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 County results Stephens: 40–50% 50–60 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Bell: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The1918 California gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1918. Incumbent governorWilliam Stephens was re-elected over independentTheodore Arlington Bell. The 1918 election is notable for its invocation of the Hawson amendment, a law designed to prevent a candidate from winning the nomination of another party viacross-filing; after Republican mayor of San FranciscoJames Rolph won the Democratic primary, the Democratic Party was left without a nominee.
In the Republican primary, Stephens defeated Rolph by approximately 23,000 votes. He also won the Prohibition and Progressive primaries. Rolph won the Democratic primary by 14,000 votes over famed prosecutorsFrancis J. Heney andThomas L. Woolwine and received the most combined votes of any candidate across all primaries. However, under the Hawson amendment passed the year prior, Rolph was unable to accept the Democratic nomination because he had not won his own party's nomination. As a result, the Democratic Party was left without a nominee in the general election.
In the general election, Stephens defeatedTheodore Arlington Bell, who had been the Democratic nominee in 1908 and 1910 and entered the race after the primary as theirde facto candidate, by over 130,000 votes. Stephens was the first governor elected with an absolute majority of the vote sinceHenry Gage in1898 and won the highest share of the vote sinceFrederick Low in1863.
San Francisco mayorJames Rolph, a Republican,cross-filed in both the Republican and Democratic primaries, won the Democratic primary, and received the most overall votes of any candidate in the primary election across all parties. However, because he failed to win his own party's nomination, he was barred from receiving the Democratic nomination thanks to the 1917 Hawson amendment to California electoral law, leaving the Democratic Party without a candidate. Incumbent Republican governorWilliam Stephens won the Republican, Prohibition, and Progressive nominations. The only other primary candidate to advance to the general election was Socialist Henry H. Roser, running unopposed.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William Stephens | 169,942 | 44.99% | |
| Republican | James Rolph | 146,990 | 38.91% | |
| Republican | J. O. Hayes | 24,676 | 6.53% | |
| Republican | Walter Bordwell | 17,038 | 4.51% | |
| Republican | Charles Fickert | 13,259 | 3.51% | |
| Republican | C. A. A. McGee | 4,014 | 1.06% | |
| Republican | Francis J. Heney | 1,539 | 0.41% | |
| Republican | Thomas Lee Woolwine | 276 | 0.07% | |
| Republican | Henry H. Roser | 8 | 0.00% | |
| Total votes | 377,742 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James Rolph | 74,955 | 43.76% | |
| Democratic | Francis J. Heney | 60,662 | 35.41% | |
| Democratic | Thomas Lee Woolwine | 28,879 | 16.86% | |
| Democratic | William Stephens | 6,257 | 3.65% | |
| Democratic | J. O. Hayes | 309 | 0.18% | |
| Democratic | Charles Fickert | 91 | 0.05% | |
