General election
All U.S. congressional districts, including the 3rd Congressional District of California, held elections in 2018.
Heading into the election the incumbent was John Garamendi (D), who was first elected in 2009.
California's 3rd Congressional District is located in the north-central portion of the state and includes the counties of Colusa, Sutter, and Yuba. It also includes portions of Glenn, Lake, Sacramento, Solano and Yolo counties.[1]
Candidates and election results
General election
Nonpartisan primary election
District analysis
- See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
- See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores
The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+5, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 5 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made California's 3rd Congressional District the 173rd most Democratic nationally.[2]
FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 1.00. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.00 points toward that party.[3]
Campaign finance
The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.
Name |
Party |
Receipts* |
Disbursements** |
Cash on hand |
Date |
John Garamendi |
Democratic Party |
$1,120,045 |
$839,435 |
$724,376 |
As of December 31, 2018 |
Charlie Schaupp |
Republican Party |
$38,286 |
$27,159 |
$6,753 |
As of December 31, 2018 |
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2018. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
|
District history
2016
- See also: California's 3rd Congressional District election, 2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Democratic. Incumbent John Garamendi (D) defeated Eugene Cleek (R) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Garamendi and Cleek defeated Ryan Detert (R) in the top-two primary on June 7, 2016.[4][5]
U.S. House, California District 3 General Election, 2016
Party |
Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
|
Democratic |
John Garamendi Incumbent |
59.4% |
152,513 |
|
Republican |
Eugene Cleek |
40.6% |
104,453 |
Total Votes |
256,966 |
Source: California Secretary of State |
U.S. House, California District 3 Primary, 2016
Party |
Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
|
Democratic |
John Garamendi Incumbent |
63.1% |
98,430 |
|
Republican |
Eugene Cleek |
24.3% |
37,843 |
|
Republican |
Ryan Detert |
12.6% |
19,699 |
Total Votes |
155,972 |
Source: California Secretary of State
|
2014
- See also: California's 3rd Congressional District elections, 2014
The 3rd Congressional District of California held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent John Garamendi (D) defeated Dan Logue (R) in the general election.
U.S. House, California District 3 General Election, 2014
Party |
Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
|
Democratic |
John Garamendi Incumbent |
52.7% |
79,224 |
|
Republican |
Dan Logue |
47.3% |
71,036 |
Total Votes |
150,260 |
Source: California Secretary of State |
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
