# 1970 California gubernatorial election

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vte :
The 1970 California gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1970. The incumbent governor, Republican Ronald Reagan, won re-election over Democrat and Speaker of the Assembly Jesse Unruh. This would be the closest victory of Ronald Reagan's entire political career.

## Democratic primary
### Candidates

* Walter R. Buchanan
* Jack W. Clapper
* Florence E. Douglas, mayor of Vallejo since 1955
* Raymond L. Haight Jr., high school history teacher, anti-war advocate, and son of Raymond Haight
* Harry F. May
* Eddie M. Ramirez, Boyle Heights (Los Angeles) pharmacist
* Joseph S. Ramos
* Jesse M. Unruh, former Speaker of the California Assembly (1961–69) and Assemblyman from Marina del Rey
* George H. Wagner
* Samuel William Yorty, mayor of Los Angeles since 1961

### Results

Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Jesse M. Unruh | 1,602,690 | 64.03% |
| | Democratic | Samuel William Yorty | 659,494 | 26.35% |
| | Democratic | George H. Wagner | 44,118 | 1.76% |
| | Democratic | Florence E. Douglas | 43,456 | 1.74% |
| | Democratic | Walter R. Buchanan | 40,192 | 1.61% |
| | Democratic | Eddie M. Ramirez | 31,092 | 1.24% |
| | Democratic | Joseph S. Ramos | 25,874 | 1.03% |
| | Democratic | Raymond L. Haight | 20,328 | 0.81% |
| | Democratic | Harry F. May | 19,471 | 0.78% |
| | Democratic | Jack W. Clapper | 16,142 | 0.64% |
| | Democratic | Samuel A. Reeve (write-in) | 3 | 0.00% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,502,861 | 100.00% |

## Republican primary
### Candidates

* Ronald Reagan, incumbent governor

### Results

Republican primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Ronald Reagan (incumbent) | 1,906,568 | 100.00% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,906,568 | 100.00% |

## Other primaries
### American Independent Party

American Independent primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | American Independent | William K. Shearer | 14,069 | 61.45% |
| | American Independent | Keith H. Greene | 8,827 | 38.55% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 22,896 | 100.00% |

### Peace and Freedom Party

Peace and Freedom primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Peace and Freedom | Ricardo Romo | 6,214 | 63.52% |
| | Peace and Freedom | Warren E. Nielsen | 3,569 | 36.48% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 9,783 | 100.00% |

## General election results

1970 California gubernatorial election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Ronald Reagan (incumbent) | 3,439,664 | 52.84% | −4.72% |
| | Democratic | Jesse M. Unruh | 2,938,607 | 45.14% | +2.87% |
| | Peace and Freedom | Ricardo Romo | 65,954 | 1.01% | |
| | American Independent | William K. Shearer | 65,847 | 1.01% | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 501,057 | 7.70% | |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 6,510,072 | 100.00% | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Swing | -7.58% | |

