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 County results Congressional district resultsBoxer: 40-50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Jones: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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The2004 United States Senate election in California took place on November 2, 2004, alongside other elections to theUnited States Senate in other states as well as elections to theUnited States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic U.S. SenatorBarbara Boxer ran for re-election and defeatedRepublican formerSecretary of StateBill Jones. Boxer's 6.96 million votes set the all-time record for the most votes cast for one candidate in one state in one election, although it was surpassed by SenatorDianne Feinstein's 7.75 million votesin 2012.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Barbara Boxer (Incumbent) | 2,566,298 | 100.00% | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Jones | 1,015,748 | 44.81% | |
| Republican | Rosario Marin | 454,176 | 20.03% | |
| Republican | Howard Kaloogian | 253,331 | 11.17% | |
| Republican | Toni Casey | 142,080 | 6.27% | |
| Republican | Tim Stoen | 124,940 | 5.51% | |
| Republican | James Stewart | 78,264 | 3.45% | |
| Republican | Barry L. Hatch | 71,244 | 3.14% | |
| Republican | John M. Van Zandt | 56,925 | 2.51% | |
| Republican | Danney Ball | 37,745 | 1.66% | |
| Republican | Bill Quraishi | 32,515 | 1.43% | |
| Total votes | 2,266,968 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Independent | Don J. Grundmann | 32,025 | 100.00% | |
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Gray | 13,656 | 57.30% | |
| Gail Lightfoot | 10,177 | 42.70% | |
| Total votes | 23,833 | 100.00% | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peace and Freedom | Marsha Feinland | 4,864 | 100.00% | |
Boxer originally had planned to retire in 2004 but changed her mind to "fight for the right to dissent" against conservatives such as House Majority LeaderTom DeLay. Jones was widely considered as the underdog.[3] Jones got a major endorsement from the popular GovernorArnold Schwarzenegger.[4] The two major candidates had a debate. Pre-election polling had Boxer leading in double digits.[5] But he never released a single TV ad. Boxer portrayed Jones as too conservative for California, citing his votes in the California Assembly (1982 to 1994) against gun control and an increased minimum wage, and in support of offshore drilling and a loosening of environmental regulations.[6]
Jones raised about $700,000 more than Boxer during the third quarter, pulling in $2.5 million to Boxer's $1.8 million. But overall, Boxer has raised $16 million to Jones' $6.2 million. And Boxer has spent about $7 million on radio and television ads alone.[7]
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[8] | Safe D | November 1, 2004 |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[a] | Margin of error | Barbara Boxer (D) | Bill Jones (R) | Other / Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA[9] | October 29–31, 2004 | 763 (LV) | ± 3.6% | 57% | 36% | 7% |
The election was not close, with Boxer winning by an authoritative 20 point margin. Jones only performed well in rural parts of the state. Boxer on the other hand won almost all major metropolitan areas in the state. The race was called right when the polls closed at 11:00 P.M. EST, and 7:00 P.M. PTZ. Jones conceded defeat to Boxer at 11:12 P.M. EST, and 7:12 PTZ.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Barbara Boxer (Incumbent) | 6,955,728 | 57.71% | |
| Republican | Bill Jones | 4,555,922 | 37.80% | |
| Peace and Freedom | Marsha Feinland | 243,846 | 2.02% | |
