The1990 California gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990. Though incumbent Republican GovernorGeorge Deukmejian was eligible for a third term, he announced in January 1989 that he would not pursue reelection.[ 1] Pete Wilson , who defeatedDemocratic formerSan Francisco MayorDianne Feinstein in a close race.
Feinstein won the Democratic nomination against opponents includingCalifornia Attorney General John Van de Kamp , while Wilson faced minimal opposition in his bid for the Republican nomination. Feinstein was elected to Wilson's former Senate seat in1992 , and served in the Senate until her death in September 2023.
Donald L. Bullock Jeffrey T. Greene David M. Williams Pete Wilson , incumbent U.S. senator and former mayor of San DiegoJohn Hancock Abbott Eileen Anderson Lydon Byrne Mark Calney Dianne Feinstein , mayor of San FranciscoFranklin Geraty Charles A. Mahon III Charles Pineda Jr. Frank L. Thomas John van de Kamp , California attorney generalF. Frank Wong Democratic primary results[ 2] Party Candidate Votes % Democratic Dianne Feinstein 1,361,360 52.26% Democratic John Van de Kamp 1,067,899 41.00% Democratic Frank L. Thomas 35,900 1.38% Democratic Charles Pineda Jr. 25,396 0.97% Democratic Franklin R. Geraty 24,251 0.93% Democratic John Hancock Abbott 19,697 0.76% Democratic Charles A. Mahon III 17,987 0.69% Democratic F. Frank Wong 16,280 0.62% Democratic Eileen Anderson 16,116 0.62% Democratic Lydon Byrne 11,975 0.46% Democratic Mark Calney 7,923 0.30% Democratic Sue Lockard Digre (write-in) 68 0.00% Total votes 2,604,852 100.00%
Minor party primaries [ edit ] American Independent Party [ edit ] Libertarian primary results[ 2] Party Candidate Votes % Libertarian Dennis Thompson 11,857 100.00% Total votes 11,857 100.00%
Peace and Freedom Party [ edit ] General election results [ edit ] 1990 California gubernatorial election[ 3] Party Candidate Votes % ±% Republican Pete Wilson 3,791,904 49.25% −11.29% Democratic Dianne Feinstein 3,525,197 45.78% +8.41% Libertarian Dennis Thompson 145,628 1.89% +1.18% American Independent Jerome McCready 139,661 1.81% +1.13% Peace and Freedom Maria Elizabeth Muñoz 96,842 1.26% +0.56% Independent Joel Britton (write-in) 98 0.00% Independent Charles A. Mahon III (write-in) 91 0.00% Independent Franklin R. Geraty (write-in) 34 0.00% Independent Jerry Irwin Solomon (write-in) 12 0.00% Majority 266,707 3.46% Total votes 7,699,467 100.00% Republican hold Swing -19.71%
County Pete Wilson Dianne Feinstein Dennis Thompson Jerome McCready Maria Elizabeth Muñoz All others Margin Total votes cast[ 3] # % # % # % # % # % # % # % Alameda 117,107 31.64% 237,345 64.12% 6,261 1.69% 4,049 1.09% 5,405 1.46% 11[ a] 0.00% -120,238 -32.48% 370,178 Alpine 242 52.72% 174 37.91% 14 3.05% 16 3.49% 13 2.83% 0 0.00% 68 14.81% 459 Amador 6,469 53.99% 4,797 40.04% 261 2.18% 336 2.80% 118 0.98% 0 0.00% 1,672 13.96% 11,981 Butte 35,048 54.93% 25,422 39.85% 1,458 2.29% 1,264 1.98% 607 0.95% 2[ b] 0.00% 9,626 15.09% 63,801 Calaveras 7,071 52.99% 5,422 40.63% 391 2.93% 322 2.41% 139 1.04% 0 0.00% 1,649 12.36% 13,345 Colusa 2,798 62.37% 1,455 32.43% 93 2.07% 103 2.30% 37 0.82% 0 0.00% 1,343 29.94% 4,486 Contra Costa 119,901 43.94% 144,268 52.87% 3,703 1.36% 2,759 1.01% 2,235 0.82% 17[ c] 0.01% -24,367 -8.93% 272,883 Del Norte 3,615 53.21% 2,717 39.99% 140 2.06% 219 3.22% 103 1.52% 0 0.00% 898 13.22% 6,794 El Dorado 26,452 