# California's 3rd senatorial district

California's 3rd senatorial district is one of 40 California State Senate districts. It is currently represented by Democrat Christopher Cabaldon of West Sacramento.

## District profile

The district includes eastern California Wine Country and University of California, Davis, and consists of Napa, Yolo, and Solano Counties.

## Election results from statewide races

| Year | Office | Results |
| 2021 | Recall | No 67.7 – 32.3% |
| 2020 | President | Biden 68.1 – 29.5% |
| 2018 | Governor | Newsom 65.5 – 34.5% |
| 2018 | Senator | Feinstein 53.9 – 46.1% |
| 2016 | President | Clinton 65.3 – 28.0% |
| 2016 | Senator | Harris 68.3 – 31.7% |
| 2014 | Governor | Brown 68.0 – 32.0% |
| 2012 | President | Obama 65.4 – 32.0% |
| 2012 | Senator | Feinstein 68.0 – 32.0% |

## List of senators who represented the district

| Senator | Party | Years served | Electoral history | Counties represented |
| District established January 6, 1851 |||||
| Pablo de la Guerra (Santa Barbara) | Whig | January 6, 1851 – January 5, 1852 | Redistricted from the San Luis Obispo district and re-elected in 1850. Re-elected in 1853. Redistricted to the 2nd district. | San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara |
| Antonio M. de la Guerra (Santa Barbara) | Democratic | January 5, 1852 – January 3, 1853 | Elected in 1851 Re-elected in 1852. [data missing] | San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara |
| Pablo de la Guerra (Santa Barbara) | Whig | January 3, 1853 – January 2, 1854 | Elected in 1853. Redistricted to the 2nd district. | San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara |
| [data missing] | [data missing] | January 2, 1854 – January 1, 1855 | [data missing] | San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara |
| Delos R. Ashley (San Luis Obispo) | Know Nothing | January 1, 1855 – January 5, 1857 | Elected in 1855. [data missing] | Monterey, Santa Cruz |
| D. S. Gregory (Santa Cruz) | Democratic | January 5, 1857 – January 3, 1859 | Elected in 1857. [data missing] | Monterey, Santa Cruz |
| John H. Watson (Santa Cruz) | Democratic | January 3, 1859 – January 7, 1861 | Elected in 1859. [data missing] | Monterey, Santa Cruz |
| Romualdo Pacheco (Santa Barbara) | Union Democratic | January 7, 1861 – December 7, 1863 | Elected in 1861. Retired to become California State Treasurer. | San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara |
| Juan Y. Cot (Santa Barbara) | Union | December 7, 1863 – December 4, 1865 | Elected in 1863. [data missing] | San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara |
| Patrick W. Murphy (Santa Margarita) | Democratic | December 4, 1865 – January 7, 1869 | Elected in 1865. Re-elected in 1887. [data missing] | San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara |
| Romualdo Pacheco (Santa Barbara) | Republican | January 7, 1869 – December 8, 1871 | Elected in 1868. Resigned to become Lieutenant Governor of California. | San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara |
| James Van Ness (San Luis Obispo) | Democratic | December 8, 1871 – December 8, 1871 | Elected to finish Pacheco's term. [data missing] | San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara |
| William J. Graves (San Luis Obispo) | Democratic | December 1, 1873 – December 3, 1877 | Elected in 1873. Re-elected in 1875. [data missing] | San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura |
| Warren Chase (Santa Barbara) | Workingmen's | January 5, 1880 – January 8, 1883 | Elected in 1879. Resigned to run for U.S. House of Representatives. | San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura |
| George Steele (San Luis Obispo) | Republican | January 8, 1883 – February 23, 1883 | Elected to finish Chase's term. Unseated after his opponent contested election. | San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura |
| J. Marion Brooks (Ventura) | Democratic | February 23, 1883 – January 5, 1885 | Elected after successful contest. [data missing] | San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura |
| George Steele (San Luis Obispo) | Republican | January 5, 1885 – January 3, 1887 | Elected in 1884. Redistricted to the 37th district. | San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura |
| W. H. Patterson (Cedarville) | Republican | January 3, 1887 – January 7, 1889 | Elected in 1886. [data missing] | Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Sierra |
