1974 California gubernatorial election

Common card · No. 301959

The 1974 California gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 1974. Incumbent Governor Ronald Reagan retired after two terms. Jerry Brown, the secretary of state and son of former Governor Pat Brown, defeated Houston Flournoy. Primary elections were held on June 4. Flournoy won the Republican primary over Lieutenant Governor Ed Reinecke. Brown won a plurality of the Democratic vote over a field of candidates that included San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto and Assembly Speaker Bob Moretti. This was the first election since 1958 that did not feature either of the two future presidents Richard Nixon or Ronald Reagan as the Republican nominee, nor any incumbent governor. With Brown's election, California had a Democratic governor and two Democratic senators (John V. Tunney and Alan Cranston) for the first time since the Civil War. As of 2026, this is the earliest California gubernatorial election to feature a major party candidate who is still alive.

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