1986 Senate elections · California history
California U.S. Senate election 1986
Alan Cranston DEM +1.4 · Class III seat · held 11/4/86
- Votes counted
- 7,398,462
- Margin
- 1.4 pts
- Seat held by
- Democraticheld
General election 11/4/86
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alan Cranston Won | DEM | 3,646,672 | 49.29% | |
| Edwin Van Wyck Zschau | REP | 3,541,804 | 47.87% | |
| Edward B. Vallen | IND | 109,856 | 1.49% | |
| Breck McKinley | LIB | 66,261 | 0.90% | |
| Paul Kangas | PAF | 33,869 | 0.46% | |
| Total | 7,398,462 | |||
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 1986 California Senate race?
Alan Cranston (DEM) won with 49.3% of the vote, ahead of Edwin Van Wyck Zschau (47.9%), a margin of 1.4 points.
Did the California Senate seat change party in 1986?
No. The Democratic Party held it.
How many votes were cast in the 1986 California Senate race?
7,398,462 votes were counted for the candidates in the general election.
Compiled by FiveThirtyEight from the official source linked above.