The 1974 California gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 1974. The primary elections occurred on June 4, 1974. Incumbent Governor and former actor Ronald Reagan retired after two terms. DemocraticSecretary of StateJerry Brown, son of former Governor Pat Brown, defeated RepublicanControllerHouston I. Flournoy in the general election. This is the first election since 1958 to not feature a Republican candidate that went on to become a U.S. president. With Brown’s election, California had a Democratic Governor and two Democratic Senators (John V. Tunney and Alan Cranston) for the first time since the Civil War.
This is the earliest California gubernatorial election to feature a major party candidate who is still alive or living today as of 2024.