1992 United States Senate special election in California

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1992 United States Senate special election in California

← 1988 November 3, 1992 1994 →
  Dianne Feinstein congressional portrait.jpg John F Seymour (cropped).jpg
Nominee Dianne Feinstein John Seymour
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 5,853,651 4,093,501
Percentage 54.3% 38.0%

1992 United States Senate special election in California results map by county.svg
County results
Feinstein:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Seymour:      40–50%      50–60%

U.S. senator before election

John Seymour
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Dianne Feinstein
Democratic

The 1992 United States Senate special election in California took place on November 3, 1992, at the same time as the regular election to the United States Senate in California.

In this special election to complete the unexpired term of Pete Wilson, who resigned to become Governor of California, incumbent Republican Senator John Seymour was defeated by Dianne Feinstein. Feinstein defeated Gray Davis in the Democratic primary, while Seymour defeated William E. Dannemeyer in the Republican primary.

Background[]

The seat became vacant after incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Pete Wilson won the 1990 gubernatorial election, defeating Democrat Dianne Feinstein. Wilson appointed John Seymour to the Senate to replace himself.

Democratic primary[]

Candidates[]

  • Joseph Alioto
  • Gray Davis, California State Controller
  • Dianne Feinstein, former Mayor of San Francisco (1978–88) and nominee for Governor in 1990
  • David Kearns

Results[]

1992 Democratic special U.S. Senate primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dianne Feinstein 1,775,124 54.74%
Democratic Gray Davis 1,009,761 32.85%
Democratic David Kearns 149,918 4.88%
Democratic Joseph Alioto 139,410 4.54%
Total votes 3,074,213 100.00%

Republican primary[]

Candidates[]

  • William B. Allen, former Chair of the United States Commission on Civil Rights and candidate for Senator in 1986 and Governor in 1990
  • William E. Dannemeyer, U.S. Representative from Fullerton
  • John Seymour, incumbent U.S. Senator since January 1991 (appointed by Governor Pete Wilson)
  • Jim Trinity, retired Glendale dentist[2]

Results[]

1992 Republican special U.S. Senate primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Seymour (incumbent) 1,216,096 51.17%
Republican William E. Dannemeyer 638,279 26.86%
Republican Jim Trinity 306,182 12.88%
Republican William B. Allen 216,177 9.10%
Total votes 2,376,734 100.00

General election[]

Results[]

1992 United States Senate special election in California
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dianne Feinstein 5,853,651 54.29%
Republican John Seymour (incumbent) 4,093,501 37.96%
Peace and Freedom Gerald Horne 305,697 2.84%
American Independent Paul Meeuwenberg 281,973 2.62%
Libertarian Richard Benjamin Boddie 247,799 2.30%
No party Write-ins 122 0.00
Invalid or blank votes 591,822 5.20%
Total votes 11,374,565 100.00%
Turnout   54.52
Democratic gain from Republican

By county[]