| Libertarian | James P. "Jim" Gray | 216,522 | 1.80% | |
| American Independent | Don J. Grundmann | 81,244 | 0.67% | |
| No party | Dennis Richter (write-in) | 43 | 0.00% | |
| No party | Howard Johnson (write-in) | 8 | 0.00% | |
| No party | John Emery Jones (write-in) | 2 | 0.00% | |
| Invalid or blank votes | 536,388 | 4.26% | ||
| Total votes | 12,589,703 | 100.00% | ||
| Turnout | 57.03% | |||
| Democratichold | ||||
Final results from theSecretary of State of California.[11]
| County | Boxer | Votes | Jones | Votes | Feinland | Votes | Others | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | 82.67% | 277,193 | 12.83% | 43,029 | 2.15% | 7,220 | 2.34% | 7,862 |
| Alameda | 75.66% | 403,892 | 20.23% | 107,966 | 2.22% | 11,851 | 1.89% | 10,103 |
| Marin | 70.86% | 94,164 | 25.81% | 34,301 | 1.44% | 1,915 | 1.89% | 2,505 |
| San Mateo | 70.53% | 196,285 | 26.29% | 73,171 | 1.33% | 3,715 | 1.84% | 5,126 |
| Santa Cruz | 70.58% | 84,840 | 23.49% | 28,239 | 2.77% | 3,329 | 3.15% | 3,791 |
| Los Angeles | 66.75% | 1,940,493 | 28.29% | 822,351 | 2.36% | 68,743 | 2.60% | 75,449 |
| Santa Clara | 66.00% | 380,551 | 29.83% | 172,008 | 1.66% | 9,550 | 2.51% | 14,487 |
| Sonoma | 65.67% | 143,124 | 29.57% | 64,438 | 2.28% | 4,962 | 2.49% | 5,419 |
| Contra Costa | 63.49% | 258,905 | 33.24% | 135,559 | 1.48% | 6,044 | 1.78% | 7,277 |
| Monterey | 62.31% | 76,647 | 32.96% | 40,547 | 1.84% | 2,263 | 2.89% | 3,560 |
| Yolo | 61.94% | 44,085 | 34.05% | 24,234 | 1.88% | 1,340 | 2.13% | 1,518 |
| Mendocino | 61.87% | 23,415 | 29.41% | 11,131 | 2.76% | 1,044 | 5.96% | 2,254 |
| Solano | 61.32% | 89,779 | 35.07% | 51,354 | 1.61% | 2,355 | 2.00% | 2,929 |
| Napa | 60.30% | 33,577 | 35.94% | 20,012 | 1.59% | 884 | 2.17% | 1,208 |
| Humboldt | 58.76% | 38,016 | 34.61% | 22,394 | 3.47% | 2,246 | 3.16% | 2,044 |
| Imperial | 57.65% | 19,498 | 36.06% | 12,195 | 3.43% | 1,159 | 2.87% | 971 |
| Lake | 56.32% | 13,812 | 39.22% | 9,619 | 1.91% | 469 | 2.55% | 625 |
| San Benito | 55.82% | 10,349 | 39.73% | 7,365 | 1.96% | 363 | 2.49% | 462 |
| Santa Barbara | 55.10% | 91,055 | 40.02% | 66,146 | 2.03% | 3,347 | 2.85% | 4,717 |
| Sacramento | 54.16% | 252,016 | 42.34% | 196,984 | 1.50% | 6,995 | 2.00% | 9,283 |
| Alpine | 53.90% | 373 | 41.76% | 289 | 2.31% | 16 | 2.02% | 14 |
| San Joaquin | 53.00% | 99,074 | 42.98% | 80,350 | 1.92% | 3,582 | 2.10% | 3,921 |
| Ventura | 52.13% | 159,920 | 43.66% | 133,917 | 1.84% | 5,630 | 2.37% | 7,284 |
| San Diego | 51.45% | 565,457 | 44.13% | 484,948 | 2.04% | 22,431 | 2.38% | 26,125 |
| Mono | 49.95% | 2,592 | 44.59% | 2,314 | 2.14% | 111 | 3.31% | 172 |
| San Bernardino | 49.76% | 251,776 | 45.36% | 229,527 | 2.18% | 11,038 | 2.70% | 13,655 |
| Merced | 49.65% | 27,975 | 46.18% | 26,023 | 1.95% | 1,098 | 2.22% | 1,251 |
| Riverside | 47.39% | 259,169 | 48.67% | 266,197 | 1.93% | 10,547 | 2.01% | 11,015 |
| Stanislaus | 46.93% | 67,539 | 49.70% | 71,527 | 1.61% | 2,324 | 1.75% | 2,517 |
| San Luis Obispo | 46.49% | 58,212 | 48.48% | 60,708 | 2.12% | 2,659 | 2.91% | 3,646 |
| Trinity | 46.24% | 2,960 | 47.93% | 3,068 | 2.17% | 139 | 3.66% | 234 |
| Del Norte | 46.03% | 4,264 | 48.72% | 4,513 | 2.29% | 212 | 2.97% | 275 |
| Nevada | 45.79% | 24,367 | 49.46% | 26,321 | 1.90% | 1,013 | 2.85% | 1,518 |
| Fresno | 45.36% | 109,849 | 51.59% | 124,937 | 1.61% | 3,905 | 1.44% | 3,495 |
| Butte | 44.96% | 42,512 | 49.12% | 46,446 | 2.52% | 2,385 | 3.39% | 3,204 |
| Tuolumne | 44.38% | 11,538 | 52.39% | 13,620 | 1.23% | 319 | 2.00% | 519 |
| Orange | 43.73% | 458,604 | 50.86% | 533,406 | 1.94% | 20,394 | 3.47% | 36,374 |
| Kings | 42.71% | 13,485 | 54.07% | 17,075 | 1.71% | 539 | 1.51% | 478 |