| Democratic | Walter Bordwell | 73 | 0.04% | |
| Democratic | C. A. A. McGee | 54 | 0.03% | |
| Democratic | Henry H. Roser | 10 | 0.01% | |
| Total votes | 171,290 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prohibition | William Stephens | 12,853 | 96.97% | |
| Prohibition | Francis J. Heney | 157 | 1.18% | |
| Prohibition | James Rolph | 97 | 0.73% | |
| Prohibition | Walter Bordwell | 53 | 0.40% | |
| Prohibition | Thomas Lee Woolwine | 35 | 0.26% | |
| Prohibition | J. O. Hayes | 31 | 0.23% | |
| Prohibition | Charles Fickert | 21 | 0.16% | |
| Prohibition | C. A. A. McGee | 7 | 0.05% | |
| Prohibition | Henry H. Roser | 1 | 0.01% | |
| Total votes | 13,255 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progressive | William Stephens | 5,142 | 53.44% | |
| Progressive | Francis J. Heney | 3,418 | 35.52% | |
| Progressive | James Rolph | 980 | 1.18% | |
| Progressive | J. O. Hayes | 26 | 0.27% | |
| Progressive | Walter Bordwell | 18 | 0.19% | |
| Progressive | Thomas Lee Woolwine | 17 | 0.18% | |
| Progressive | Charles Fickert | 13 | 0.14% | |
| Progressive | C. A. A. McGee | 6 | 0.06% | |
| Progressive | Henry H. Roser | 2 | 0.02% | |
| Total votes | 9,622 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socialist | Henry H. Roser | 7,931 | 85.43% | |
| Socialist | James Rolph | 704 | 7.58% | |
| Socialist | Francis J. Heney | 382 | 4.11% | |
| Socialist | William Stephens | 214 | 2.31% | |
| Socialist | J. O. Hayes | 29 | 0.31% | |
| Socialist | Thomas Lee Woolwine | 19 | 0.20% | |
| Socialist | Walter Bordwell | 3 | 0.09% | |
| Socialist | Charles Fickert | 1 | 0.01% | |
| Socialist | C. A. A. McGee | 1 | 0.01% | |
| Total votes | 9,284 | 100.00% | ||
After the Democrats were left without a nominee,Theodore Arlington Bell, who had been the Democratic nominee for governor in 1906 and 1910, entered the race as an independent. His second-place finish in the general election indicated that Democrats regarded him as their de facto candidate.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William Stephens (incumbent) | 387,547 | 56.27% | +26.92% | |
| Independent | Theodore Arlington Bell | 251,189 | 36.47% | ||
| Socialist | Henry H. Roser | 29,003 | 4.21% | −1.26% | |
| Republican | James Rolph (write-in) | 20,605 | 2.99% | ||
| Scattering | 326 | 0.05% | |||
| Majority | 136,358 | 19.80% | |||
| Total votes | 688,670 | 100.00% | |||
| Republicanhold | Swing | -0.54% | |||
| County | William D. Stephens Republican | Theodore A. Bell Independent | Henry H. Roser Socialist | James Rolph Write-in | Scattering Write-in | Margin | Total votes cast[3] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Alameda | 42,276 | 56.72% | 27,332 | 36.67% | 4,288 | 5.75% | 619 | 0.83% | 18 | 0.02% | 14,944 | 20.05% | 74,533 |
| Alpine | 56 | 82.35% | 9 | 13.24% | 3 | 4.41% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 47 | 69.12% | 68 |
| Amador | 933 | 46.39% | 887 | 44.11% | 45 | 2.24% | 146 | 7.26% | 0 | 0.00% | 46 | 2.29% | 2,011 |
| Butte | 3,637 | 55.01% | 1,496 | 22.63% | 236 | 3.57% | 1,235 | 18.68% | 7 | 0.11% | 2,141 | 32.39% | 6,611 |
| Calaveras | 905 | 55.52% | 650 | 39.88% | 56 | 3.44% | 0 | 0.00% | 19 | 1.17% | 255 | 15.64% | 1,630 |
