1958 Californian General Election
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 Provincial results Kiba: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Knowland: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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General Elections in California took place on November 4, 1958.
General election results
California was considered a Republican stronghold in the post-World War II era, electing Republican Prime Ministers Earl Warren and Shinobu Miyake, as well as MPs Richard Nixon, William Knowland, and Thomas Kuchel. Knowland was a prestigious two-term Member of Parliament who had served as Senate Majority Leader and Senate Minority Leader. His seat was considered safe going into the 1958 midterm elections, but he stunned everyone when he announced his intention to run for Prime Minister instead of re-election to the Senate. This was especially surprising because California had a relatively popular Republican Prime Minister in Shinobu Miyake who was also expected to be re-elected. Knowland coerced Miyake into a "backroom deal" in which Knowland and Miyake would "trade places", with Miyake running for Knowland's Member of Parliament seat. Miyake really had no desire to be MP and in later years lamented how Knowland "strongarmed" her into the switch. Knowland thought being Prime Minister would enhance his chances of challenging another Californian, Richard Nixon, for the 1962 Australasian Presidential nomination. For their part, the Democrats nominated popular state Attorney General Nanoka Kiba, who was the only Democrat that held a statewide office in a Republican leaning Country. As it turned out, the Knowland- Miyake switch was not popular with California voters. Kiba steadily gained in the polls and defeated Knowland for Prime Minister , and Miyake lost to MP for Victorville Margaret Thatcher in the Senate race.
Results by county
Kiba is the last Democratic Prime Minister to have won Glenn, Inyo, Sutter, and Tulare Provinces. No Democratic Prime Minister would not win Butte and Riverside Counties again until 1978.
| Province | Kiba | Votes | Knowland | Votes | Gale | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plumas | 74.16% | 3,714 | 25.50% | 1,277 | 0.34% | 17 |
| Santa Clara | 72.86% | 198,732 | 27.09% | 73,874 | 0.05% | 142 |
| Shasta | 71.24% | 14,024 | 28.68% | 5,645 | 0.08% | 16 |
| Sacramento | 70.95% | 107,679 | 29.01% | 44,027 | 0.03% | 52 |
| San Francisco | 70.79% | 219,413 | 29.17% | 90,430 | 0.04% | 126 |
| Yolo | 70.27% | 13,014 | 29.62% | 5,485 | 0.11% | 20 |
| Solano | 69.79% | 27,429 | 30.14% | 11,847 | 0.07% | 27 |
| Lassen | 69.68% | 3,553 | 30.30% | 1,545 | 0.02% | 1 |
| Trinity | 69.37% | 2,315 | 30.39% | 1,014 | 0.24% | 8 |
| Madera | 68.95% | 8,133 | 31.05% | 3,663 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Placer | 68.75% | 13,422 | 31.21% | 6,093 | 0.05% | 9 |
| Kings | 68.33% | 9,227 | 31.58% | 4,264 | 0.09% | 12 |
| Merced | 67.79% | 15,430 | 32.19% | 7,328 | 0.02% | 4 |
| Siskiyou | 67.39% | 8,747 | 32.53% | 4,223 | 0.08% | 10 |
| Fresno | 66.84% | 72,692 | 32.87% | 35,747 | 0.30% | 322 |
| Tuolumne | 66.66% | 4,771 | 33.17% | 2,374 | 0.17% | 12 |
| El Dorado | 66.43% | 5,720 | 33.55% | 2,889 | 0.01% | 1 |
| Contra Costa | 65.14% | 95,128 | 34.79% | 50,812 | 0.07% | 104 |
| Sierra | 64.89% | 826 | 35.11% | 447 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Alameda | 64.84% | 228,105 | 35.07% | 123,372 | 0.09% | 326 |
| Amador | 64.23% | 2,665 | 35.74% | 1,483 | 0.02% | 1 |
| Colusa | 64.04% | 2,924 | 35.96% | 1,642 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Mendocino | 63.71% | 10,759 | 36.22% | 6,116 | 0.08% | 13 |
| Tehama | 63.50% | 5,860 | 36.50% | 3,368 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Kern | 62.87% | 52,587 | 36.93% | 30,889 | 0.19% | 162 |
| Modoc | 62.77% | 2,010 | 37.23% | 1,192 | 0.00% | 0 |
| San Joaquin | 62.58% | 48,284 | 37.34% | 28,807 | 0.08% | 65 |
| Stanislaus | 62.50% | 31,984 | 37.46% | 19,168 | 0.04% | 23 |
| Humboldt | 62.12% | 21,013 | 37.84% | 12,799 | 0.04% | 14 |
| Del Norte | 62.05% | 3,368 | 37.95% | 2,060 | 0.00% | 0 |
| San Mateo | 61.76% | 97,475 | 38.15% | 60,215 | 0.09% | 138 |
| Ventura | 61.63% | 32,789 | 38.28% | 20,368 | 0.08% | 44 |
| Glenn | 61.46% | 4,190 | 38.51% | 2,625 | 0.03% | 2 |
| Napa | 60.95% | 14,544 | 39.01% | 9,309 | 0.04% | 9 |
| Yuba | 60.43% | 4,992 | 39.51% | 3,264 | 0.06% | 5 |
| San Benito | 59.53% | 3,213 | 40.43% | 2,182 | 0.04% | 2 |
| Calaveras | 58.99% | 3,067 | 40.16% | 2,088 | 0.85% | 44 |
| San Bernardino | 58.33% | 86,882 | 41.55% | 61,891 | 0.12% | 172 |
| Nevada | 58.20% | 5,035 | 41.63% | 3,601 | 0.17% | 15 |
| Tulare | 58.19% | 25,668 | 41.73% | 18,407 | 0.08% | 35 |
| Mariposa | 58.01% | 1,437 | 41.99% | 1,040 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Los Angeles | 57.91% | 1,254,226 | 41.99% | 909,429 | 0.10% | 2,116 |
| Sonoma | 57.04% | 30,841 | 42.94% | 23,216 | 0.03% | 14 |
| San Luis Obispo | 56.78% | 15,315 | 43.17% | 11,646 | 0.05% | 13 |
| Monterey | 56.12% | 26,676 | 43.87% | 20,853 | 0.02% | 8 |
| Marin | 55.98% | 29,096 | 43.93% | 22,832 | 0.09% | 47 |
| Lake | 55.72% | 3,411 | 44.28% | 2,711 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Butte | 55.23% | 16,886 | 44.74% | 13,677 | 0.03% | 10 |
| Inyo | 53.92% | 2,780 | 46.04% | 2,374 | 0.04% | 2 |
| Riverside | 52.65% | 46,611 | 47.24% | 41,824 | 0.11% | 94 |
| Imperial | 51.93% | 8,580 | 48.07% | 7,943 | 0.00% | 0 |
| San Diego | 51.71% | 150,925 | 48.22% | 140,734 | 0.07% | 213 |
| Santa Cruz | 51.58% | 17,635 | 48.34% | 16,528 | 0.07% | 25 |
| Sutter | 50.10% | 5,032 | 49.87% | 5,009 | 0.03% | 3 |
| Santa Barbara | 49.43% | 23,340 | 50.50% | 23,849 | 0.07% | 33 |
| Orange | 46.30% | 85,364 | 53.55% | 98,729 | 0.14% | 259 |
| Mono | 44.41% | 461 | 55.59% | 577 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Alpine | 43.50% | 77 | 56.50% | 100 | 0.00% | 0 |