California's 47th Congressional District election, 2018
General election
General election for U.S. House California District 47
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Alan Lowenthal (D) | 64.9 | 143,354 | |
John Briscoe (R) | 35.1 | 77,682 |
Total votes: 221,036 (100.00% precincts reporting) | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 22
- Early voting: Oct. 8 - Nov. 5
- Absentee voting deadline: Postmark Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: Yes
- Voter ID: No
- Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
All U.S. congressional districts, including the 47th Congressional District of California, held elections in 2018.
Heading into the election the incumbent was Alan Lowenthal (D), who was first elected in 2012.
California's 47th Congressional District is located in the southern portion of the state and includes parts of Los Angeles and Orange counties.[1]
Candidates and election results
General election
General election for U.S. House California District 47
Incumbent Alan Lowenthal defeated John Briscoe in the general election for U.S. House California District 47 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Alan Lowenthal (D) | 64.9 | 143,354 | |
John Briscoe (R) | 35.1 | 77,682 |
Total votes: 221,036 (100.00% precincts reporting) | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 47
Incumbent Alan Lowenthal and John Briscoe defeated David Clifford in the primary for U.S. House California District 47 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Alan Lowenthal (D) | 60.6 | 70,539 | |
✔ | John Briscoe (R) | 21.6 | 25,122 | |
David Clifford (R) | 17.8 | 20,687 |
Total votes: 116,348 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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District analysis
- See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
- See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores
The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+13, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 13 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made California's 47th Congressional District the 103rd most Democratic nationally.[2]
FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 0.94. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.94 points toward that party.[3]
Campaign finance
The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.
Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alan Lowenthal | Democratic Party | $714,680 | $631,673 | $570,459 | As of December 31, 2018 |
John Briscoe | Republican Party | $54,714 | $48,137 | $6,626 | As of December 31, 2018 |
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2018. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
District history
2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Democratic. Incumbent Alan Lowenthal (D) defeated Andy Whallon (R) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Lowenthal and Whallon defeated Sanford Kahn (R) in the top-two primary on June 7, 2016.[4][5]
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Alan Lowenthal Incumbent | 63.7% | 154,759 | |
Republican | Andy Whallon | 36.3% | 88,109 | |
Total Votes | 242,868 | |||
Source: California Secretary of State |
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Alan Lowenthal Incumbent | 66.1% | 90,595 | |
Republican | Andy Whallon | 21.9% | 30,054 | |
Republican | Sanford Kahn | 11.9% | 16,364 | |
Total Votes | 137,013 | |||
Source: California Secretary of State |
2014
The 47th Congressional District of California held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Alan Lowenthal (D) defeated Andy Whallon (R) in the general election.
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Alan Lowenthal Incumbent | 56% | 69,091 | |
Republican | Andy Whallon | 44% | 54,309 | |
Total Votes | 123,400 | |||
Source: California Secretary of State |
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
There are no Pivot Counties in California. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won California with 61.7 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 31.6 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, California voted Republican 53.33 percent of the time and Democratic 43.33 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, California voted Democratic all five times. In 2016, California had 55 electoral votes, which was the most of any state. The 55 electoral votes were 10.2 percent of all 538 available electoral votes and were 20.4 percent of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the election.