### Results by county

| County | Ronald Reagan Republican | Ronald Reagan Republican | Jesse M. Unruh Democratic | Jesse M. Unruh Democratic | Ricardo Romo Peace & Freedom | Ricardo Romo Peace & Freedom | William K. Shearer American Independent | William K. Shearer American Independent | Margin | Margin | Total votes cast |
| County | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | Total votes cast |
| Alameda | 162,727 | 43.05% | 206,693 | 54.68% | 5,591 | 1.48% | 2,975 | 0.79% | -43,966 | -11.63% | 377,986 |
| Alpine | 203 | 66.34% | 89 | 29.08% | 4 | 1.31% | 10 | 3.27% | 114 | 37.25% | 306 |
| Amador | 2,866 | 53.12% | 2,445 | 45.32% | 28 | 0.52% | 56 | 1.04% | 421 | 7.80% | 5,395 |
| Butte | 22,656 | 62.82% | 12,558 | 34.82% | 429 | 1.19% | 420 | 1.16% | 10,098 | 28.00% | 36,063 |
| Calaveras | 3,499 | 63.10% | 1,947 | 35.11% | 44 | 0.79% | 55 | 0.99% | 1,552 | 27.99% | 5,545 |
| Colusa | 2,302 | 57.69% | 1,627 | 40.78% | 26 | 0.65% | 35 | 0.88% | 675 | 16.92% | 3,990 |
| Contra Costa | 106,965 | 53.15% | 91,156 | 45.30% | 1,323 | 0.66% | 1,800 | 0.89% | 15,809 | 7.86% | 201,244 |
| Del Norte | 2,755 | 57.13% | 1,977 | 41.00% | 37 | 0.77% | 53 | 1.10% | 778 | 16.13% | 4,822 |
| El Dorado | 7,932 | 56.59% | 5,818 | 41.51% | 65 | 0.46% | 202 | 1.44% | 2,114 | 15.08% | 14,017 |
| Fresno | 60,644 | 48.74% | 61,801 | 49.67% | 752 | 0.60% | 1,227 | 0.99% | -1,157 | -0.93% | 124,424 |
| Glenn | 3,805 | 59.37% | 2,482 | 38.73% | 39 | 0.61% | 83 | 1.30% | 1,323 | 20.64% | 6,409 |
| Humboldt | 16,778 | 51.12% | 15,232 | 46.41% | 400 | 1.22% | 410 | 1.25% | 1,546 | 4.71% | 32,820 |
| Imperial | 10,636 | 58.47% | 7,006 | 38.51% | 352 | 1.93% | 198 | 1.09% | 3,630 | 19.95% | 18,192 |
| Inyo | 4,006 | 63.50% | 2,202 | 34.90% | 43 | 0.68% | 58 | 0.92% | 1,804 | 28.59% | 6,309 |
| Kern | 54,216 | 55.19% | 41,768 | 42.52% | 534 | 0.54% | 1,710 | 1.74% | 12,448 | 12.67% | 98,228 |
| Kings | 8,068 | 49.11% | 8,134 | 49.52% | 107 | 0.65% | 118 | 0.72% | -66 | -0.40% | 16,427 |
| Lake | 5,317 | 58.18% | 3,683 | 40.30% | 46 | 0.50% | 93 | 1.02% | 1,634 | 17.88% | 9,139 |
| Lassen | 2,494 | 44.93% | 2,911 | 52.44% | 44 | 0.79% | 102 | 1.84% | -417 | -7.51% | 5,551 |
| Los Angeles | 1,173,161 | 50.74% | 1,095,899 | 47.40% | 21,891 | 0.95% | 21,312 | 0.92% | 77,262 | 3.34% | 2,312,263 |
| Madera | 6,205 | 48.94% | 6,304 | 49.72% | 73 | 0.58% | 96 | 0.76% | -99 | -0.78% | 12,678 |
| Marin | 43,092 | 56.56% | 31,525 | 41.38% | 939 | 1.23% | 632 | 0.83% | 11,567 | 15.18% | 76,188 |
| Mariposa | 1,568 | 57.46% | 1,111 | 40.71% | 14 | 0.51% | 36 | 1.32% | 457 | 16.75% | 2,729 |
| Mendocino | 9,134 | 53.33% | 7,614 | 44.46% | 126 | 0.74% | 252 | 1.47% | 1,520 | 8.88% | 17,126 |
| Merced | 12,117 | 49.64% | 11,840 | 48.50% | 247 | 1.01% | 207 | 0.85% | 277 | 1.13% | 24,411 |
| Modoc | 1,760 | 59.40% | 1,138 | 38.41% | 24 | 0.81% | 41 | 1.38% | 622 | 20.99% | 2,963 |
| Mono | 1,350 | 73.09% | 460 | 24.91% | 21 | 1.14% | 16 | 0.87% | 890 | 48.19% | 1,847 |
| Monterey | 33,691 | 56.63% | 24,508 | 41.19% | 722 | 1.21% | 575 | 0.97% | 9,183 | 15.43% | 59,496 |
| Napa | 16,844 | 55.29% | 13,018 | 42.73% | 161 | 0.53% | 442 | 1.45% | 3,826 | 12.56% | 30,465 |
| Nevada | 6,756 | 59.45% | 4,442 | 39.09% | 77 | 0.68% | 89 | 0.78% | 2,314 | 20.36% | 11,364 |
