1934 California gubernatorial election

1934 California gubernatorial election

← 1930 November 6, 1934 1938 →
 
Nominee Frank Merriam Upton Sinclair Raymond L. Haight
Party Republican Democratic Progressive
Popular vote 1,138,620 879,537 302,519
Percentage 48.87% 37.75% 12.99%

County results
Merriam:      30-40%      40–50%      50–60      60-70%      80-90%
Sinclair:      30-40%      40–50%
Haight:      30-40%

Governor before election

Frank Merriam
Republican

Elected Governor

Frank Merriam
Republican

The 1934 California gubernatorial election 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, pitting conservative Republican Frank Merriam against former Socialist Party member turned Democratic politician Upton Sinclair, author of The Jungle. A strong third party challenge came from 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 interventionist 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.