55.81% 18,390 38.80% 780 1.65% 1,339 2.83% 432 0.91% 3[ d] 0.01% 8,062 17.01% 47,396 Fresno 77,693 52.57% 63,523 42.98% 2,176 1.47% 2,772 1.88% 1,618 1.09% 0 0.00% 14,170 9.59% 147,782 Glenn 4,190 61.06% 2,182 31.80% 185 2.70% 257 3.75% 48 0.70% 0 0.00% 2,008 29.26% 6,862 Humboldt 22,943 46.81% 22,823 46.57% 951 1.94% 1,042 2.13% 1,249 2.55% 0 0.00% 120 0.24% 49,008 Imperial 9,422 52.22% 7,463 41.36% 249 1.38% 297 1.65% 613 3.40% 0 0.00% 1,959 10.86% 18,044 Inyo 4,566 62.97% 2,369 32.67% 114 1.57% 119 1.64% 83 1.14% 0 0.00% 2,197 30.30% 7,251 Kern 73,065 60.08% 41,763 34.34% 2,359 1.94% 2,857 2.35% 1,568 1.29% 1[ e] 0.00% 31,302 25.74% 121,613 Kings 9,771 56.09% 6,731 38.64% 225 1.29% 393 2.26% 299 1.72% 0 0.00% 3,040 17.45% 17,419 Lake 8,344 47.11% 8,475 47.85% 436 2.46% 277 1.56% 178 1.01% 0 0.00% -131 -0.74% 17,710 Lassen 4,790 56.23% 3,152 37.00% 180 2.11% 311 3.65% 86 1.01% 0 0.00% 1,638 19.23% 8,519 Los Angeles 867,781 46.61% 911,413 48.95% 30,157 1.62% 27,931 1.50% 24,560 1.32% 51[ f] 0.00% -43,632 -2.34% 1,861,893 Madera 11,216 56.50% 7,431 37.44% 323 1.63% 651 3.28% 229 1.15% 0 0.00% 3,785 19.07% 19,850 Marin 35,563 36.77% 57,255 59.20% 1,750 1.81% 875 0.90% 1,277 1.32% 0 0.00% -21,692 -22.43% 96,720 Mariposa 3,336 51.88% 2,634 40.96% 146 2.27% 250 3.89% 64 1.00% 0 0.00% 702 10.92% 6,430 Mendocino 11,723 40.86% 14,515 50.60% 700 2.44% 696 2.43% 1,054 3.67% 0 0.00% -2,792 -9.73% 28,688 Merced 17,054 50.64% 15,004 44.55% 514 1.53% 688 2.04% 419 1.24% 0 0.00% 2,050 6.09% 33,679 Modoc 2,115 57.35% 1,320 35.79% 83 2.25% 123 3.34% 47 1.27% 0 0.00% 795 21.56% 3,688 Mono 1,776 57.46% 1,124 36.36% 78 2.52% 64 2.07% 49 1.59% 0 0.00% 652 21.09% 3,091 Monterey 34,932 42.66% 42,371 51.74% 1,554 1.90% 1,810 2.21% 1,222 1.49% 4[ g] 0.00% -7,439 -9.08% 81,893 Napa 18,931 47.24% 19,017 47.45% 935 2.33% 717 1.79% 473 1.18% 2[ h] 0.00% -86 -0.21% 40,075 Nevada 18,458 54.20% 13,588 39.90% 845 2.48% 818 2.40% 349 1.02% 0 0.00% 4,870 14.30% 34,058 Orange 425,025 63.72% 208,886 31.32% 13,589 2.04% 13,156 1.97% 6,367 0.95% 7[ i] 0.00% 216,139 32.40% 667,030 Placer 36,397 56.53% 24,577 38.17% 1,171 1.82% 1,593 2.47% 641 1.00% 3[ j] 0.00% 11,820 18.36% 64,382 Plumas 4,243 51.87% 3,477 42.51% 176 2.15% 205 2.51% 78 0.95% 1[ k] 0.01% 766 9.36% 8,180 Riverside 157,214 57.26% 102,847 37.46% 5,064 1.84% 6,809 2.48% 2,620 0.95% 1[ l] 0.00% 54,367 19.80% 274,555 Sacramento 167,982 50.32% 149,215 44.70% 5,381 1.61% 7,248 2.17% 3,997 1.20% 25[ m] 0.01% 18,767 5.62% 333,848 San Benito 4,120 45.23% 4,445 48.80% 185 2.03% 171 1.88% 187 2.05% 0 0.00% -325 -3.57% 9,108 San Bernardino 169,028 55.99% 114,764 38.02% 6,612 2.19% 7,536 2.50% 3,894 1.29% 39[ n] 0.01% 54,264 17.98% 301,873 San Diego 383,959 57.09% 244,759 36.39% 18,217 2.71% 16,963 2.52% 8,624 1.28% 15[ o] 0.00% 139,200 20.70% 672,537 San Francisco 56,652 25.00% 161,626 71.32% 2,938 1.30% 1,456 0.64% 3,952 1.74% 3[ p] 0.00% -104,974 -46.32% 226,627 San Joaquin 62,249 54.98% 46,653 41.21% 1,488 1.31% 1,916 1.69% 904 0.80% 3[ q] 0.00% 15,596 13.78% 113,213 San Luis Obispo 38,909 53.54% 30,140 41.47% 1,513 2.08% 1,208 1.66% 900 1.24% 3[ r] 0.00% 8,769 12.07% 72,673 San Mateo 80,253 40.45% 109,963 55.43% 3,347 1.69% 2,537 1.28% 2,290 1.15% 6[ s] 0.00% -29,710 -14.98% 198,396 Santa Barbara 58,677 53.11% 46,977 42.52% 1,667 1.51% 1,403 1.27% 1,746 1.58% 4[ t] 0.00% 11,700 10.59% 110,474 Santa Clara 178,310 42.57% 218,843 