| Orange | 308,982 | 66.89% | 145,420 | 31.48% | 2,981 | 0.65% | 4,557 | 0.99% | 163,562 | 35.41% | 461,940 |
| Placer | 13,886 | 49.37% | 13,751 | 48.89% | 149 | 0.53% | 342 | 1.22% | 135 | 0.48% | 28,128 |
| Plumas | 2,280 | 44.97% | 2,678 | 52.82% | 27 | 0.53% | 85 | 1.68% | -398 | -7.85% | 5,070 |
| Riverside | 81,768 | 56.60% | 59,425 | 41.13% | 1,735 | 1.20% | 1,538 | 1.06% | 22,343 | 15.47% | 144,466 |
| Sacramento | 105,523 | 46.04% | 120,365 | 52.52% | 1,378 | 0.60% | 1,925 | 0.84% | -14,842 | -6.48% | 229,191 |
| San Benito | 3,134 | 59.54% | 1,993 | 37.86% | 90 | 1.71% | 47 | 0.89% | 1,141 | 21.68% | 5,264 |
| San Bernardino | 107,219 | 56.57% | 77,069 | 40.66% | 2,946 | 1.55% | 2,294 | 1.21% | 30,150 | 15.91% | 189,528 |
| San Diego | 253,378 | 60.11% | 158,098 | 37.51% | 4,161 | 0.99% | 5,886 | 1.40% | 95,280 | 22.60% | 421,523 |
| San Francisco | 106,606 | 41.97% | 140,829 | 55.44% | 3,958 | 1.56% | 2,625 | 1.03% | -34,223 | -13.47% | 254,018 |
| San Joaquin | 50,631 | 55.25% | 39,495 | 43.10% | 682 | 0.74% | 833 | 0.91% | 11,136 | 12.15% | 91,641 |
| San Luis Obispo | 18,301 | 55.84% | 13,758 | 41.98% | 292 | 0.89% | 425 | 1.30% | 4,543 | 13.86% | 32,776 |
| San Mateo | 109,356 | 54.31% | 88,069 | 43.74% | 1,820 | 0.90% | 2,121 | 1.05% | 21,287 | 10.57% | 201,366 |
| Santa Barbara | 51,523 | 60.10% | 32,202 | 37.56% | 1,362 | 1.59% | 638 | 0.74% | 19,321 | 22.54% | 85,725 |
| Santa Clara | 172,562 | 51.47% | 154,570 | 46.10% | 4,683 | 1.40% | 3,475 | 1.04% | 17,992 | 5.37% | 335,290 |
| Santa Cruz | 26,679 | 58.07% | 18,186 | 39.58% | 634 | 1.38% | 445 | 0.97% | 8,493 | 18.49% | 45,944 |
| Shasta | 11,864 | 43.93% | 14,643 | 54.22% | 156 | 0.58% | 343 | 1.27% | -2,779 | -10.29% | 27,006 |
| Sierra | 617 | 46.92% | 674 | 51.25% | 7 | 0.53% | 17 | 1.29% | -57 | -4.33% | 1,315 |
| Siskiyou | 6,092 | 49.58% | 5,920 | 48.18% | 96 | 0.78% | 180 | 1.46% | 172 | 1.40% | 12,288 |
| Solano | 21,939 | 48.43% | 21,583 | 47.64% | 774 | 1.71% | 1,006 | 2.22% | 356 | 0.79% | 45,302 |
| Sonoma | 44,823 | 58.60% | 29,953 | 39.16% | 830 | 1.09% | 881 | 1.15% | 14,870 | 19.44% | 76,487 |
| Stanislaus | 29,157 | 45.07% | 34,510 | 53.34% | 640 | 0.99% | 391 | 0.60% | -5,353 | -8.27% | 64,698 |
| Sutter | 9,084 | 64.48% | 4,811 | 34.15% | 76 | 0.54% | 118 | 0.84% | 4,273 | 30.33% | 14,089 |
| Tehama | 5,500 | 52.46% | 4,819 | 45.97% | 55 | 0.52% | 110 | 1.05% | 681 | 6.50% | 10,484 |
| Trinity | 1,643 | 50.21% | 1,549 | 47.34% | 15 | 0.46% | 65 | 1.99% | 94 | 2.87% | 3,272 |
| Tulare | 27,564 | 57.69% | 19,327 | 40.45% | 432 | 0.90% | 456 | 0.95% | 8,237 | 17.24% | 47,779 |
| Tuolumne | 4,567 | 53.74% | 3,779 | 44.46% | 88 | 1.04% | 65 | 0.76% | 788 | 9.27% | 8,499 |
| Ventura | 63,790 | 58.64% | 42,350 | 38.93% | 1,343 | 1.23% | 1,308 | 1.20% | 21,440 | 19.71% | 108,791 |
| Yolo | 12,344 | 41.01% | 17,135 | 56.92% | 338 | 1.12% | 286 | 0.95% | -4,791 | -15.92% | 30,103 |
| Yuba | 5,305 | 54.74% | 4,258 | 43.93% | 47 | 0.48% | 82 | 0.85% | 1,047 | 10.80% | 9,692 |
| Total | 3,439,664 | 52.84% | 2,938,607 | 45.14% | 65,954 | 1.01% | 65,847 | 1.01% | 501,057 | 7.70% | 6,510,072 |

### Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

* Fresno
* Kings
* Lassen
* Madera
* Sacramento
* Shasta
* Sierra
* Stanislaus
* Yolo