 | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
 Special election county resultsRegular election county results Regular election congressional district resultsPadilla: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Meuser: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
Two2022 United States Senate elections in California were held concurrently on November 8, 2022, to elect a member of theUnited States Senate to represent theState of California. There were two ballot items for the sameClass 3 seat: a special election to fill the seat for the final weeks of the117th United States Congress (ending on January 3, 2023), and a general election for a full term (beginning on the same day), starting in the118th United States Congress.
IncumbentDemocratic SenatorAlex Padilla was appointed in 2021 byGovernorGavin Newsom to fill the vacancy created byKamala Harris's election to thevice presidency in2020, and he sought a full term.[1][2] Ajungle primary for each of the terms took place on June 7.[3] The top two candidates in each primary, regardless of party, advanced to the special and regular general elections in November. With his advancement out of the primary, Mark P. Meuser (/ˈmɔɪʒər/MOY-zhər) became the first Republican since2012 to advance to the general election, as both the2016 and2018 Senate elections solely featured Democrats as the top two candidates. This race was a rematch between the two, as both had previously run for the secretary of state in2018. Padilla won both elections with more than 60% of the vote.[4]
He became the firstLatino elected to the U.S. Senate from California, and the first male elected to the Senate from California sincePete Wilson was re-elected in1988 and the first male elected to the Class 3 Senate seat from California sinceAlan Cranston was re-elected in1986.[5] This was the first time since1988 where both major party nominees for a Senate seat in California were men and was also the first time where both major party nominees for the Class 3 Senate seat in California were men since1986.
Individuals
Newspapers
Organizations
U.S. Senators
Statewide officials
U.S. Representatives
Organizations
Newspapers
Stonewall Democrats clubs
Organizations
Incumbent senatorAlex Padilla was appointed to the job in January 2021 followingKamala Harris's election to the office ofVice President of the United States.[43] Following his appointment, Padilla quickly began to focus on his 2022 election campaign, as the fact that he has not been elected to the position means that he has a relatively low profile.[9] Padilla's election strategy focused on advocating forprogressive policies and building ties with left-wing organizations that had a poor relationship with California's other Senator,Dianne Feinstein.[9][44] The potential Democratic opponent to Padilla considered most likely to join the race was U.S. RepresentativeRo Khanna, a staunchly left-wing Democrat who rose to prominence as the co-chair of theBernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign, and who had a loyal base of support from California'sAsian-American andPacific Islander communities.[9][10] On August 9, 2021, Khanna announced that he would be endorsing Padilla for election, which was viewed as likely ending any possibility that Padilla would face a serious Democratic opponent.[45] It was noted by theSan Francisco Chronicle that it was considered unlikely that Padilla would face any serious Republican opponent, as California's heavily Democratic lean caused potentially strong candidates, such as U.S. RepresentativesMike Garcia andYoung Kim, to prefer to remain in their positions rather than launch a long-shot Senate run.[46]
In April 2022, billionaire businessman Dan O'Dowd entered the race, launching a $650,000 ad campaign.[8] O'Dowd's goal with this ad buy, and with entering the race in the first place, was to "make computers safe for humanity"[47][48] and draw the attention of the public and politicians to the dangers ofTesla's unfinishedFull Self-Driving software being rolled out to 100,000 cars on public roads.[49]
