1974 California gubernatorial election

1974 California gubernatorial election

← 1970 November 5, 1974 1978 →
 
Nominee Jerry Brown Houston Flournoy
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 3,131,648 2,952,954
Percentage 50.11% 47.25%

Brown:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%
Flournoy:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

Governor before election

Ronald Reagan
Republican

Elected Governor

Jerry Brown
Democratic

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. Democratic Secretary of State Jerry Brown, son of former Governor Pat Brown, defeated Republican Controller Houston 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.