1,491 0.59% 1,644 0.65% 1,951 0.78% 71,998 28.65% 251,308 Del Norte 4,213 65.80% 2,026 31.64% 42 0.66% 51 0.80% 71 1.11% 2,187 34.16% 6,403 El Dorado 26,068 73.57% 8,605 24.29% 206 0.58% 193 0.54% 361 1.02% 17,463 49.28% 35,433 Fresno 96,959 66.28% 47,071 32.17% 546 0.37% 927 0.63% 795 0.54% 49,888 34.10% 146,298 Glenn 5,728 80.45% 1,246 17.50% 38 0.53% 26 0.37% 82 1.15% 4,482 62.95% 7,120 Humboldt 22,534 54.58% 17,608 42.65% 293 0.71% 491 1.19% 363 0.88% 4,926 11.93% 41,289 Imperial 11,479 61.19% 6,915 36.86% 38 0.20% 214 1.14% 113 0.60% 4,564 24.33% 18.759 Inyo 4,862 71.79% 1,753 25.88% 63 0.93% 45 0.66% 50 0.74% 3,109 45.90% 6,773 Kern 86,547 68.23% 37,973 29.93% 716 0.56% 610 0.48% 1,007 0.79% 48,574 38.29% 126,853 Kings 12,256 69.07% 5,205 29.33% 45 0.25% 125 0.70% 113 0.64% 7,051 39.74% 17,744 Lake 10,994 67.42% 4,904 30.07% 99 0.61% 110 0.67% 199 1.22% 6,090 37.35% 16,306 Lassen 5,154 68.96% 2,067 27.66% 45 0.60% 61 0.82% 147 1.97% 3,087 41.30% 7,474 Los Angeles 1,090,138 52.96% 930,576 45.21% 12,862 0.62% 13,158 0.64% 11,514 0.56% 159,562 7.75% 2,058,248 Madera 12,939 70.55% 4,951 27.00% 54 0.29% 165 0.90% 230 1.25% 7,988 43.56% 18,339 Marin 51,693 56.47% 37,686 41.17% 1,001 1.09% 781 0.85% 379 0.41% 14,007 15.30% 91,450 Mariposa 3,844 70.06% 1,513 27.57% 26 0.47% 45 0.82% 59 1.08% 2,331 42.48% 5,487 Mendocino 13,710 55.96% 10,054 41.04% 209 0.85% 349 1.42% 177 0.72% 3,656 14.92% 24,499 Merced 21,426 68.86% 9,105 29.26% 99 0.32% 199 0.64% 286 0.92% 12,321 39.60% 31,115 Modoc 2,641 74.69% 810 22.91% 25 0.71% 20 0.57% 40 1.13% 1,831 51.78% 3,536 Mono 1,847 70.66% 722 27.62% 15 0.57% 15 0.57% 15 0.57% 1,125 43.04% 2,614 Monterey 46,195 63.30% 25,408 34.81% 414 0.57% 544 0.75% 421 0.58% 20,787 28.48% 72,982 Napa 26,445 68.14% 11,456 29.52% 251 0.65% 282 0.73% 375 0.97% 14,989 38.62% 38,809 Nevada 20,599 73.12% 6,928 24.59% 228 0.81% 182 0.65% 234 0.83% 13,671 48.53% 28,171 Orange 468,092 71.89% 172,782 26.54% 3,445 0.53% 2,821 0.43% 3,956 0.61% 295,310 45.36% 651,096 Placer 37,288 73.31% 12,542 24.66% 372 0.73% 280 0.55% 382 0.75% 24,746 48.65% 50,864 Plumas 4,827 68.19% 2,096 29.61% 36 0.51% 78 1.10% 42 0.59% 2,731 38.58% 7,079 Riverside 155,318 65.10% 78,891 33.06% 947 0.40% 1,092 0.46% 2,350 0.98% 76,427 32.03% 238,598 Sacramento 207,086 68.05% 91,660 30.12% 1,592 0.52% 1,974 0.65% 2,014 0.66% 115,426 37.93% 304,326 San Benito 5,284 66.42% 2,520 31.68% 46 0.58% 60 