| M. H. Mead (Downieville) | Democratic | January 7, 1889 – January 2, 1893 | Elected in 1888. [data missing] | Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Sierra |
| Tirey L. Ford (Downieville) | Republican | January 2, 1893 – January 4, 1897 | Elected in 1982. | Nevada, Plumas, Sierra |
| William F. Prisk (Grass Valley) | Democratic | January 4, 1897 – January 1, 1901 | Elected in 1896. Retired. | Nevada, Plumas, Sierra |
| John R. Tyrrell (Grass Valley) | Republican | January 1, 1901 – January 2, 1905 | Elected in 1900. [data missing] | Nevada, Plumas, Sierra |
| John B. Irish (Colfax) | Republican | January 2, 1905 – January 4, 1909 | Elected in 1904. [data missing] | Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Placer |
| E. S. Birdsall (Auburn) | Republican | January 4, 1909 – January 8, 1917 | Elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1912. [data missing] | Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Placer |
| Thomas Ingram (Grass Valley) | Republican | January 8, 1917 – August 4, 1928 | Elected in 1916. Re-elected in 1920. Re-elected in 1924. [data missing] | Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Placer, El Dorado |
| Bert A. Cassidy (Auburn) | Republican | January 7, 1929 – January 2, 1933 | Elected in 1928. [data missing] | Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Placer, El Dorado |
| Harry A. Perry (Ferndale) | Republican | January 2, 1933 – January 4, 1937 | Elected in 1932. [data missing] | Humboldt |
| Irwin T. Quinn (Auburn) | Democratic | January 4, 1937 – January 3, 1949 | Elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1944. [data missing] | Humboldt |
| Michael J. Burns (Eureka) | Republican | January 3, 1949 – May 1, 1949 | Elected in 1948. Died. | Humboldt |
| Vacant | Vacant | May 1, 1949 – November 21, 1949 | | Humboldt |
| Arthur W. Way (Eureka) | Republican | November 21, 1949 – January 7, 1957 | Elected to finish Burns's term. Re-elected in 1952. Lost renomination. | Humboldt |
| Carl L. Christensen (Eureka) | Democratic | January 7, 1957 – January 2, 1967 | Elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1964. [data missing] | Humboldt |
| Stephen P. Teale (Rail Road Flat) | Democratic | January 2, 1967 – January 8, 1973 | Redistricted from the 26th district and re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. [data missing] | Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sierra, Stanislaus, Tuolumne |
| Clare Berryhill (Ceres) | Republican | January 8, 1973 – November 30, 1976 | Elected in 1972. [data missing] | Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sierra, Stanislaus, Tuolumne |
| Albert S. Rodda (Sacramento) | Democratic | December 6, 1976 – November 30, 1980 | Redistricted from the 5th district and re-elected in 1976. Retired. | Sacramento |
| John Doolittle (Rocklin) | Republican | December 1, 1980 – November 30, 1984 | Elected in 1980. Redistricted to the 1st district. | Sacramento |
| Milton Marks (San Francisco) | Republican | December 3, 1984 – January 8, 1986 | Redistricted from the 5th district and re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1992. Term-limited and retired. | Marin, San Francisco |
| Milton Marks (San Francisco) | Democratic | January 8, 1986 – November 30, 1996 | Redistricted from the 5th district and re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1992. Term-limited and retired. | Marin, San Francisco, Sonoma |
| John Burton (San Francisco) | Democratic | December 2, 1996 – November 30, 2004 | Elected in 1996. Re-elected in 2000. Term-limited and retired. | Marin, San Francisco, Sonoma |
| Carole Migden (San Francisco) | Democratic | December 6, 2004 – November 30, 2008 | Elected in 2004. Lost renomination. | Marin, San Francisco, Sonoma |
| Mark Leno (San Francisco) | Democratic | December 1, 2008 – November 30, 2012 | Elected in 2008. Redistricted to the 11th district. | Marin, San Francisco, Sonoma |
| Lois Wolk (Davis) | Democratic | December 3, 2012 – November 30, 2016 | Redistricted from the 5th district and re-elected in 2012. Term-limited and retired. | Contra Costa, Napa, Sacramento, Solano, Sonoma, Yolo |
| Bill Dodd (Napa) | Democratic | December 5, 2016 – November 30, 2024 | Elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2020. Term-limited and retired. | Contra Costa, Napa, Sacramento, Solano, Sonoma, Yolo |
| Christopher Cabaldon (West Sacramento) | Democratic | December 2, 2024 – present | Elected in 2024. | Contra Costa, Napa, Sacramento, Solano, Sonoma, Yolo |