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state Assembly districts in California. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[6][7]
In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 58 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 38.4 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 66 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 40.3 points. Clinton won 11 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections. |
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 22 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 12.2 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 14 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 13 points. |
2016 Presidential Results by State Assembly District | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
1 | 39.63% | 57.31% | R+17.7 | 36.09% | 56.75% | R+20.7 | R |
2 | 64.68% | 30.51% | D+34.2 | 62.20% | 28.98% | D+33.2 | D |
3 | 42.41% | 54.46% | R+12.1 | 39.47% | 53.31% | R+13.8 | R |
4 | 63.16% | 33.86% | D+29.3 | 63.03% | 29.95% | D+33.1 | D |
5 | 41.27% | 55.92% | R+14.7 | 38.51% | 54.85% | R+16.3 | R |
6 | 38.59% | 59.09% | R+20.5 | 41.17% | 52.02% | R+10.9 | R |
7 | 67.59% | 29.61% | D+38 | 67.63% | 25.69% | D+41.9 | D |
8 | 51.72% | 45.62% | D+6.1 | 51.77% | 41.03% | D+10.7 | D |
9 | 60.56% | 37.52% | D+23 | 61.47% | 32.89% | D+28.6 | D |
10 | 73.76% | 23.28% | D+50.5 | 75.65% | 17.96% | D+57.7 | D |
11 | 60.96% | 36.87% | D+24.1 | 58.86% | 35.17% | D+23.7 | D |
12 | 45.19% | 52.50% | R+7.3 | 43.11% | 51.05% | R+7.9 | R |
13 | 64.23% | 33.88% | D+30.4 | 62.97% | 31.79% | D+31.2 | D |
14 | 68.80% | 28.72% | D+40.1 | 69.55% | 24.47% | D+45.1 | D |
15 | 86.82% | 9.56% | D+77.3 | 87.39% | 7.04% | D+80.4 | D |
16 | 57.74% | 40.10% | D+17.6 | 64.47% | 29.23% | D+35.2 | R |
17 | 87.07% | 9.36% | D+77.7 | 88.12% | 6.95% | D+81.2 | D |
18 | 86.89% | 10.23% | D+76.7 | 85.89% | 8.44% | D+77.5 | D |
19 | 78.94% | 18.38% | D+60.6 | 81.63% | 13.34% | D+68.3 | D |
20 | 75.74% | 22.15% | D+53.6 | 75.52% | 19.12% | D+56.4 | D |
21 | 55.61% | 42.03% | D+13.6 | 54.63% | 39.46% | D+15.2 | D |
22 | 71.43% | 26.31% | D+45.1 | 75.16% | 19.75% | D+55.4 | D |
23 | 43.46% | 54.71% | R+11.2 | 43.95% | 50.78% | R+6.8 | R |
24 | 72.16% | 24.96% | D+47.2 | 78.19% | 15.93% | D+62.3 | D |
25 | 72.40% | 25.26% | D+47.1 | 73.61% | 20.90% | D+52.7 | D |
26 | 41.15% | 56.68% | R+15.5 | 41.54% | 52.93% | R+11.4 | R |
27 | 76.36% | 21.54% | D+54.8 | 77.76% | 17.29% | D+60.5 | D |
28 | 66.64% | 30.77% | D+35.9 | 70.63% | 23.08% | D+47.6 | D |
29 | 69.95% | 26.66% | D+43.3 | 70.00% | 22.96% | D+47 | D |
30 | 66.99% | 30.86% | D+36.1 | 66.70% | 27.32% | D+39.4 | D |
31 | 61.98% | 36.21% | D+25.8 | 62.13% | 32.93% | D+29.2 | D |
32 | 56.20% | 41.81% | D+14.4 | 56.50% | 37.98% | D+18.5 | D |
33 | 41.80% | 55.51% | R+13.7 | 40.02% | 54.61% | R+14.6 | R |
34 | 33.96% | 63.85% | R+29.9 | 34.07% | 60.21% | R+26.1 | R |
35 | 47.82% | 49.42% | R+1.6 | 49.57% | 43.43% | D+6.1 | R |
36 | 48.79% | 48.48% | D+0.3 | 49.94% | 43.86% | D+6.1 | R |
37 | 60.97% | 36.28% | D+24.7 | 64.27% | 29.21% | D+35.1 | D |