0.75% 45 0.57% 2,764 34.75% 7,955 San Bernardino 166,483 63.76% 89,584 34.31% 1,206 0.46% 1,336 0.51% 2,490 0.95% 76,899 29.45% 261,099 San Diego 381,094 65.17% 184,395 31.53% 8,769 1.50% 5,390 0.92% 5,126 0.88% 196,699 33.64% 584,774 San Francisco 83,741 37.42% 134,738 60.20% 1,682 0.75% 2,743 1.23% 900 0.40% -50,997 -22.79% 223,804 San Joaquin 76,297 71.32% 28,817 26.94% 452 0.42% 623 0.58% 793 0.74% 47,480 44.38% 106,982 San Luis Obispo 41,893 67.12% 19,281 30.89% 391 0.63% 382 0.61% 472 0.76% 22,612 36.23% 62,419 San Mateo 121,910 61.84% 71,329 36.18% 1,498 0.76% 1,421 0.72% 987 0.50% 50,581 25.66% 197,145 Santa Barbara 67,852 62.84% 38,046 35.23% 617 0.57% 1,015 0.94% 451 0.42% 29,806 27.60% 107,981 Santa Clara 227,285 59.87% 142,907 37.64% 3,894 1.03% 2,920 0.77% 2,650 0.70% 84,378 22.22% 379,656 Santa Cruz 37,525 50.54% 34,831 46.91% 615 0.83% 839 1.13% 434 0.58% 2,694 3.63% 74,244 Shasta 29,447 71.01% 11,149 26.89% 289 0.70% 206 0.50% 378 0.91% 18,298 44.12% 41,469 Sierra 1,053 66.98% 474 30.15% 7 0.45% 13 0.83% 25 1.59% 579 36.83% 1,572 Siskiyou 10,515 67.95% 4,584 29.62% 103 0.67% 96 0.62% 176 1.14% 5,931 38.33% 15,474 Solano 47,396 63.51% 25,382 34.01% 746 1.00% 513 0.69% 587 0.79% 22,014 29.50% 74,624 Sonoma 75,003 59.43% 47,859 37.92% 1,015 0.80% 1,242 0.98% 1,091 0.86% 27,144 21.51% 126,210 Stanislaus 53,505 71.05% 20,481 27.20% 342 0.45% 417 0.55% 556 0.74% 33,024 43.86% 75,301 Sutter 12,616 78.67% 2,946 18.37% 136 0.85% 75 0.47% 263 1.64% 9,670 60.30% 16,036 Tehama 10,463 71.10% 3,932 26.72% 83 0.56% 75 0.51% 163 1.11% 6,531 44.38% 14,716 Trinity 3,720 66.48% 1,661 29.68% 72 1.29% 59 1.05% 84 1.50% 2,059 36.79% 5,596 Tulare 44,335 71.72% 16,287 26.35% 344 0.56% 334 0.54% 519 0.84% 28,048 45.37% 61,819 Tuolumne 11,121 71.29% 4,237 27.16% 67 0.43% 82 0.53% 92 0.59% 6,884 44.13% 15,599 Ventura 118,640 67.20% 54,893 31.09% 966 0.55% 960 0.54% 1,098 0.62% 63,747 36.11% 176,557 Yolo 26,154 60.79% 15,906 36.97% 308 0.72% 370 0.86% 285 0.66% 10,248 23.82% 43,023 Yuba 8,594 72.37% 2,982 25.11% 71 0.60% 40 0.34% 188 1.58% 5,612 47.26% 11,875 Total 4,506,601 60.54% 2,781,714 37.37% 52,628 0.71% 51,995 0.70% 50,547 0.68% 1,724,887 23.17% 7,443,551
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican [ edit ] ^ County totals do not include the write-in votes, which are only given as statewide totals in the Statement Of Vote
County results
Congressional district results