County Feinstein Seymour Horne Meeuwenberg Boddie Write-in
share votes share votes share votes share votes share votes share votes
Alameda 72.56% 374,675 21.93% 113,223 2.30% 11,866 1.61% 8,323 1.60% 8,257 0.00% 23
Alpine 47.91% 287 42.07% 252 3.01% 18 4.51% 27 2.50% 15 0.00% 0
Amador 48.29% 7,319 42.64% 6,463 2.40% 364 4.07% 617 2.60% 394 0.00% 0
Butte 44.72% 37,396 45.57% 38,111 2.96% 2,477 3.56% 2,980 3.19% 2,666 0.00% 0
Calaveras 46.64% 7,839 42.00% 7,059 2.32% 390 5.38% 905 3.65% 614 0.00% 0
Colusa 37.58% 2,083 54.37% 3,014 2.53% 140 3.18% 176 2.35% 130 0.00% 0
Contra Costa 62.96% 229,988 31.62% 115,507 1.92% 7,011 1.77% 6,470 1.73% 6,320 0.00% 2
Del Norte 50.92% 4,696 39.66% 3,658 2.56% 236 4.98% 459 1.89% 174 0.00% 0
El Dorado 45.34% 28,957 45.56% 29,101 2.37% 1,512 3.80% 2,427 2.93% 1,873 0.00% 0
Fresno 45.07% 94,988 48.48% 102,172 2.32% 4,888 2.25% 4,740 1.88% 3,959 0.00% 4
Glenn 33.10% 2,864 56.73% 4,908 2.51% 217 4.81% 416 2.85% 247 0.00% 0
Humboldt 59.81% 35,178 33.18% 19,513 2.99% 1,756 2.13% 1,253 1.90% 1,117 0.00% 0
Imperial 48.77% 12,433 43.42% 11,070 3.77% 962 2.55% 651 1.48% 378 0.00% 0
Inyo 37.41% 3,067 52.66% 4,318 2.68% 220 4.34% 356 2.90% 238 0.00% 0
Kern 36.31% 63,661 54.46% 95,483 3.22% 5,640 3.59% 6,289 2.43% 4,258 0.00% 3
Kings 40.70% 9,805 50.29% 12,115 3.74% 901 3.57% 860 1.70% 410 0.00% 0
Lake 55.10% 12,732 35.04% 8,096 3.12% 721 3.96% 916 2.77% 641 0.00% 0
Lassen 40.39% 4,005 47.64% 4,724 3.29% 326 5.59% 554 3.10% 307 0.00% 0
Los Angeles 58.72% 1,552,223 34.03% 899,656 3.18% 84,093 2.09% 55,380 1.97% 52,123 0.00% 20
Madera 39.79% 11,682 52.14% 15,309 2.94% 862 3.63% 1,066 1.50% 441 0.00% 0
Marin 71.26% 92,205 24.61% 31,846 1.45% 1,880 0.88% 1,142 1.80% 2,328 0.00% 0
Mariposa 45.38% 3,681 43.98% 3,568 3.09% 251 5.07% 411 2.48% 201 0.00% 0
Mendocino 60.59% 22,000 30.28% 10,993 3.55% 1,290 2.86% 1,039 2.72% 988 0.00% 0
Merced 47.61% 22,010 43.79% 20,246 2.79% 1,289 2.95% 1,365 2.86% 1,323 0.00% 0
Modoc 35.77% 1,572 52.95% 2,327 3.00% 132 5.21% 229 3.07% 135 0.00% 0
Mono 45.11% 1,931 44.64% 1,911 2.83% 121 3.95% 169 3.48% 149 0.00% 0
Monterey 58.89% 66,417 34.74% 39,182 2.10% 2,369 2.30% 2,590 1.96% 2,216 0.00% 0
Napa 57.01% 29,875 35.38% 18,539 2.46% 1,288 2.93% 1,537 2.22% 1,161 0.00% 0
Nevada 46.04% 20,044 44.73% 19,476 2.90% 1,261 3.32% 1,444 3.02% 1,313 0.00% 0
Orange 39.87% 377,170 50.93% 481,810 2.86% 27,056 3.42% 32,316 2.93% 27,729 0.00% 0
Placer 45.75% 40,511 45.73% 40,497 2.38% 2,109 3.30% 2,920 2.84% 2,518 0.00% 0
Plumas 46.44% 4,647 43.64% 4,367 2.30% 230 4.53% 453 3.10% 310 0.00% 0
Riverside 44.56% 187,548 45.44% 191,258 3.52% 14,808 3.95% 16,632 2.54% 10,689 0.00% 0
Sacramento 53.77% 237,722 38.07% 168,318 2.99% 13,228 2.88% 12,716 2.29% 10,113 0.00% 1
San Benito 55.51% 6,938 37.10% 4,637 2.34% 293 2.88% 360 2.16% 270 0.00% 0
San Bernardino 44.35% 200,979 45.67% 206,969 3.64% 16,511 3.71% 16,804 2.61% 11,825 0.01% 48