38 | 46.73% | 50.84% | R+4.1 | 49.64% | 44.39% | D+5.2 | R |
39 | 73.75% | 23.67% | D+50.1 | 74.64% | 19.80% | D+54.8 | D |
40 | 53.14% | 44.72% | D+8.4 | 54.08% | 40.01% | D+14.1 | R |
41 | 59.74% | 37.72% | D+22 | 62.82% | 31.27% | D+31.5 | D |
42 | 44.98% | 52.93% | R+7.9 | 45.61% | 49.70% | R+4.1 | R |
43 | 67.35% | 29.62% | D+37.7 | 68.94% | 25.45% | D+43.5 | D |
44 | 52.37% | 45.51% | D+6.9 | 57.12% | 36.99% | D+20.1 | D |
45 | 63.46% | 34.12% | D+29.3 | 67.36% | 27.39% | D+40 | D |
46 | 73.73% | 23.65% | D+50.1 | 76.20% | 18.48% | D+57.7 | D |
47 | 71.49% | 26.54% | D+44.9 | 70.10% | 24.80% | D+45.3 | D |
48 | 64.08% | 33.44% | D+30.6 | 65.60% | 28.50% | D+37.1 | D |
49 | 64.69% | 33.26% | D+31.4 | 67.57% | 27.17% | D+40.4 | D |
50 | 70.79% | 26.51% | D+44.3 | 76.72% | 18.33% | D+58.4 | D |
51 | 83.48% | 13.50% | D+70 | 84.05% | 10.19% | D+73.9 | D |
52 | 65.01% | 32.92% | D+32.1 | 65.78% | 28.71% | D+37.1 | D |
53 | 84.64% | 12.59% | D+72 | 84.83% | 9.63% | D+75.2 | D |
54 | 83.62% | 13.88% | D+69.7 | 85.15% | 10.12% | D+75 | D |
55 | 45.77% | 52.23% | R+6.5 | 49.92% | 44.61% | D+5.3 | R |
56 | 62.14% | 36.26% | D+25.9 | 64.21% | 31.24% | D+33 | D |
57 | 63.71% | 34.01% | D+29.7 | 65.92% | 28.39% | D+37.5 | D |
58 | 70.24% | 27.80% | D+42.4 | 72.54% | 22.26% | D+50.3 | D |
59 | 93.24% | 5.19% | D+88 | 90.70% | 5.09% | D+85.6 | D |
60 | 51.32% | 46.31% | D+5 | 52.48% | 41.97% | D+10.5 | D |
61 | 63.43% | 34.55% | D+28.9 | 62.47% | 31.62% | D+30.9 | D |
62 | 80.81% | 17.00% | D+63.8 | 82.05% | 13.06% | D+69 | D |
63 | 76.06% | 21.73% | D+54.3 | 77.35% | 17.38% | D+60 | D |
64 | 88.74% | 9.98% | D+78.8 | 86.21% | 9.61% | D+76.6 | D |
65 | 51.90% | 45.68% | D+6.2 | 56.73% | 37.28% | D+19.4 | D |
66 | 54.18% | 43.24% | D+10.9 | 59.97% | 33.60% | D+26.4 | D |
67 | 39.61% | 58.33% | R+18.7 | 38.89% | 55.94% | R+17.1 | R |
68 | 42.55% | 55.12% | R+12.6 | 49.42% | 44.58% | D+4.8 | R |
69 | 67.37% | 30.30% | D+37.1 | 71.94% | 22.33% | D+49.6 | D |
70 | 67.38% | 29.93% | D+37.5 | 68.13% | 25.09% | D+43 | D |
71 | 38.47% | 59.51% | R+21 | 38.19% | 56.26% | R+18.1 | R |
72 | 46.71% | 51.06% | R+4.4 | 51.40% | 43.13% | D+8.3 | R |
73 | 38.68% | 59.36% | R+20.7 | 43.89% | 50.38% | R+6.5 | R |
74 | 45.14% | 52.42% | R+7.3 | 50.71% | 43.29% | D+7.4 | R |
75 | 39.42% | 58.50% | R+19.1 | 43.22% | 50.68% | R+7.5 | R |
76 | 48.76% | 49.04% | R+0.3 | 53.11% | 40.38% | D+12.7 | R |
77 | 48.25% | 49.83% | R+1.6 | 55.16% | 38.94% | D+16.2 | R |
78 | 63.15% | 34.08% | D+29.1 | 67.48% | 25.85% | D+41.6 | D |
79 | 61.21% | 36.91% | D+24.3 | 64.24% | 30.04% | D+34.2 | D |
80 | 69.47% | 28.67% | D+40.8 | 73.15% | 21.34% | D+51.8 | D |
Total | 60.35% | 37.19% | D+23.2 | 62.25% | 31.89% | D+30.4 | - |
Source: Daily Kos |
State overview
Partisan control
This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in California heading into the 2018 elections.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2016 elections, Democrats held both U.S. Senate seats in California.
- Democrats held 39 of 53 U.S. House seats in California.
