1980 Senate elections · California history
California U.S. Senate election 1980
Alan Cranston DEM +19.4 · Class III seat · held 11/4/80
- Votes counted
- 8,324,012
- Margin
- 19.4 pts
- Seat held by
- Democraticheld
- President in CA
- R+16.8same year
General election 11/4/80
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alan Cranston Won | DEM | 4,704,098 | 56.51% | |
| Paul Gann | REP | 3,091,671 | 37.14% | |
| David Bergland | LIB | 202,410 | 2.43% | |
| David Wald | PAF | 196,260 | 2.36% | |
| James C. Griffin | AIP | 129,573 | 1.56% | |
| Total | 8,324,012 | |||
Official source: data
Other California Senate races
| Year | Seat | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Class I | Adam B. Schiff | 17.8 |
| 2024 special | Class I | Adam B. Schiff | 17.5 |
| 2022 | Class III | Alex Padilla | 22.1 |
| 2022 special | Class III | Alex Padilla | 21.8 |
| 2018 | Class I | Dianne Feinstein | 8.3 |
| 2016 | Class III | Kamala Harris | 23.2 |
| 2012 | Class I | Dianne Feinstein | 25.1 |
| 2010 | Class III | Barbara Boxer | 10.0 |
| 2006 | Class I | Dianne Feinstein | 24.4 |
| 2004 | Class III | Barbara Boxer | 19.9 |
| 2000 | Class I | Dianne Feinstein | 19.3 |
| 1998 | Class III | Barbara Boxer | 10.1 |
Full California Senate history →
Questions and answers
Who won the 1980 California Senate race?
Alan Cranston (DEM) won with 56.5% of the vote, ahead of Paul Gann (37.1%), a margin of 19.4 points.
Did the California Senate seat change party in 1980?
No. The Democratic Party held it.
How many votes were cast in the 1980 California Senate race?
8,324,012 votes were counted for the candidates in the general election.
Compiled by FiveThirtyEight from the official source linked above.