San Diego 46.97% 442,855 43.63% 411,362 3.21% 30,287 3.09% 29,149 3.10% 29,212 0.00% 3
San Francisco 80.60% 250,972 15.79% 49,165 1.63% 5,062 0.62% 1,919 1.36% 4,233 0.00% 10
San Joaquin 48.90% 76,607 43.11% 67,531 2.78% 4,360 3.27% 5,123 1.94% 3,043 0.00% 1
San L. Obispo 47.47% 48,376 43.94% 44,775 2.54% 2,587 3.08% 3,134 2.97% 3,030 0.00% 0
San Mateo 67.25% 181,990 27.89% 75,470 1.84% 4,983 1.29% 3,478 1.73% 4,684 0.00% 0
Santa Barbara 49.63% 77,900 42.71% 67,043 3.43% 5,386 2.25% 3,535 1.98% 3,101 0.00% 0
Santa Clara 62.19% 364,997 30.98% 181,858 2.15% 12,646 2.20% 12,912 2.47% 14,518 0.00% 2
Santa Cruz 67.88% 76,327 25.40% 28,562 2.49% 2,801 1.84% 2,072 2.39% 2,686 0.00% 1
Shasta 37.81% 25,111 51.48% 34,192 2.90% 1,928 4.62% 3,070 3.19% 2,116 0.00% 0
Sierra 45.12% 818 44.57% 808 2.48% 45 3.47% 63 4.36% 79 0.00% 0
Siskiyou 44.35% 8,963 45.42% 9,180 2.34% 473 5.16% 1,043 2.73% 551 0.00% 0
Solano 59.83% 77,739 32.30% 41,970 2.75% 3,571 2.84% 3,696 2.28% 2,960 0.00% 0
Sonoma 62.84% 121,471 29.38% 56,793 3.02% 5,846 2.43% 4,702 2.33% 4,502 0.00% 0
Stanislaus 50.11% 62,110 41.59% 51,549 2.84% 3,519 3.49% 4,325 1.98% 2,450 0.00% 0
Sutter 36.43% 9,135 53.54% 13,427 2.38% 596 5.24% 1,313 2.42% 606 0.00% 0
Tehama 39.31% 8,253 48.19% 10,116 2.99% 627 5.43% 1,140 4.08% 856 0.00% 0
Trinity 42.41% 2,743 43.66% 2,824 3.80% 246 6.29% 407 3.83% 248 0.00% 0
Tulare 35.71% 30,665 56.46% 48,493 2.72% 2,332 3.11% 2,674 2.00% 1,720 0.00% 0
Tuolumne 50.56% 11,895 40.59% 9,550 2.90% 682 3.40% 801 2.54% 597 0.01% 2
Ventura 45.30% 119,366 46.32% 122,064 2.72% 7,167 3.04% 8,019 2.61% 6,882 0.00% 1
Yolo 61.68% 37,340 31.70% 19,191 2.18% 1,319 2.27% 1,376 2.17% 1,311 0.00% 1
Yuba 40.76% 6,890 46.63% 7,882 3.07% 518 6.09% 1,030 3.45% 584 0.00% 0

Aftermath[]

Feinstein subsequently held seniority over fellow Democrat Barbara Boxer, who was elected on the same day; because Feinstein was elected to complete an existing term, she took office on November 10, only 7 days after the election, while Boxer's term commenced with the beginning of the next session of Congress in January 1993.

See also[]

  • 1992 United States Senate elections
  • 1992 United States Senate election in California

References[]

  1. ^ a b "June 2, 1992, Primary Election, Statement of Vote" (PDF). p. 25.
  2. ^ Feldman, Paul (13 Mar 1992). "CAMPAIGN JOURNAL : Instead of Door to Door, It's Now VCR to VCR". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 Aug 2021. And two others vying for the same Republican Senate nomination as Dannemeyer--underfunded Claremont college professor Bill Allen and retired Glendale dentist Jim Trinity, a political unknown--have mailed campaign videos to leading Republicans and reporters in attempts to establish credibility for their long-shot campaigns.

External links[]

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