| Amador | 42.16% | 7,445 | 54.15% | 9,562 | 1.53% | 271 | 2.15% | 380 |
| Calaveras | 42.17% | 9,339 | 53.58% | 11,865 | 1.51% | 334 | 2.75% | 608 |
| Inyo | 40.68% | 3,474 | 54.37% | 4,643 | 2.08% | 178 | 2.86% | 244 |
| Mariposa | 40.38% | 3,437 | 55.82% | 4,751 | 1.69% | 144 | 2.10% | 179 |
| Siskiyou | 39.92% | 8,215 | 54.95% | 11,308 | 1.94% | 399 | 3.18% | 655 |
| Placer | 39.70% | 59,554 | 56.78% | 85,163 | 1.46% | 2,197 | 2.06% | 3,086 |
| Plumas | 39.59% | 4,347 | 54.82% | 6,019 | 2.21% | 243 | 3.38% | 371 |
| El Dorado | 39.58% | 33,715 | 56.09% | 47,775 | 2.05% | 1,743 | 2.29% | 1,950 |
| Madera | 39.15% | 15,058 | 57.84% | 22,249 | 1.67% | 641 | 1.35% | 519 |
| Yuba | 38.94% | 6,926 | 55.80% | 9,925 | 2.21% | 393 | 3.05% | 542 |
| Kern | 38.13% | 79,769 | 56.82% | 118,882 | 2.17% | 4,543 | 2.88% | 6,026 |
| Tulare | 37.11% | 36,181 | 59.55% | 58,066 | 1.84% | 1,798 | 1.50% | 1,464 |
| Colusa | 36.61% | 2,228 | 60.10% | 3,657 | 1.23% | 75 | 2.05% | 125 |
| Sutter | 36.61% | 10,864 | 60.06% | 17,824 | 1.47% | 436 | 1.86% | 553 |
| Tehama | 36.18% | 8,285 | 58.89% | 13,488 | 1.76% | 403 | 3.17% | 726 |
| Shasta | 35.21% | 26,795 | 60.00% | 45,667 | 1.86% | 1,412 | 2.94% | 2,235 |
| Sierra | 34.89% | 679 | 58.74% | 1,143 | 1.90% | 37 | 4.47% | 87 |
| Glenn | 33.87% | 3,147 | 61.77% | 5,739 | 1.86% | 173 | 2.50% | 232 |
| Lassen | 32.36% | 3,655 | 62.43% | 7,051 | 1.97% | 223 | 3.24% | 366 |
| Modoc | 28.48% | 1,253 | 66.27% | 2,916 | 1.52% | 67 | 3.73% | 164 |
Shift by county
Trend by countyBoxer won 36 of 53 congressional districts, including three that elected Republicans.[12]
| District | Boxer | Jones | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 60% | 34% | Mike Thompson |
| 2nd | 40% | 56% | Wally Herger |
| 3rd | 46% | 51% | Doug Ose |
| Dan Lungren | |||
| 4th | 40% | 56% | John Doolittle |
| 5th | 65% | 31% | Bob Matsui |
| 6th | 68% | 27% | Lynn Woolsey |
| 7th | 69% | 27% | George Miller |
| 8th | 84% | 12% | Nancy Pelosi |
| 9th | 84% | 11% | Barbara Lee |
| 10th | 60% | 37% | Ellen Tauscher |
| 11th | 50% | 47% | Richard Pombo |
| 12th | 73% | 24% | Tom Lantos |
| 13th | 73% | 23% | Pete Stark |
| 14th | 68% | 29% | Anna Eshoo |
| 15th | 65% | 31% | Mike Honda |
| 16th | 67% | 28% | Zoe Lofgren |
| 17th | 66% | 29% | Sam Farr |
| 18th | 57% | 39% | Dennis Cardoza |
| 19th | 42% | 55% | George Radanovich |
| 20th | 57% | 38% | Cal Dooley |
| Jim Costa | |||
| 21st | 38% | 59% | Devin Nunes |
| 22nd | 36% | 60% | Bill Thomas |
| 23rd | 60% | 35% | Lois Capps |
| 24th | 47% | 48% | Elton Gallegly |
| 25th | 46% | 49% | Howard McKeon |
| 26th | 48% | 47% | David Dreier |
| 27th | 64% | 31% | Brad Sherman |
| 28th | 74% | 21% | Howard Berman |
| 29th | 64% | 31% | Adam Schiff |
| 30th | 69% | 27% | Henry Waxman |
| 31st | 80% | 15% | Xavier Becerra |
| 32nd | 68% | 26% | Hilda Solis |
| 33rd | 84% | 12% | Diane Watson |
| 34th | 74% | 21% | Lucille Roybal-Allard |
| 35th | 80% | 15% | Maxine Waters |
| 36th | 62% | 33% | Jane Harman |
| 37th | 76% | 18% | Juanita Millender-McDonald |
| 38th | 71% | 23% | Grace Napolitano |
| 39th | 64% | 31% | Linda Sánchez |
| 40th | 44% | 51% | Ed Royce |
| 41st | 44% | 52% | Jerry Lewis |
| 42nd | 42% | 54% | Gary Miller |
| 43rd | 64% | 30% | Joe Baca |
| 44th | 45% | 51% | Ken Calvert |
| 45th | 49% | 47% | Mary Bono Mack |
| 46th | 46% | 49% | Dana Rohrabacher |
| 47th | 57% | 35% | Loretta Sanchez |
| 48th | 44% | 51% | Christopher Cox |
| John Campbell | |||
| 49th | 42% | 54% | Darrell Issa |
| 50th | 48.1% | 48.2% | Brian Bilbray |
| 51st | 61% | 34% | Bob Filner |
| 52nd | 44% | 51% | Duncan Hunter |
| 53rd | 64% | 31% | Susan Davis |
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