1886 California gubernatorial election

The 1886 California gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1886, to elect the governor of California. Washington Bartlett won a narrow plurality of the votes to become the state's 16th governor. For the first time since 1863, the incumbent party retained control of the governor's mansion.

Bartlett's term as governor would prove to be the second-shortest in the state's history: he died only eight months into his term on September 17, 1887. He was succeeded by Lieutenant Governor Robert Waterman, who had been elected at the same time as Bartlett.

Results

Results by county County Washington BartlettDemocratic John Franklin SwiftRepublican Charles C. O'DonnellIndependent Peter D. WiggintonAmerican Joel RussellProhibition ScatteringWrite-in Margin Total votes cast # % # % # % # % # % # % # %Alameda3,88232.63%5,51446.34%8106.81%1,40711.83%2802.35%50.04%-1,632-13.72%11,898Alpine2529.76%5970.24%00.00%00.00%00.00%00.00%-34-40.48%84Amador1,37549.23%1,29846.47%90.32%150.54%953.40%10.04%772.76%2,793Butte1,96747.00%1,93546.24%1343.20%491.17%1002.39%00.00%320.76%4,185Calaveras1,23148.97%1,25449.88%50.20%40.16%180.72%20.08%-23-0.91%2,514Colusa1,70262.37%88032.25%501.83%110.40%863.15%00.00%82230.12%2,729Contra Costa1,14743.86%1,25147.84%371.41%973.71%833.17%00.00%-104-3.98%2,615Del Norte29047.85%24440.26%50.83%243.96%437.10%00.00%467.59%606El Dorado1,40350.40%1,23144.22%281.01%140.50%1063.81%20.07%1726.18%2,784Fresno1,74052.13%1,10132.98%641.92%2868.57%1474.40%00.00%63919.14%3,338Humboldt1,47438.10%1,87748.51%110.28%852.20%42110.88%10.03%-403-10.42%3,869Inyo28343.81%33652.01%71.08%152.32%50.77%00.00%-53-8.20%646Kern82857.62%52536.53%241.67%503.48%100.70%00.00%30321.09%1,437Lake80456.18%59241.37%00.00%40.28%312.17%00.00%21214.81%1,431Lassen48451.22%44346.88%20.21%111.16%50.53%00.00%414.34%945Los Angeles5,06443.30%5,48946.94%1331.14%1171.00%7976.84%940.80%-425-3.63%11,694Marin57738.96%68145.98%926.21%1198.04%120.81%00.00%-104-7.02%1,481Mariposa63057.17%44140.02%100.91%151.36%60.54%00.00%18917.15%1,102Mendocino1,55251.84%1,21940.71%130.43%852.84%1023.41%230.77%33311.12%2,994Merced93954.25%63936.92%50.29%673.87%814.68%00.00%30017.33%1,731Modoc63654.45%46439.73%10.09%70.60%605.14%00.00%17214.73%1,168Mono25735.89%42559.36%20.28%202.79%91.26%30.42%-168-23.46%716Monterey1,44448.05%1,39346.36%290.97%331.10%1063.53%00.00%511.70%3,005Napa1,34045.69%1,32345.11%1133.85%983.34%521.77%70.24%170.58%2,933Nevada1,79242.78%2,18652.18%390.93%481.15%1212.89%30.07%-394-9.41%4,189Placer1,41344.18%1,66552.06%210.66%321.00%672.10%00.00%-252-7.88%3,198Plumas57745.65%66652.69%30.24%120.95%60.47%00.00%-89-7.04%1,264Sacramento2,33134.26%3,90857.45%2663.91%1061.56%1922.82%00.00%-1,577-23.18%6,803San Benito70247.89%53236.29%40.27%251.71%20213.78%10.07%17011.60%1,466San Bernardino1,50346.49%1,48145.81%220.68%150.46%2056.34%70.22%220.68%3,233San Diego1,15941.01%1,36248.20%431.52%220.78%2408.49%00.00%-203-7.18%2,826San Francisco17,44938.37%15,67534.46%8,88519.54%3,1276.88%2350.52%1100.24%1,7743.90%45,481San Joaquin2,65145.46%2,44641.94%621.06%2113.62%4247.27%380.65%2053.52%5,832San Luis Obispo1,19646.34%1,21246.96%120.46%552.13%1064.11%00.00%-16-0.62%2,581San Mateo74040.59%92050.47%945.16%442.41%251.37%00.00%-180-9.87%1,823Santa Barbara1,13444.88%1,17446.46%60.24%120.47%2017.95%00.00%-40-1.58%2,527Santa Clara3,07941.35%3,50147.01%2713.64%2473.32%3374.53%120.16%-422-5.67%7,447Santa Cruz1,18939.63%1,36245.40%1505.00%531.77%2448.13%20.07%-173-5.77%3,000Shasta1,22747.10%1,29849.83%180.69%90.35%522.00%10.04%-71-2.73%2,605Sierra57536.74%92459.04%70.45%342.17%251.60%00.00%-349-22.30%1,565Siskiyou99550.61%93447.51%50.25%50.25%271.37%00.00%613.10%1,966Solano2,04747.64%1,95745.54%551.28%1172.72%1152.68%60.14%902.09%4,297Sonoma2,69945.16%2,63144.03%2684.48%1542.58%2243.75%00.00%681.14%5,976Stanislaus1,08660.17%59633.02%160.89%361.99%703.88%10.06%49027.15%1,805Sutter65346.64%66147.21%20.14%20.14%815.79%10.07%-8-0.57%1,400Tehama1,03946.49%93141.66%24310.87%70.31%150.67%00.00%1084.83%2,235Trinity46948.30%46347.68%40.41%333.40%20.21%00.00%60.62%971Tulare1,90549.88%1,47538.62%250.65%1834.79%2255.89%60.16%43011.26%3,819Tuolumne1,11555.81%78239.14%130.65%221.10%663.30%00.00%33316.67%1,998Ventura63444.62%72150.74%10.07%130.91%443.10%80.56%-87-6.12%1,421Yolo1,40848.82%1,19641.47%923.19%301.04%1575.44%10.03%2127.35%2,884Yuba1,12948.71%1,04345.00%160.69%602.59%692.98%10.04%863.71%2,318Total84,97043.43%84,31643.10%12,2276.25%7,3473.76%6,4323.29%3360.17%6540.33%195,628

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican Alameda Calaveras Contra Costa Inyo Los Angeles Marin Placer Plumas Sacramento San Luis Obispo San Mateo Santa Barbara Santa Clara Santa Cruz Shasta Sutter Ventura

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Napa Solano

Notes

References