52.24% 9,987 2.38% 6,544 1.56% 5,195 1.24% 13[ u] 0.00% -40,533 -9.68% 418,892 Santa Cruz 26,797 33.11% 48,530 59.96% 2,180 2.69% 1,694 2.09% 1,739 2.15% 1[ v] 0.00% -21,733 -26.85% 80,941 Shasta 28,322 57.85% 17,795 36.35% 1,195 2.44% 1,344 2.75% 305 0.62% 0 0.00% 10,527 21.50% 48,961 Sierra 813 51.04% 671 42.12% 34 2.13% 54 3.39% 21 1.32% 0 0.00% 142 8.91% 1,593 Siskiyou 8,320 52.61% 6,346 40.13% 446 2.82% 559 3.54% 142 0.90% 0 0.00% 1,974 12.48% 15,813 Solano 36,755 42.50% 44,969 52.00% 1,753 2.03% 2,020 2.34% 970 1.12% 15[ w] 0.02% -8,214 -9.50% 86,482 Sonoma 54,706 38.60% 79,093 55.81% 2,982 2.10% 2,436 1.72% 2,505 1.77% 1[ x] 0.00% -24,387 -17.21% 141,723 Stanislaus 47,275 53.49% 37,182 42.07% 1,187 1.34% 1,980 2.24% 757 0.86% 1[ y] 0.00% 10,093 11.42% 88,382 Sutter 12,647 65.45% 5,796 30.00% 318 1.65% 399 2.06% 163 0.84% 0 0.00% 6,851 35.46% 19,323 Tehama 9,415 56.94% 5,915 35.77% 621 3.76% 498 3.01% 87 0.53% 0 0.00% 3,500 21.17% 16,536 Trinity 2,908 51.73% 2,250 40.02% 208 3.70% 176 3.13% 80 1.42% 0 0.00% 658 11.70% 5,622 Tulare 41,186 62.76% 21,670 33.02% 940 1.43% 1,058 1.61% 775 1.18% 0 0.00% 19,516 29.74% 65,629 Tuolumne 10,465 52.91% 8,294 41.93% 390 1.97% 464 2.35% 167 0.84% 0 0.00% 2,171 10.98% 19,780 Ventura 106,234 57.58% 68,139 36.93% 3,962 2.15% 3,770 2.04% 2,398 1.30% 2[ z] 0.00% 38,095 20.65% 184,505 Yolo 19,316 43.53% 22,890 51.59% 756 1.70% 772 1.74% 638 1.44% 1[ aa] 0.00% -3,574 -8.05% 44,373 Yuba 7,355 59.22% 4,342 34.96% 260 2.09% 337 2.71% 126 1.01% 0 0.00% 3,013 24.26% 12,420 Total 3,791,904 49.25% 3,525,197 45.78% 145,628 1.89% 139,661 1.81% 96,842 1.26% 235 0.00% 266,707 3.46% 7,699,467
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic [ edit ] By congressional district [ edit ] Pete Wilson won 25 of California's 45 congressional districts, including eight districts that were won by Democrats. Dianne Feinstein won 20 of California's 45 congressional districts, including two districts that were won by Republicans.[ 4]
^ 9 for Britton, 1 for Mahon, 1 for Geraty ^ 2 for Mahon ^ 4 for Britton, 11 for Mahon, 2 for Geraty ^ 3 for Mahon ^ 1 for Mahon ^ 41 for Britton, 4 for Mahon, 2 for Geraty, 4 for Solomon ^ 1 for Britton, 3 for Mahon ^ 1 for Mahon, 1 for Geraty ^ 3 for Britton, 3 for Mahon, 1 for Solomon ^ 1 for Britton, 2 for Geraty ^ 1 for Mahon ^ 1 for Mahon ^ 1 for Britton, 12 for Mahon, 10 for Geraty, 2 for Solomon ^ 10 for Britton, 15 for Mahon, 9 for Geraty, 5 for Solomon ^ 13 for Britton, 2 for Mahon ^ 2 for Britton, 1 for Geraty ^ 3 for Mahon ^ 2 for Britton, 1 for Mahon ^ 3 for Britton, 2 for Mahon, 1 for Geraty ^ 2 for Britton, 2 for Geraty ^ 3 for Britton, 7 for Mahon, 3 for Geraty ^ 1 for Britton ^ 15 for Mahon ^ 1 for Britton ^ 1 for Mahon ^ 1 for Britton, 1 for Mahon ^ 1 for Mahon ^ "GOVERNOR IN WEST RULES OUT '90 RACE" .The New York Times . January 7, 1989. RetrievedOctober 16, 2025 .^a b c d e California Secretary of State.Statement of Vote June 5, 1990 Primary Election (PDF) . Sacramento, California. pp. 9– 11. RetrievedJuly 22, 2024 . ^a b California Secretary of State.Statement of Vote General Election, November 6, 1990 (PDF) . Sacramento, California. p. 11. RetrievedJuly 22, 2024 . ^ California Secretary of State.Supplement to Statement of Vote November 1990 48– 51. RetrievedJuly 22, 2024 .
County results
Congressional district results.jpg)
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