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[b] | Margin of error | Daphne Bradford (NPP) | James Bradley (R) | Jon Elist (R) | Myron Hall (R) | Mark Meuser (R) | Dan O'Dowd (D) | Alex Padilla (D) | Timothy Ursich Jr. (D) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley IGS[50] | May 24–31, 2022 | 3,438 (LV) | ± 2.2% | 1% | 7% | 5% | 2% | 14% | 3% | 44% | 2% | 21% |
| SurveyUSA[51] | May 13–15, 2022 | 709 (LV) | ± 4.5% | 1% | 8% | 7% | 3% | 11% | 6% | 40% | 2% | 22% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Alex Padilla (incumbent) | 3,740,582 | 55.0 | |
| Republican | Mark P. Meuser | 1,503,480 | 22.1 | |
| Republican | James P. Bradley | 472,052 | 6.9 | |
| Republican | Jon Elist | 403,722 | 5.9 | |
| Democratic | Timothy J. Ursich | 226,447 | 3.3 | |
| Democratic | Dan O'Dowd | 191,531 | 2.8 | |
| Republican | Myron L. Hall | 143,038 | 2.1 | |
| No party preference | Daphne Bradford | 112,191 | 1.6 | |
| Peace and Freedom | John Parker (write-in) | 9,951 | 0.1 | |
| No party preference | Irene Ratliff (write-in) | 12 | 0.0 | |
| Total votes | 6,803,006 | 100.0 | ||
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[b] | Margin of error | (D) Akinyemi Agbede | (I) Daphne Bradford | (R) James Bradley | (G) James Conn | (R) Jon Elist | (G) Pamela Elizondo | (I) Eleanor Garcia | (I) Don Grundmann | (R) Myron Hall | (I) Deon Jenkins | (R) Sarah Sun Liew | (R) Robert Lucero Jr. | (R) Mark Meuser | (D) Dan O'Dowd | (D) Alex Padilla | (PF) John Parker | (R) Enrique Petris | (D) Douglas Pierce | (D) Obaidul Huq Pirjada | (R) Chuck Smith | (R) Carlos Tapia | (D) Timothy Ursich Jr. | (R) Cordie Williams | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley IGS[50] | May 24–31, 2022 | 3,438 (LV) | ± 2.2% | 1% | 0% | 3% | 0% | 2% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 1% | 0% | 1% | 0% | 11% | 1% | 42% | 1% | 0% | 1% | 1% | 6% | 1% | 1% | 2% | 22% |
| SurveyUSA[51] | May 13–15, 2022 | 709 (LV) | ± 4.5% | 2% | 0% | 9% | 1% | 4% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 3% | 0% | 3% | 2% | 4% | 1% | 36% | 0% | 1% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 24% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Alex Padilla (incumbent) | 3,725,544 | 54.1 | |
| Republican | Mark P. Meuser | 1,028,374 | 14.9 | |
| Republican | Cordie Williams | 474,321 | 6.9 | |
| Republican | Jon Elist | 289,716 | 4.2 | |
| Republican | Chuck Smith | 266,766 | 3.9 | |
| Republican | James P. Bradley | 235,788 | 3.4 | |
| Democratic | Douglas Howard Pierce | 116,771 | 1.7 | |
| Peace and Freedom | John Parker | 105,477 | 1.5 | |
| Republican | Sarah Sun Liew | 76,994 | 1.1 | |
| Democratic | Dan O'Dowd | 74,916 | 1.1 | |
| Democratic | Akinyemi Agbede | 70,971 | 1.0 | |
| Republican | Myron L. Hall | 66,161 | 1.0 | |
| Democratic | Timothy J. Ursich | 58,348 | 0.8 | |
| Republican | Robert George Lucero Jr. | 53,398 | 0.8 | |
| Green | James "Henk" Conn | 35,983 | 0.5 | |
| No party preference | Eleanor Garcia[c] | 34,625 | 0.5 | |
| Republican | Carlos Guillermo Tapia | 33,870 | 0.5 | |
| Green | Pamela Elizondo | 31,981 | 0.5 | |
| Republican | Enrique Petris | 31,883 | 0.5 | |
| Democratic | Obaidul Huq Pirjada | 27,889 | 0.4 | |
| No party preference | Daphne Bradford | 26,900 | 0.4 | |
| No party preference | Don J. Grundmann[d] | 10,181 | 0.1 | |
| No party preference | Deon D. Jenkins | 6,936 | 0.1 | |
| No party preference | Mark A. Ruzon (write-in) | 206 | 0.0 | |
| Republican | Lijun Zhou (write-in) | 58 | 0.0 | |
| No party preference | Irene Ratliff (write-in) | 7 | 0.0 | |
| No party preference | Marc Alexander Roth (write-in) | 1 | 0.0 | |
| Total votes | 6,884,065 | 100.0 | ||
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[55] | Solid D | March 4, 2022 |
| Inside Elections[56] | Solid D | April 1, 2022 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[57] | Safe D | March 1, 2022 |
| Politico[58] | Solid D | April 1, 2022 |
