California gubernatorial election, 2006

← 2003 (recall) November 7, 2006 2010 →

Nominee Arnold Schwarzenegger Phil Angelides Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 4,850,157 3,376,732 Percentage 55.9% 38.9%

Election results by county Schwarzenegger:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Angelides:      40-50%      50–60%      60–70%

Governor before election Arnold Schwarzenegger Republican Elected Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Republican

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v t e

The 2006 California gubernatorial election occurred on November 7, 2006. The primary elections took place on June 6, 2006. The incumbent Republican Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, won re-election for his first and only full term. His main opponent was California State Treasurer Phil Angelides, the California Democratic Party nominee. Peter Camejo was the California Green Party nominee, Janice Jordan was the Peace and Freedom Party nominee, Art Olivier was the California Libertarian Party nominee, and Edward C. Noonan was the California American Independent Party nominee.

Under the California Constitution, the Governor serves a four-year term, with a maximum limit of two consecutive terms. Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected during the 2003 California recall and served out the remainder of Gray Davis's term; he was eligible to serve until 2011.^[1] As of 2019, this is the most recent election in which a Republican was elected Governor of California.

Exit polls showed Schwarzenegger won Anglos (63%-32%) and Asian Americans (62%-37%) and other minorities (53%-38%), while Angelides won African Americans (70%-27%) and Latinos (56%-39%).

Primary elections (June 6, 2006)[edit]

Bar graph of statewide results^[2]

Results by county^[3]

The period for candidate nominations closed on March 24, 2006.^[4]

Democratic[edit]

Candidates[edit]

• 
  Phil Angelides – California State Treasurer; former State Democratic Chair and developer


• 
  Barbara Becnel – Executive Director of Neighborhood House of North Richmond; founder of Save Stanley Tookie Williams campaign


• Joe Brouilette – high school teacher


• Edie Bukewihge – writer and publisher


• Jerald Gerst – physician


• Vibert Greene – engineer


• Frank Macaluso – medical doctor


• Michael Strimling – attorney


• 
  Steve Westly – California State Controller; former Internet executive

The two front-runners for the Democratic nomination were Angelides and California State Controller Steve Westly. A pre-election poll had Westly leading Angelides by six percentage points.^[5] The Field Poll conducted on April 17, 2006 showed that both Democratic candidates had low recognition factors amongst the state's electorate, with only 45% having any opinion on Angelides and 40% for Westly. Of registered Democrats surveyed, 59% said they didn't know enough about Angelides to have any opinion about him, with 58% saying the same for Westly.^[6] The Los Angeles Times reported that the race for the Democratic nomination was a virtual tie, with Angelides leading Westly by three percentage points (37%-34%), within the 3% margin of error. Unusually, 28% of Democratic voters were undecided, and both candidates tried to earn the undecided vote.

Angelides reported a recent increase in support for his campaign and gained union support as well as support from the "core" liberal constituency. The California Democratic Party endorsed him prior to the primary, despite most polls showing that Westly would fare much better against Schwarzenegger in the general election.^[7] However, many registered Democrats believed that Westly had a greater chance of winning against incumbent governor Schwarzenegger and felt that he had a slightly "more positive" image.^[8] In the end, Angelides won 47.9% of the vote to Westly's 43.4%. The turnout for the primary, was a record low 33.6%,^[9] far below the 38% predicted by the Secretary of State,^[10] with the turnout of valid ballots cast on election day at 28%.^[11]

Polling[edit]

Results[edit]

Republican[edit]

Candidates[edit]

• Jeffrey Burns – general contractor


• Bill Chambers – railroad switchman


• Robert C. Newman II – psychologist and farmer


• 
  Arnold Schwarzenegger – incumbent Governor of California
  

Republican Schwarzenegger faced token opposition and won overwhelmingly in the primary held on June 6, 2006.

Results[edit]

Third parties[edit]

General election[edit]

Candidates[edit]

• 
  Phil Angelides (Democratic) – California State Treasurer, Ex-State Democratic Chair & Developer


• 
  Peter Camejo (Green) – 2002/2003 Green Party gubernatorial candidate, 2004 independent vice presidential candidate (Ralph Nader's running mate)


• 
  Janice Jordan (Peace and Freedom) – 2004 Peace and Freedom Party vice presidential candidate (Leonard Peltier's running mate)


• 
  Edward C. Noonan (American Independent) – computer shop owner


• 
  Art Olivier (Libertarian) – former mayor of Bellflower, 2000 Libertarian Party vice presidential candidate (Harry Browne's running mate)


• 
  Arnold Schwarzenegger (Republican) – incumbent Governor of California, actor, businessman

Campaign[edit]

Schwarzenegger's decision to call the 2005 special election, as well as his propositions dealing with teachers' and nurses' unions and other political missteps, brought his approval rating down to 39% April 2006,^[12] though he ended up solidly defeating his opponents. During his first two years, he came under fire from some conservatives for supporting several taxes on Californians,^{[citation needed]} and from some liberals for refusing to sign a bill allowing gay marriage, and his support for several controversial propositions in 2005. Later, Schwarzenegger's popularity with voters rebounded and he won reelection by a wide margin.

Polling[edit]

Results[edit]

Results by county

Results showed Schwarzenegger won 52 counties while Angelides won 6 (Schwarzenegger won an absolute majority in 48 counties and a plurality in 4 counties while Angelides won an absolute majority in 2 counties and a plurality in 4 counties). Schwarzenegger won large majorities in California's rural counties, the populous Southern California counties of San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura, as well as populous Sacramento, Fresno, and Kern counties in the Central Valley. The results were closely contested in Los Angeles County and in Bay Area suburban counties. Angelides won substantially only in Alameda and San Francisco counties.^[13]

See also[edit]

• United States gubernatorial elections, 2006


• State of California


• Governors of California


• 
  California Victory 2006, Republican field campaign

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Democratic candidates[edit]

• Phil Angelides


• Barbara Becnel


• Edie Bukewihge


• Steve Westly

Republican candidates[edit]

• Bill Chambers


• Robert C. Newman II


• Arnold Schwarzenegger

Third-party and Independent candidates[edit]

• Peter Camejo


• George Fellows


• Janice Jordan


• Edward Noonan


• Art Olivier

Other sites with relevant information[edit]

• VoteCircle.com Non-partisan resources & vote sharing network for Californians


• Information on the elections from California's Secretary of State


• Video of the debate


• Election Volunteer – Complete List of 2006 Gubernatorial candidates


• Official Homepage of the Governor of California


• 2007 Governor's Inaugural Committee