The 2022 California gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of California, with the statewide top-two primary election taking place on June 7, 2022. Incumbent Democratic Party Governor Gavin Newsom was elected to a second term after surviving a recall election in 2021, during his first term.
The elections featured universal mail-in ballots; in-person voting was also available. All statewide elected offices are currently held by Democrats. Newsom won 61.9% of the vote in both the 2018 gubernatorial election and the 2021 recall election. He received 55.9% of the top-two primary vote and faced Republican Party state senator Brian Dahle, who received 17.7% of the primary vote, in the general election.
Newsom received 59.2% of the vote to Dahle's 40.8%, a smaller margin of victory than in 2018 and 2021 and the smallest since 2010. Dahle flipped five counties that Newsom carried in 2018: Lake, Merced (which had previously voted to recall Newsom in 2021), Orange, San Bernardino, and San Joaquin. Dahle also received 32% of the vote in Los Angeles County, the highest percentage received by a Republican in the state's most populous county since 2014. Additionally, Dahle managed to carry two congressional districts represented by Democrats: CA-09 and CA-47. This election marks the fourth consecutive California gubernatorial election in which a Democratic candidate won.
The list of candidates was announced on Mar 31, 2022 by the secretary of state.
Governor Gavin Newsom and State Senator Brian Dahle met on October 23 for their only debate.
Aggregate polls<br />
Graphical summary<br />
Gavin Newsom vs. Kevin Faulconer<br />
Gavin Newsom vs. John Cox<br />
Gavin Newsom vs. Larry Elder<br />
Gavin Newsom vs. Kevin Kiley<br />
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
Newsom won 38 of 52 congressional districts, with the remaining 14 going to Dahle, including two that elected Democrats.
Cities that flipped from No on 2021 Recall to Republican
Cities that flipped from Yes on 2021 Recall to Democratic
Official campaign websites