There are no Pivot Counties in California. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won California with 61.7 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 31.6 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, California voted Republican 53.33 percent of the time and Democratic 43.33 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, California voted Democratic all five times. In 2016, California had 55 electoral votes, which was the most of any state. The 55 electoral votes were 10.2 percent of all 538 available electoral votes and were 20.4 percent of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the election.
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state Assembly districts in California. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[6][7]
In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 58 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 38.4 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 66 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 40.3 points. Clinton won 11 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections. |
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 22 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 12.2 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 14 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 13 points. |
2016 Presidential Results by State Assembly District
|
District
|
Obama
|
Romney
|
2012 Margin
|
Clinton
|
Trump
|
2016 Margin
|
Party Control
|
1 |
39.63% |
57.31% |
R+17.7 |
36.09% |
56.75% |
R+20.7 |
R
|
2 |
64.68% |
30.51% |
D+34.2 |
62.20% |
28.98% |
D+33.2 |
D
|
3 |
42.41% |
54.46% |
R+12.1 |
39.47% |
53.31% |
R+13.8 |
R
|
4 |
63.16% |
33.86% |
D+29.3 |
63.03% |
29.95% |
D+33.1 |
D
|
5 |
41.27% |
55.92% |
R+14.7 |
38.51% |
54.85% |
R+16.3 |
R
|
6 |
38.59% |
59.09% |
R+20.5 |
41.17% |
52.02% |
R+10.9 |
R
|
7 |
67.59% |
29.61% |
D+38 |
67.63% |
25.69% |
D+41.9 |
D
|
8 |
51.72% |
45.62% |
D+6.1 |
51.77% |
41.03% |
D+10.7 |
D
|
9 |
60.56% |
37.52% |
D+23 |
61.47% |
32.89% |
D+28.6 |
D
|
10 |
73.76% |
23.28% |
D+50.5 |
75.65% |
17.96% |
D+57.7 |
D
|
11 |
60.96% |
36.87% |
D+24.1 |
58.86% |
35.17% |
D+23.7 |
D
|
12 |
45.19% |
52.50% |
R+7.3 |
43.11% |
51.05% |
R+7.9 |
R
|
13 |
64.23% |
33.88% |
D+30.4 |
62.97% |
31.79% |
D+31.2 |
D
|
14 |
68.80% |
28.72% |
D+40.1 |
69.55% |
24.47% |
D+45.1 |
D
|
15 |
86.82% |
9.56% |
D+77.3 |
87.39% |
7.04% |
D+80.4 |
D
|
16 |
57.74% |
40.10% |
D+17.6 |
64.47% |
29.23% |
D+35.2 |
R
|
17 |
87.07% |
9.36% |
D+77.7 |
88.12% |
6.95% |
D+81.2 |
D
|
18 |
86.89% |
10.23% |
D+76.7 |
85.89% |
8.44% |
D+77.5 |
D
|
19 |
78.94% |
18.38% |
D+60.6 |
81.63% |
13.34% |
D+68.3 |
D
|
20 |
75.74% |
22.15% |
D+53.6 |
75.52% |
19.12% |
D+56.4 |
D
|
21 |
55.61% |
42.03% |
D+13.6 |
54.63% |
39.46% |
D+15.2 |
D
|
22 |
71.43% |
26.31% |
D+45.1 |
75.16% |
19.75% |
D+55.4 |
D
|
23 |
43.46% |
54.71% |
R+11.2 |
43.95% |
50.78% |
R+6.8 |
R
|
24 |
72.16% |
24.96% |
D+47.2 |
78.19% |
15.93% |
D+62.3 |
D
|
25 |
72.40% |
25.26% |
D+47.1 |
73.61% |
20.90% |
D+52.7 |
D
|
26 |
41.15% |
56.68% |
R+15.5 |
41.54% |
52.93% |
R+11.4 |
R
|
27 |
76.36% |
21.54% |
D+54.8 |
77.76% |
17.29% |
D+60.5 |
D
|
28 |
66.64% |
30.77% |
D+35.9 |
70.63% |
23.08% |
D+47.6 |
D
|
29 |
69.95% |
26.66% |
D+43.3 |
70.00% |
22.96% |
D+47 |
D
|
30 |
66.99% |
30.86% |
D+36.1 |
66.70% |
27.32% |
D+39.4 |
D
|
31 |
61.98% |
36.21% |
D+25.8 |
62.13% |
32.93% |
D+29.2 |
D
|