| RCP[59] | Safe D | February 24, 2022 |
| Fox News[60] | Solid D | May 12, 2022 |
| DDHQ[61] | Solid D | July 20, 2022 |
| 538[62] | Solid D | June 30, 2022 |
| The Economist[63] | Safe D | September 7, 2022 |
Special election
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[b] | Margin of error | Alex Padilla (D) | Mark Meuser (R) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research Co.[64] | November 4–6, 2022 | 450 (LV) | ± 4.6% | 59% | 35% | 6% |
| SurveyUSA[65] | October 7–10, 2022 | 1,013 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 56% | 34% | 10% |
Regular election
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[b] | Margin of error | Alex Padilla (D) | Mark Meuser (R) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research Co.[64] | November 4–6, 2022 | 450 (LV) | ± 4.6% | 60% | 35% | 5% |
| USC[66] | October 30 – November 2, 2022 | 802 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 63% | 37% | – |
| ActiVote[67] | July 22 – October 20, 2022 | 208 (LV) | ± 7.0% | 65% | 35% | – |
| SurveyUSA[65] | October 7–10, 2022 | 1,013 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 56% | 34% | 11% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Alex Padilla (incumbent) | 6,559,303 | 60.89% | N/A | |
| Republican | Mark Meuser | 4,212,446 | 39.11% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 10,771,749 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Alex Padilla (incumbent) | 6,621,616 | 61.06% | N/A | |
| Republican | Mark Meuser | 4,222,025 | 38.94% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 10,843,641 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Democratichold | |||||
By county | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Padilla won 42 of 52 congressional districts in the regular and special elections, including two that elected Republicans.[70]
| District | Padilla | Meuser | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 36% | 64% | Doug LaMalfa |
| 2nd | 73% | 27% | Jared Huffman |
| 3rd | 46% | 54% | Kevin Kiley |
| 4th | 66% | 34% | Mike Thompson |
| 5th | 40% | 60% | Tom McClintock |
| 6th | 57% | 43% | Ami Bera |
| 7th | 66% | 34% | Doris Matsui |
| 8th | 75% | 25% | John Garamendi |
| 9th | 51% | 49% | Josh Harder |
| 10th | 66% | 34% | Mark DeSaulnier |
| 11th | 86% | 14% | Nancy Pelosi |
| 12th | 91% | 9% | Barbara Lee |
| 13th | 49% | 51% | John Duarte |
| 14th | 70% | 30% | Eric Swalwell |
| 15th | 77% | 23% | Jackie Speier (117th Congress) |
| Kevin Mullin (118th Congress) | |||
| 16th | 74% | 26% | Anna Eshoo |
| 17th | 71% | 29% | Ro Khanna |
| 18th | 68% | 32% | Zoe Lofgren |
| 19th | 67% | 33% | Jimmy Panetta |
| 20th | 32% | 68% | Kevin McCarthy |
| 21st | 53% | 47% | Jim Costa |
| 22nd | 51% | 49% | David Valadao |
| 23rd | 41% | 59% | Jay Obernolte |
| 24th | 61% | 39% | Salud Carbajal |
| 25th | 55% | 45% | Raul Ruiz |
| 26th | 55% | 45% | Julia Brownley |
| 27th | 51% | 49% | Mike Garcia |
| 28th | 65% | 35% | Judy Chu |
| 29th | 76% | 24% | Tony Cárdenas |
| 30th | 77% | 23% | Adam Schiff |
| 31st | 61% | 39% | Grace Napolitano |
| 32nd | 69% | 31% | Brad Sherman |
| 33rd | 57% | 43% | Pete Aguilar |
| 34th | 83% | 17% | Jimmy Gomez |
| 35th | 57% | 43% | Norma Torres |
| 36th | 69% | 31% | Ted Lieu |
| 37th | 86% | 14% | Karen Bass (117th Congress) |
| Sydney Kamlager-Dove (118th Congress) | |||
| 38th | 60% | 40% | Linda Sánchez |
| 39th | 56% | 44% | Mark Takano |
| 40th | 46% | 54% | Young Kim |
| 41st | 47% | 53% | Ken Calvert |
| 42nd | 69% | 31% | Lucille Roybal-Allard (117th Congress) |
| Robert Garcia (118th Congress) | |||
| 43rd | 80% | 20% | Maxine Waters |
| 44th | 72% | 28% | Nanette Barragán |
| 45th | 49% | 51% | Michelle Steel |
| 46th | 61% | 39% | Lou Correa |
| 47th | 51% | 49% | Katie Porter |
| 48th | 40% | 60% | Darrell Issa |
| 49th | 52% | 48% | Mike Levin |
| 50th | 63% | 37% | Scott Peters |
| 51st | 61% | 39% | Sara Jacobs |
| 52nd | 65% | 35% | Juan Vargas |
Official campaign websites
.jpg)