State executives
- As of May 2018, Democrats held seven of 10 state executive positions and the remaining three positions were officially nonpartisan.
- The governor of California was Democrat Jerry Brown.
State legislature
- Democrats controlled both chambers of the California State Legislature. They had a 55-25 majority in the state Assembly and a 27-13 majority in the state Senate.
Trifecta status
- California was a state government trifecta, meaning that Democrats held the governorship and majorities in the state house and state senate.
2018 elections
- See also: California elections, 2018
California held elections for the following positions in 2018:
- 1 Senate seat
- 53 U.S. House seats
- Governor
- Seven other state executive positions
- 20 of 40 state Senate seats
- 80 state Assembly seats
- Two state Supreme Court justices
- 35 state Court of Appeals judges
- Local trial court judges
- School board members
Demographics
Demographic data for California | ||
---|---|---|
California | U.S. | |
Total population: | 38,993,940 | 316,515,021 |
Land area (sq mi): | 155,779 | 3,531,905 |
Race and ethnicity** | ||
White: | 61.8% | 73.6% |
Black/African American: | 5.9% | 12.6% |
Asian: | 13.7% | 5.1% |
Native American: | 0.7% | 0.8% |
Pacific Islander: | 0.4% | 0.2% |
Two or more: | 4.5% | 3% |
Hispanic/Latino: | 38.4% | 17.1% |
Education | ||
High school graduation rate: | 81.8% | 86.7% |
College graduation rate: | 31.4% | 29.8% |
Income | ||
Median household income: | $61,818 | $53,889 |
Persons below poverty level: | 18.2% | 11.3% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in California. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. |
As of July 2016, California had a population of approximately 39,000,000 people, with its three largest cities being Los Angeles (pop. est. 4.0 million), San Diego (pop. est. 1.4 million), and San Jose (pop. est. 1 million).[8][9]
State election history
This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in California from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the California Secretary of State.
Historical elections
Presidential elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in California every year from 2000 to 2016.
Election results (President of the United States), California 2000-2016 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
2016 | Hillary Clinton | 61.7% | Donald Trump | 31.6% | 30.1% |
2012 | Barack Obama | 60.2% | Mitt Romney | 37.1% | 23.1% |
2008 | Barack Obama | 61.1% | John McCain | 37% | 24.1% |
2004 | John Kerry | 54.4% | George W. Bush | 44.4% | 10% |
2000 | Al Gore | 53.5% | George W. Bush | 41.7% | 11.8% |
U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in California from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
Election results (U.S. Senator), California 2000-2016 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
2016 | Kamala Harris | 61.6% | Loretta Sanchez | 38.4% | 23.2% |
2012 | Dianne Feinstein | 62.5% | Elizabeth Emken | 37.5% | 25% |
2010 | Barbara Boxer | 52.2% | Carly Fiorina | 42.2% | 10% |
2006 | Dianne Feinstein | 59.5% | Richard Mountjoy | 35.1% | 24.4% |
2004 | Barbara Boxer | 57.8% | Bill Jones | 37.8% | 20% |
2000 | Dianne Feinstein | 55.9% | Tom Campbell | 36.6% | 19.3% |
Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in California.
Election results (Governor), California 2000-2016 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
2014 | Jerry Brown | 60% | Neel Kashkari | 40% | 20% |
2010 | Jerry Brown | 53.8% | Meg Whitman | 40.9% | 12.9% |
2006 | Arnold Schwarzenegger | 55.9% | Phil Angelides | 39.0% | 16.9% |
2002 | Gray Davis | 47.3% | Bill Simon | 42.4% | 4.9% |
Congressional delegation, 2000-2016
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent California in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
Trifectas, 1992-2017
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
California Party Control: 1992-2024
Nineteen years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Assembly | D | D | D | S | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
See also
- California's 47th Congressional District election (June 5, 2018 top-two primary)
- United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2018
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2018
Footnotes
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Counties by Congressional Districts," accessed June 8, 2016
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Certified List of Candidates for Voter-Nominated Offices June 7, 2016, Presidential Primary Election," accessed April 4, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "California Primary Results," June 7, 2016
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
- ↑ California Demographics, "California Cities by Population," accessed April 2, 2018
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Quickfacts California," accessed April 2, 2018
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