32 |
56.20% |
41.81% |
D+14.4 |
56.50% |
37.98% |
D+18.5 |
D
|
33 |
41.80% |
55.51% |
R+13.7 |
40.02% |
54.61% |
R+14.6 |
R
|
34 |
33.96% |
63.85% |
R+29.9 |
34.07% |
60.21% |
R+26.1 |
R
|
35 |
47.82% |
49.42% |
R+1.6 |
49.57% |
43.43% |
D+6.1 |
R
|
36 |
48.79% |
48.48% |
D+0.3 |
49.94% |
43.86% |
D+6.1 |
R
|
37 |
60.97% |
36.28% |
D+24.7 |
64.27% |
29.21% |
D+35.1 |
D
|
38 |
46.73% |
50.84% |
R+4.1 |
49.64% |
44.39% |
D+5.2 |
R
|
39 |
73.75% |
23.67% |
D+50.1 |
74.64% |
19.80% |
D+54.8 |
D
|
40 |
53.14% |
44.72% |
D+8.4 |
54.08% |
40.01% |
D+14.1 |
R
|
41 |
59.74% |
37.72% |
D+22 |
62.82% |
31.27% |
D+31.5 |
D
|
42 |
44.98% |
52.93% |
R+7.9 |
45.61% |
49.70% |
R+4.1 |
R
|
43 |
67.35% |
29.62% |
D+37.7 |
68.94% |
25.45% |
D+43.5 |
D
|
44 |
52.37% |
45.51% |
D+6.9 |
57.12% |
36.99% |
D+20.1 |
D
|
45 |
63.46% |
34.12% |
D+29.3 |
67.36% |
27.39% |
D+40 |
D
|
46 |
73.73% |
23.65% |
D+50.1 |
76.20% |
18.48% |
D+57.7 |
D
|
47 |
71.49% |
26.54% |
D+44.9 |
70.10% |
24.80% |
D+45.3 |
D
|
48 |
64.08% |
33.44% |
D+30.6 |
65.60% |
28.50% |
D+37.1 |
D
|
49 |
64.69% |
33.26% |
D+31.4 |
67.57% |
27.17% |
D+40.4 |
D
|
50 |
70.79% |
26.51% |
D+44.3 |
76.72% |
18.33% |
D+58.4 |
D
|
51 |
83.48% |
13.50% |
D+70 |
84.05% |
10.19% |
D+73.9 |
D
|
52 |
65.01% |
32.92% |
D+32.1 |
65.78% |
28.71% |
D+37.1 |
D
|
53 |
84.64% |
12.59% |
D+72 |
84.83% |
9.63% |
D+75.2 |
D
|
54 |
83.62% |
13.88% |
D+69.7 |
85.15% |
10.12% |
D+75 |
D
|
55 |
45.77% |
52.23% |
R+6.5 |
49.92% |
44.61% |
D+5.3 |
R
|
56 |
62.14% |
36.26% |
D+25.9 |
64.21% |
31.24% |
D+33 |
D
|
57 |
63.71% |
34.01% |
D+29.7 |
65.92% |
28.39% |
D+37.5 |
D
|
58 |
70.24% |
27.80% |
D+42.4 |
72.54% |
22.26% |
D+50.3 |
D
|
59 |
93.24% |
5.19% |
D+88 |
90.70% |
5.09% |
D+85.6 |
D
|
60 |
51.32% |
46.31% |
D+5 |
52.48% |
41.97% |
D+10.5 |
D
|
61 |
63.43% |
34.55% |
D+28.9 |
62.47% |
31.62% |
D+30.9 |
D
|
62 |
80.81% |
17.00% |
D+63.8 |
82.05% |
13.06% |
D+69 |
D
|
63 |
76.06% |
21.73% |
D+54.3 |
77.35% |
17.38% |
D+60 |
D
|
64 |
88.74% |
9.98% |
D+78.8 |
86.21% |
9.61% |
D+76.6 |
D
|
65 |
51.90% |
45.68% |
D+6.2 |
56.73% |
37.28% |
D+19.4 |
D
|
66 |
54.18% |
43.24% |
D+10.9 |
59.97% |
33.60% |
D+26.4 |
D
|
67 |
39.61% |
58.33% |
R+18.7 |
38.89% |
55.94% |
R+17.1 |
R
|
68 |
42.55% |
55.12% |
R+12.6 |
49.42% |
44.58% |
D+4.8 |
R
|
69 |
67.37% |
30.30% |
D+37.1 |
71.94% |
22.33% |
D+49.6 |
D
|
70 |
67.38% |
29.93% |
D+37.5 |
68.13% |
25.09% |
D+43 |
D
|
71 |
38.47% |
59.51% |
R+21 |
38.19% |
56.26% |
R+18.1 |
R
|
72 |
46.71% |
51.06% |
R+4.4 |
51.40% |
43.13% |
D+8.3 |
R
|
73 |
38.68% |
59.36% |
R+20.7 |
43.89% |
50.38% |
R+6.5 |
R
|
74 |
45.14% |
52.42% |
R+7.3 |
50.71% |
43.29% |
D+7.4 |
R
|
75 |
39.42% |
58.50% |
R+19.1 |
43.22% |
50.68% |
R+7.5 |
R
|
76 |
48.76% |
49.04% |
R+0.3 |
53.11% |
40.38% |
D+12.7 |
R
|
77 |
48.25% |
49.83% |
R+1.6 |
55.16% |
38.94% |
D+16.2 |
R
|
78 |
63.15% |
34.08% |
D+29.1 |
67.48% |
25.85% |
D+41.6 |
D
|
79 |
61.21% |
36.91% |
D+24.3 |
64.24% |
30.04% |
D+34.2 |
D
|
80 |
69.47% |
28.67% |
D+40.8 |
73.15% |
21.34% |
D+51.8 |
D
|
Total |
60.35% |
37.19% |
D+23.2 |
62.25% |
31.89% |
D+30.4 |
-
|
Source: Daily Kos
|
State overview
Partisan control
This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in California heading into the 2018 elections.
