1938 California gubernatorial election
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 County results Olson: 40–50% 50–60% Merriam: 40–50% 50–60% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in California | ||||
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The 1938 California gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1938. This was the first election since
Frank F. Merriam defeated George J. Hatfield for the Republican nomination. This was the last time until Gray Davis
in 1998 that a Democrat who was not a member of the Brown family won the governorship.
General election results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Culbert L. Olson
|
1,391,734 | 52.49 | +14.74 | |
| Republican | Frank F. Merriam (incumbent )
|
1,171,019 | 44.17 | -4.70 | |
Progressive
|
Raymond L. Haight | 64,418 | 2.43 | -10.56 | |
| Commonwealth Party | Robert Noble | 23,787 | 0.90 | N/A | |
| Total votes | 2,650,958 | 100.0% | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | ||||