| Colusa | 1,200 | 54.05% | 722 | 32.52% | 51 | 2.30% | 247 | 11.13% | 0 | 0.00% | 478 | 21.53% | 2,220 |
| Contra Costa | 4,539 | 50.69% | 3,778 | 42.19% | 534 | 5.96% | 103 | 1.15% | 0 | 0.00% | 761 | 8.50% | 8,954 |
| Del Norte | 585 | 64.36% | 268 | 29.48% | 52 | 5.72% | 0 | 0.00% | 4 | 0.44% | 317 | 34.87% | 909 |
| El Dorado | 950 | 41.36% | 681 | 29.65% | 75 | 3.27% | 591 | 25.73% | 0 | 0.00% | 269 | 11.71% | 2,297 |
| Fresno | 15,607 | 66.99% | 6,679 | 28.67% | 944 | 4.05% | 67 | 0.29% | 0 | 0.00% | 8,928 | 38.32% | 23,297 |
| Glenn | 1,685 | 59.06% | 757 | 26.53% | 77 | 2.70% | 331 | 11.60% | 3 | 0.11% | 928 | 32.53% | 2,853 |
| Humboldt | 5,974 | 65.25% | 2,317 | 25.31% | 467 | 5.10% | 389 | 4.25% | 9 | 0.10% | 3,657 | 39.94% | 9,156 |
| Imperial | 2,748 | 68.61% | 1,066 | 26.62% | 188 | 4.69% | 0 | 0.00% | 3 | 0.07% | 1,682 | 42.00% | 4,005 |
| Inyo | 744 | 64.64% | 315 | 27.37% | 88 | 7.65% | 0 | 0.00% | 4 | 0.35% | 429 | 37.27% | 1,151 |
| Kern | 5,894 | 52.58% | 4,897 | 43.68% | 413 | 3.68% | 0 | 0.00% | 6 | 0.05% | 997 | 8.89% | 11,210 |
| Kings | 3,286 | 67.93% | 1,375 | 28.43% | 162 | 3.35% | 13 | 0.27% | 1 | 0.02% | 1,911 | 39.51% | 4,837 |
| Lake | 1,032 | 58.80% | 619 | 35.27% | 87 | 4.96% | 0 | 0.00% | 17 | 0.97% | 413 | 23.53% | 1,755 |
| Lassen | 1,068 | 56.18% | 444 | 23.36% | 82 | 4.31% | 307 | 16.15% | 0 | 0.00% | 624 | 32.82% | 1,901 |
| Los Angeles | 106,198 | 63.78% | 54,031 | 32.45% | 6,094 | 3.66% | 63 | 0.04% | 121 | 0.07% | 52,167 | 31.33% | 166,507 |
| Madera | 1,763 | 60.50% | 994 | 34.11% | 138 | 4.74% | 17 | 0.58% | 2 | 0.07% | 769 | 26.39% | 2,914 |
| Marin | 2,811 | 46.59% | 2,961 | 49.08% | 261 | 4.33% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | -150 | -2.49% | 6,033 |
| Mariposa | 605 | 54.65% | 439 | 39.66% | 58 | 5.24% | 5 | 0.45% | 0 | 0.00% | 166 | 15.00% | 1,107 |
| Mendocino | 2,780 | 52.17% | 2,281 | 42.80% | 268 | 5.03% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 499 | 9.36% | 5,329 |
| Merced | 2,751 | 63.62% | 1,337 | 30.92% | 208 | 4.81% | 28 | 0.65% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,414 | 32.70% | 4,324 |
| Modoc | 930 | 60.74% | 428 | 27.96% | 54 | 3.53% | 115 | 7.51% | 4 | 0.26% | 502 | 32.79% | 1,531 |
| Mono | 114 | 56.44% | 67 | 33.17% | 20 | 9.90% | 1 | 0.50% | 0 | 0.00% | 47 | 23.27% | 202 |
| Monterey | 3,739 | 62.97% | 1,954 | 32.91% | 188 | 3.17% | 57 | 0.96% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,785 | 30.06% | 5,938 |
| Napa | 1,805 | 32.31% | 3,511 | 62.84% | 165 | 2.95% | 106 | 1.90% | 0 | 0.00% | -1,706 | -30.54% | 5,587 |
| Nevada | 1,899 | 52.23% | 875 | 24.06% | 135 | 3.71% | 727 | 19.99% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,024 | 28.16% | 3,636 |
| Orange | 9,192 | 73.17% | 2,985 | 23.76% | 384 | 3.06% | 0 | 0.00% | 2 | 0.02% | 6,207 | 49.41% | 12,563 |
| Placer | 1,978 | 44.23% | 937 | 20.95% | 121 | 2.71% | 1,436 | 32.11% | 0 | 0.00% | 542[a] | 12.12% | 4,472 |
| Plumas | 540 | 51.28% | 251 | 23.84% | 50 | 4.75% | 212 | 20.13% | 0 | 0.00% | 289 | 27.45% | 1,053 |
| Riverside | 7,181 | 74.71% | 2,021 | 21.03% | 410 | 4.27% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 5,160 | 53.68% | 9,612 |
