Election 1938 Results
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1938 US Senate election in California
Sheridan Downey (Democrat) beat Philip Bancroft (Republican) in California in 1938, 54.4% to 44.7%, a margin of 9.8 points and 246,074 votes.
The Democratic hold continued from 1932, when William Gibbs McAdoo won.
Democrats led in 40 of the 58 counties as they stood then and Republicans in 18. The largest, Los Angeles, cast 1,044,242 votes and went to the Democrat by 17.9 points. The closest was Calaveras, where 14 votes separated the two parties.
Early projection, based on early and incomplete polling: the likely matchups, each weighted by the betting markets' odds of both nominations, not a result. Each county is its 2024 presidential margin moved by its state's projected swing; set a national vote and every state, district and county moves by the same amount from our projection. Colours run in 100 steps from a safe Republican to a safe Democratic margin. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.
Senate
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheridan Downey won | Democratic | 1,372,314 | 54.4% |
| Philip Bancroft | Republican | 1,126,240 | 44.7% |
| All other candidates | 23,588 | 0.9% | |
| Total | 2,522,142 |
Every county
| County | Democrat | Republican | Others | Total | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 615,377 58.9% | 428,865 41.1% | 1,044,242 | D+17.9 | |
| San Francisco | 124,203 53.6% | 107,656 46.4% | 231,859 | D+7.1 | |
| Alameda | 108,778 51.2% | 103,607 48.8% | 212,385 | D+2.4 | |
| San Diego | 55,245 55.5% | 44,231 44.5% | 99,476 | D+11.1 | |
| Santa Clara | 32,580 48.5% | 34,656 51.5% | 67,236 | R+3.1 | |
| Sacramento | 34,180 58.6% | 24,140 41.4% | 58,320 | D+17.2 | |
| San Bernardino | 31,859 56.1% | 24,922 43.9% | 56,781 | D+12.2 | |
| Fresno | 33,042 58.7% | 23,209 41.3% | 56,251 | D+17.5 | |
| Orange | 27,789 51.2% | 26,450 48.8% | 54,239 | D+2.5 | |
| San Joaquin | 22,219 51.6% | 20,848 48.4% | 43,067 | D+3.2 | |
| Kern | 24,878 60.4% | 16,318 39.6% | 41,196 | D+20.8 | |
| San Mateo | 19,802 48.2% | 21,282 51.8% | 41,084 | R+3.6 | |
| Contra Costa | 23,037 57.5% | 17,057 42.5% | 40,094 | D+14.9 | |
| Riverside | 17,605 49.2% | 18,176 50.8% | 35,781 | R+1.6 | |
| Tulare | 16,799 55.8% | 13,291 44.2% | 30,090 | D+11.7 | |
| Sonoma | 11,801 42.8% | 15,774 57.2% | 27,575 | R+14.4 | |
| Stanislaus | 13,761 53.4% | 12,009 46.6% | 25,770 | D+6.8 | |
| Santa Barbara | 10,881 43.7% | 13,999 56.3% | 24,880 | R+12.5 | |
| Ventura | 10,930 50.3% | 10,790 49.7% | 21,720 | D+0.6 | |
| Monterey | 9,510 45.7% | 11,302 54.3% | 20,812 | R+8.6 | |
| Santa Cruz | 9,599 50.5% | 9,393 49.5% | 18,992 | D+1.1 | |
| Marin | 7,945 42.9% | 10,555 57.1% | 18,500 | R+14.1 | |
| Humboldt | 9,589 52.2% | 8,783 47.8% | 18,372 | D+4.4 | |
| Solano | 8,919 52.1% | 8,215 47.9% | 17,134 | D+4.1 | |
| Butte | 8,716 52.5% | 7,895 47.5% | 16,611 | D+4.9 | |
| Merced | 8,213 58.4% | 5,843 41.6% | 14,056 | D+16.9 | |
| San Luis Obispo | 6,868 50.3% | 6,790 49.7% | 13,658 | D+0.6 | |
| Imperial | 5,666 50.4% | 5,566 49.6% | 11,232 | D+0.9 | |
| Siskiyou | 6,597 58.9% | 4,595 41.1% | 11,192 | D+17.9 | |
| Placer | 6,800 62.6% | 4,065 37.4% | 10,865 | D+25.2 | |
| Napa | 5,288 49.0% | 5,494 51.0% | 10,782 | R+1.9 | |
