From Ballotpedia The 2014 U.S. House of Representatives elections in California took place on November 4, 2014. Voters elected 53 candidates to serve in the U.S. House, one from each of the state's 53 congressional districts.
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
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Primary: California uses a top-two primary system, in which all candidates appear on the same ballot. The top two vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, move on to the general election. In states that do not use a top-two system, all parties are usually able to put forward a candidate for the general election if they choose to.[1][2][3][4]
Unlike the top-two format used in some states (Louisiana and Georgia special elections for example), a general election between the top two candidates in California occurs regardless of whether the top candidate received 50 percent of the vote in the first round of elections.
As of 2019, California was one of three states to use a top-two primary system. Washington used the system for congressional and state-level elections, and Nebraska utilized a top-two system for its nonpartisan state legislature.
Voter registration: To vote in the primary, voters had to register by May 19, 2014. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 20, 2014 (the 15th calendar day before that election).[5]
California was home to four battleground districts in 2014: California's 7th Congressional District, California's 21st Congressional District, California's 36th Congressional District and California's 52nd Congressional District.
California's 7th Congressional District was a battleground in 2014.[6] The district has a very slight Democratic lean.[7][8] Incumbent Ami Bera (D) won election in 2012 by only 3.4 percent, and the district was won by President Barack Obama by 5 percent or less in both 2008 and 2012. Additionally, incumbent Ami Bera was a freshman representative.
Bera won re-election. He defeated Doug Ose (R) in the general election on November 4, 2014. The race remained uncalled for over two weeks following the general election.
Our analysis pointed to California's 21st Congressional District being a battleground with a Republican incumbent that leaned Democratic.[7][8] The district was won by President Barack Obama by 11.1% in 2012 and 6% in 2008. Additionally, incumbent David Valadao (R) was a freshman representative.
Valadao won re-election, defeating Amanda Renteria (D) in the general election on November 4, 2014.
California's 36th Congressional District was a battleground in 2014. The district had very close to even numbers of Democratic and Republican voters.[7][8] The district was won by President Barack Obama by 3.2% in 2012 and 3% in 2008. Additionally, incumbent Raul Ruiz (D) was a freshman representative.
Ruiz won re-election, defeating state representative Brian Nestande (R) in the general election on November 4, 2014.
Our analysis pointed to California's 52nd Congressional District being a battleground with a slight Democratic lean.[7][8] Incumbent Scott Peters (D) won election by 2.4 percent in 2012 and was a freshman member of the U.S. House.
Peters defeated Carl DeMaio in the general election on November 4, 2014. The race remained uncalled for several days following the election. DeMaio conceded to Peters on November 9, 2014.
Heading into the November 4 election, the Democratic Party held 38 of the 53 congressional seats from California.
| Members of the U.S. House from California -- Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2014 | After the 2014 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 38 | 39 | |
| Republican Party | 15 | 14 | |
| Total | 53 | 53 | |
The 53 incumbents prior to the election are listed below. Click "show" to reveal the table.
There were a total of 53 seats up for election in 2014 in California. The following table shows the margin of victory for each district winner, which is calculated by examining the percentage difference between the two candidates who received the most votes. If the race was uncontested, the margin of victory is listed as 100 percent.
| District | Winner | Margin of Victory | Total Vote | Top Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 1 | 22.1% | 216,372 | Heidi Hall | |
| District 2 | 50% | 217,524 | Dale Mensing | |
| District 3 | 5.4% | 150,260 | Dan Logue | |
| District 4 | 20.1% | 211,134 | Art Moore | |
| District 5 | 51.5% | 171,148 | James Hinton | |
| District 6 | 45.4% | 133,456 | Joseph McCray, Sr. | |
| District 7 | 0.8% | 183,587 | Doug Ose | |
| District 8 | 35.3% | 114,536 | Bob Conaway | |
| District 9 | 4.7% | 121,204 | Tony Amador | |
| District 10 | 12.3% | 125,705 | Michael Eggman | |
| District 11 | 34.5% | 174,662 | Tue Phan-Quang | |
| District 12 | 66.5% | 192,264 | John Dennis | |
| District 13 | 77% | 190,431 | Dakin Sundeen | |
| District 14 | 53.4% | 149,146 | Robin Chew | |
| District 15 | 39.6% | 142,906 | Hugh Bussell | |
| District 16 | 1.5% | 91,220 | Johnny Tacherra | |
| District 17 | 3.5% | 134,408 | Ro Khanna | |
| District 18 | 35.5% | 196,386 | Richard Fox | |
| District 19 | 34.4% | 127,788 | Robert Murray | |
| District 20 | 50.4% | 141,044 | Ronald Paul Kabat | |
| District 21 | 15.7% | 79,377 | Amanda Renteria | |
| District 22 | 44.1% | 133,342 | Suzanna Aguilera-Marrero | |
| District 23 | 49.7% | 134,043 | Raul Garcia | |
| District 24 | 3.9% | 198,794 | Chris Mitchum | |
| District 25 | 6.7% | 114,072 | Tony Strickland | |
| District 26 | 2.7% | 169,829 | Jeff Gorell | |
| District 27 | 18.7% | 127,580 | Jack Orswell | |
| District 28 | 53% | 120,264 | Steve Stokes | |
| District 29 | 49.2% | 67,141 | William Leader | |
| District 30 | 31.3% | 131,883 | Mark Reed | |
| District 31 | 3.5% | 99,784 | Paul Chabot | |
| District 32 | 19.3% | 84,406 | Art Alas | |
| District 33 | 18.4% | 183,031 | Elan Carr | |
| District 34 | 45.1% | 61,621 | Adrienne Nicole Edwards | |
| District 35 | 26.9% | 62,255 | Christina Gagnier | |
| District 36 | 8.4% | 134,139 | Brian Nestande | |
| District 37 | 68.6% | 114,838 | Adam King | |
| District 38 | 18.2% | 98,480 | Benjamin Campos | |
| District 39 | 37.1% | 133,225 | Peter Anderson | |
| District 40 | 22.4% | 49,379 | David Sanchez | |
| District 41 | 13.3% | 82,884 | Steve Adams | |
| District 42 | 31.5% | 113,390 | Tim Sheridan | |
| District 43 | 41.9% | 98,202 | John Wood | |
| District 44 | 73.3% | 68,862 | Adam Shbeita | |
| District 45 | 30.2% | 162,902 | Drew Leavens | |
| District 46 | 19.4% | 83,315 | Adam Nick | |
| District 47 | 12% | 123,400 | Andy Whallon | |
| District 48 | 28.2% | 174,795 | Sue Savary | |
| District 49 | 20.3% | 163,142 | Dave Peiser | |
| District 50 | 42.4% | 157,299 | James Kimber | |
| District 51 | 37.6% | 81,950 | Stephen Meade | |
| District 52 | 3.2% | 191,572 | Carl DeMaio | |
| District 53 | 17.7% | 148,044 | Larry Wilske |
Since California implemented the top-two primary system, minor party and no party preference candidates have had a harder time making it onto the ballot. In 2012, minor parties put 21 candidates on the ballot in California. For the 10 years prior to that election, they averaged a combined 133 candidates on the ballot.[9] Additionally, in the 111 elections for federal or state office in which a minor party did place a candidate on the primary ballot against at least two major party candidates in a top-two primary system, no minor party candidate has placed first or second in order to move on to the general election.[10][11]
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Categories: [U.S. House elections, California, 2014] [California elections, 2014]
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