California gubernatorial election, 1934

California gubernatorial election, 1934

November 6, 1934

Nominee Frank Merriam Upton Sinclair Raymond L. Haight Party Republican Democratic Progressive Popular vote 1,138,629 879,537 302,519 Percentage 48.87% 37.75% 12.99%

Governor before election Frank Merriam Republican Elected Governor Frank Merriam Republican

The California gubernatorial election, 1934 was held on November 6, 1934. Held in the midst of the Great Depression, the 1934 election was amongst the most controversial in the state's political history, putting conservative Republican Frank Merriam against former Socialist Party member turned Democrat Upton Sinclair, author of The Jungle. A strong third party challenge came from Commonwealth-Progressive Raymond L. Haight, a Los Angeles lawyer campaigning for the political center. Much of the campaign's emphasis was directed at Sinclair's EPIC movement, proposing socialist reforms to cure the state's ailing economy. Merriam, who had recently assumed the governorship following the death of James Rolph, characterized Sinclair's proposal as a step towards communism.

General Election Results

1934 gubernatorial election, California
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Frank F. Merriam (incumbent)	1,138,629	48.87
	Democratic	Upton Sinclair	879,537	37.75
	Progressive	Raymond L. Haight	302,519	12.99
	Communist	Samuel Adams Darcy	5,826	0.25
	Socialist	Milen Dempster	2,947	0.13
Total votes			2,329,458	100.0
	Republican hold		Swing

References

• Our Campaigns