| Mendocino | 5,014 46.6% | 5,747 53.4% | 10,761 | R+6.8 | |
| Kings | 5,632 58.4% | 4,015 41.6% | 9,647 | D+16.8 | |
| Yolo | 4,063 45.7% | 4,822 54.3% | 8,885 | R+8.5 | |
| Shasta | 4,969 60.0% | 3,310 40.0% | 8,279 | D+20.0 | |
| Nevada | 3,875 51.7% | 3,623 48.3% | 7,498 | D+3.4 | |
| Madera | 4,158 61.5% | 2,599 38.5% | 6,757 | D+23.1 | |
| Sutter | 3,247 49.0% | 3,384 51.0% | 6,631 | R+2.1 | |
| Yuba | 3,078 51.2% | 2,934 48.8% | 6,012 | D+2.4 | |
| Tehama | 3,048 52.9% | 2,719 47.1% | 5,767 | D+5.7 | |
| El Dorado | 3,320 59.9% | 2,223 40.1% | 5,543 | D+19.8 | |
| Lassen | 2,776 53.1% | 2,451 46.9% | 5,227 | D+6.2 | |
| Glenn | 2,257 45.9% | 2,657 54.1% | 4,914 | R+8.1 | |
| Tuolumne | 2,774 58.7% | 1,953 41.3% | 4,727 | D+17.4 | |
| San Benito | 1,751 41.6% | 2,455 58.4% | 4,206 | R+16.7 | |
| Colusa | 1,826 45.2% | 2,211 54.8% | 4,037 | R+9.5 | |
| Lake | 1,960 49.2% | 2,026 50.8% | 3,986 | R+1.7 | |
| Plumas | 2,401 61.9% | 1,476 38.1% | 3,877 | D+23.9 | |
| Calaveras | 1,841 50.2% | 1,827 49.8% | 3,668 | D+0.4 | |
| Amador | 1,732 54.6% | 1,441 45.4% | 3,173 | D+9.2 | |
| Modoc | 1,453 51.1% | 1,389 48.9% | 2,842 | D+2.3 | |
| Inyo | 1,290 49.4% | 1,323 50.6% | 2,613 | R+1.3 | |
| Mariposa | 1,479 63.0% | 867 37.0% | 2,346 | D+26.1 | |
| Del Norte | 1,204 51.5% | 1,134 48.5% | 2,338 | D+3.0 | |
| Trinity | 1,097 60.1% | 728 39.9% | 1,825 | D+20.2 | |
| Sierra | 736 55.1% | 599 44.9% | 1,335 | D+10.3 | |
| Mono | 410 47.9% | 446 52.1% | 856 | R+4.2 | |
| Alpine | 35 25.0% | 105 75.0% | 140 | R+50.0 |
Counties as they stood in 1938; some have since been split, merged or renamed. Margin: the Democrat's share of all votes minus the Republican's. Sources and how the results were checked.
California Senate elections we hold
| Year | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Adam B. Schiff (D) | D+17.7 |
| 2022 | Alex Padilla (D) | D+22.1 |
| 2018 | Dianne Feinstein (D) | D+54.2 |
| 2016 | Kamala Harris (D) | D+61.6 |
| 2012 | Dianne Feinstein (D) | D+25.0 |
| 2010 | Barbara Boxer (D) | D+10.0 |
| 2006 | Dianne Feinstein (D) | D+24.4 |
| 2004 | Barbara Boxer (D) | D+19.9 |
| 2000 | Dianne Feinstein (D) | D+19.3 |
| 1998 | Barbara Boxer (D) | D+10.0 |
| 1994 | Dianne Feinstein (D) | D+1.9 |
| 1992 | Barbara Boxer (D) | D+4.9 |
| 1988 | Pete Wilson (R) | R+8.8 |
| 1986 | Alan Cranston (D) | D+1.4 |
| 1982 | Pete Wilson (R) | R+6.8 |
| 1980 | Alan Cranston (D) | D+19.4 |
| 1976 | S. I. Hayakawa (R) | R+3.3 |
| 1974 | Alan Cranston (D) | D+24.3 |
| 1970 | John V. Tunney (D) | D+9.5 |
| 1968 | Alan Cranston (D) | D+4.9 |
| 1964 | George Murphy (R) | R+3.1 |
| 1962 | Thomas Kuchel (R) | R+12.9 |
| 1958 | Clair Engle (D) | D+14.1 |
| 1956 | Thomas Kuchel (R) | R+8.3 |
| 1952 | William Knowland (R) | R+87.8 |
| 1950 | Richard M. Nixon (R) | R+18.5 |
| 1946 | William F. Knowland (R) | R+9.9 |
| 1944 | Sheridan Downey (D) | D+4.6 |
| 1940 | Hiram W. Johnson (R) | R+82.5 |
| 1938 | Sheridan Downey (D) | D+9.8 |
| 1934 | Hiram Johnson (R) | R+94.5 |
| 1932 | William Gibbs McAdoo (D) | D+12.6 |
| 1928 | Hiram W. Johnson (R) | R+55.9 |
| 1926 | Samuel M. Shortridge (R) | R+26.2 |
| 1922 | Hiram W. Johnson (R) | R+38.4 |
| 1920 | Samuel M. Shortridge (R) | R+8.3 |
| 1916 | Hiram W. Johnson (R) | R+31.6 |
| 1914 | James D. Phelan (D) | D+2.9 |