Congressional delegation
State executives
- As of May 2018, Democrats held seven of 10 state executive positions and the remaining three positions were officially nonpartisan.
- The governor of California was Democrat Jerry Brown.
State legislature
- Democrats controlled both chambers of the California State Legislature. They had a 55-25 majority in the state Assembly and a 27-13 majority in the state Senate.
Trifecta status
- California was a state government trifecta, meaning that Democrats held the governorship and majorities in the state house and state senate.
2018 elections
- See also: California elections, 2018
California held elections for the following positions in 2018:
Demographics
Demographic data for California |
| California | U.S. |
---|
Total population: | 38,993,940 | 316,515,021 |
Land area (sq mi): | 155,779 | 3,531,905 |
Race and ethnicity** |
White: | 61.8% | 73.6% |
Black/African American: | 5.9% | 12.6% |
Asian: | 13.7% | 5.1% |
Native American: | 0.7% | 0.8% |
Pacific Islander: | 0.4% | 0.2% |
Two or more: | 4.5% | 3% |
Hispanic/Latino: | 38.4% | 17.1% |
Education |
High school graduation rate: | 81.8% | 86.7% |
College graduation rate: | 31.4% | 29.8% |
Income |
Median household income: | $61,818 | $53,889 |
Persons below poverty level: | 18.2% | 11.3% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in California.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. |
As of July 2016, California had a population of approximately 39,000,000 people, with its three largest cities being Los Angeles (pop. est. 4.0 million), San Diego (pop. est. 1.4 million), and San Jose (pop. est. 1 million).[8][9]
State election history
This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in California from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the California Secretary of State.
Historical elections
Presidential elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in California every year from 2000 to 2016.
U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in California from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in California.
Congressional delegation, 2000-2016
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent California in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
Congressional delegation, California 2000-2016
|
Year
|
Democrats
|
Democrats (%)
|
Republicans
|
Republicans (%)
|
Balance of power
|
2016 |
39 |
73.5% |
14 |
26.4% |
D+25
|
2014 |
39 |
73.5% |
14 |
26.4% |
D+25
|
2012 |
38 |
71.7% |
15 |
28.3% |
D+23
|
2010 |
34 |
64.1% |
19 |
35.8% |
D+15
|
2008 |
34 |
64.1% |
19 |
35.8% |
D+15
|
2006 |
34 |
64.1% |
19 |
35.8% |
D+15
|
2004 |
33 |
62.3% |
20 |
37.7% |
D+13
|
2002 |
33 |
62.3% |
20 |
37.7% |
D+13
|
2000 |
32 |
61.5% |
20 |
38.5% |
D+12
|
Trifectas, 1992-2017
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
California Party Control: 1992-2024
Nineteen years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
Year
|
92
|
93
|
94
|
95
|
96
|
97
|
98
|
99
|
00
|
01
|
02
|
03
|
04
|
05
|
06
|
07
|
08
|
09
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
17
|
18
|
19
|
20
|
21
|
22
|
23
|
24
|
Governor |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D
|
Senate |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D
|
Assembly |
D |
D |
D |
S |
R |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D
|
See also
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Counties by Congressional Districts," accessed June 8, 2016
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Certified List of Candidates for Voter-Nominated Offices June 7, 2016, Presidential Primary Election," accessed April 4, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "California Primary Results," June 7, 2016
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
- ↑ California Demographics, "California Cities by Population," accessed April 2, 2018
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Quickfacts California," accessed April 2, 2018
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