| Sacramento | 9,004 | 43.64% | 5,517 | 26.74% | 438 | 2.12% | 5,675 | 27.50% | 0 | 0.00% | 3,329[a] | 16.13% | 20,634 |
| San Benito | 1,227 | 56.94% | 858 | 39.81% | 55 | 2.55% | 14 | 0.65% | 1 | 0.05% | 369 | 17.12% | 2,155 |
| San Bernardino | 9,899 | 69.56% | 3,909 | 27.47% | 422 | 2.97% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 5,990 | 42.09% | 14,230 |
| San Diego | 16,333 | 65.07% | 7,618 | 30.35% | 1,132 | 4.51% | 12 | 0.05% | 5 | 0.02% | 8,715 | 34.72% | 25,100 |
| San Francisco | 36,099 | 35.96% | 56,726 | 56.51% | 5,249 | 5.23% | 2,302 | 2.29% | 6 | 0.01% | -20,627 | -20.55% | 100,382 |
| San Joaquin | 9,475 | 57.10% | 5,776 | 34.81% | 713 | 4.30% | 630 | 3.80% | 0 | 0.00% | 3,699 | 22.29% | 16,594 |
| San Luis Obispo | 3,128 | 59.21% | 1,806 | 34.19% | 349 | 6.61% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,322 | 25.02% | 5,283 |
| San Mateo | 3,909 | 47.16% | 3,817 | 46.05% | 422 | 5.09% | 138 | 1.66% | 3 | 0.04% | 92 | 1.11% | 8,289 |
| Santa Barbara | 4,699 | 67.32% | 1,915 | 27.44% | 351 | 5.03% | 0 | 0.00% | 15 | 0.21% | 2,784 | 39.89% | 6,980 |
| Santa Clara | 13,167 | 59.53% | 8,077 | 36.52% | 699 | 3.16% | 155 | 0.70% | 19 | 0.09% | 5,090 | 23.01% | 22,117 |
| Santa Cruz | 4,014 | 61.83% | 1,863 | 28.70% | 216 | 3.33% | 399 | 6.15% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,151 | 33.13% | 6,492 |
| Shasta | 1,949 | 55.35% | 937 | 26.61% | 178 | 5.06% | 450 | 12.78% | 7 | 0.20% | 1,012 | 28.74% | 3,521 |
| Sierra | 379 | 54.38% | 181 | 25.97% | 22 | 3.16% | 113 | 16.21% | 2 | 0.29% | 198 | 28.41% | 697 |
| Siskiyou | 2,196 | 48.49% | 1,360 | 30.03% | 216 | 4.77% | 757 | 16.71% | 0 | 0.00% | 836 | 18.46% | 4,529 |
| Solano | 3,254 | 43.88% | 3,497 | 47.15% | 235 | 3.17% | 430 | 5.80% | 0 | 0.00% | -243 | -3.28% | 7,416 |
| Sonoma | 5,258 | 41.77% | 6,696 | 53.20% | 366 | 2.91% | 258 | 2.05% | 9 | 0.07% | -1,438 | -11.42% | 12,587 |
| Stanislaus | 6,459 | 66.92% | 2,795 | 28.96% | 346 | 3.58% | 48 | 0.50% | 4 | 0.04% | 3,664 | 37.96% | 9,652 |
| Sutter | 1,093 | 50.37% | 495 | 22.81% | 56 | 2.58% | 526 | 24.24% | 0 | 0.00% | 567[a] | 26.13% | 2,170 |
| Tehama | 1,963 | 61.73% | 731 | 22.99% | 124 | 3.90% | 362 | 11.38% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,232 | 38.74% | 3,180 |
| Trinity | 475 | 52.37% | 245 | 27.01% | 60 | 6.62% | 127 | 14.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 230 | 25.36% | 907 |
| Tulare | 8,927 | 71.46% | 3,025 | 24.21% | 511 | 4.09% | 0 | 0.00% | 30 | 0.24% | 5,902 | 47.24% | 12,493 |
| Tuolumne | 1,263 | 56.18% | 827 | 36.79% | 157 | 6.98% | 1 | 0.04% | 0 | 0.00% | 436 | 19.40% | 2,248 |
| Ventura | 3,243 | 66.59% | 1,465 | 30.08% | 157 | 3.22% | 0 | 0.00% | 5 | 0.10% | 1,778 | 36.51% | 4,870 |
| Yolo | 1,765 | 47.07% | 1,238 | 33.01% | 71 | 1.89% | 676 | 18.03% | 0 | 0.00% | 527 | 14.05% | 3,750 |
| Yuba | 964 | 44.06% | 451 | 20.61% | 56 | 2.56% | 717 | 32.77% | 0 | 0.00% | 247[a] | 11.29% | 2,188 |
| Total | 387,547 | 56.27% | 251,189 | 36.47% | 29,003 | 4.21% | 20,605 | 2.99% | 326 | 0.05% | 136,358 | 19.80% | 688,670 |
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