## Contents

* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020

### 2020

California State Senate election, 2020 :
| Primary election |||||
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Bill Dodd (incumbent) | 212,004 | 98.6% |
| | Republican | Carlos Santamaria (write-in) | 2,126 | 1.0% |
| | Green | Karen I. Nyhus (write-in) | 530 | 0.2% |
| | No party preference | Jaclyn Qirreh (write-in) | 421 | 0.2% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 215,081 | 100.0% |
| General election |||||
| | Democratic | Bill Dodd (incumbent) | 323,317 | 68.4% |
| | Republican | Carlos Santamaria | 149,461 | 31.6% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 472,778 | 100.0% |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 2016

California State Senate election, 2016 :
| Primary election |||||
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Bill Dodd | 90,396 | 37.4% |
| | Democratic | Mariko Yamada | 72,243 | 29.9% |
| | Republican | Greg "Coach" Coppes | 54,525 | 22.6% |
| | Democratic | Gabe Griess | 24,540 | 10.2% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 241,704 | 100.0% |
| General election |||||
| | Democratic | Bill Dodd | 207,927 | 58.1% |
| | Democratic | Mariko Yamada | 149,701 | 41.9% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 357,628 | 100.0% |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 2012

California State Senate election, 2012 :
| Primary election |||||
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Lois Wolk (incumbent) | 116,403 | 96.9% |
| | Republican | Frank Miranda (write-in) | 2,402 | 2.0% |
| | Republican | Gary Clift (write-in) | 1,341 | 1.1% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 120,146 | 100.0% |
| General election |||||
| | Democratic | Lois Wolk (incumbent) | 233,406 | 66.2% |
| | Republican | Frank Miranda | 119,033 | 33.8 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 352,439 | 100.0% |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 2008

California State Senate election, 2008 Democratic Primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Mark Leno | 58,727 | 43.8% |
| | Democratic | Carole Migden (incumbent) | 38,234 | 28.6% |
| | Democratic | Joseph Nation | 37,136 | 27.6% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 134,097 | 100% |
California State Senate election, 2008 Republican Primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Sashi McEntee | 23,791 | 100.0% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 23,791 | 100.0% |
California State Senate election, 2008 General Election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Mark Leno | 326,755 | 80.21 |
| | Republican | Sashi McEntee | 80,617 | 19.79 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 407,372 | 100.00 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 78.08 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 2004

California State Senate election, 2004 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Carole Migden | 258,166 | 70.40 |
| | Republican | Andrew D. Felder | 98,332 | 26.81 |
| | Libertarian | David Rhodes | 10,234 | 2.79 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 366,732 | 100.00 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 2000

California State Senate election, 2000 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | John L. Burton (incumbent) | 238,372 | 72.92 |
| | Republican | Terence Faulkner | 71,256 | 21.80 |
| | Natural Law | Celeste Joy Blau Joki | 17,277 | 5.29 |
| Invalid or blank votes | Invalid or blank votes | Invalid or blank votes | 12,784 | 3.76 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 339,689 | 100.00 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 1996

California's 3rd State Senate district election, 1996 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | John L. Burton | 215,831 | 70.82 |
| | Republican | Curtis Rau | 72,097 | 23.68 |
| | Libertarian | Donald E. Harte | 16,819 | 5.52 |
| Invalid or blank votes | Invalid or blank votes | Invalid or blank votes | 37,018 | 10.83 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 304,747 | 100.00 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 1992

California State Senate election, 1992 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Milton Marks (incumbent) | 225,869 | 66.44 |
| | Republican | Bill Boerum | 85,323 | 25.10 |
| | Libertarian | Will C. Wohler | 16,590 | 4.88 |
| | Peace and Freedom | Giovanni Graham | 12,163 | 3.58 |
| Invalid or blank votes | Invalid or blank votes | Invalid or blank votes | 41,370 | 51.2 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 381,315 | 100.00 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |