1934 California gubernatorial election

none January 2025 September 2023 1934 California gubernatorial election California presidential no Flag of California (1911–1953).svgborder 1930 California gubernatorial election 1930 1938 California gubernatorial election 1938 November 6, 1934 Frank Merriam, portrait photo (cropped).jpg Frank Merriam California Republican Party 1,138,620 48.87% Upton Sinclair 1934.jpg Upton Sinclair California Democratic Party 879,537 37.75% Raymond Haight, 1930s.jpg Raymond L. Haight Commonwealth Progressive BDB76B 302,519 12.99% 1934 California gubernatorial election results map by county.svg 350px County resultsMerriam: #ffc8cd 30–40% #ffb2b2 40–50% #e27f7f 50–60 #d75d5d 60–70% #c21b18 80–90%Sinclair: #bdd3ff 30–40% #a5b0ff 40–50%Haight: #f0e6be 30–40% Governor Frank Merriam Frank Merriam California Republican Party California Republican Party The 1934 California gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1934. Incumbent governor Frank Merriam was elected to a full term in office over Upton Sinclair and Raymond L. Haight. Held in the midst of the Great Depression, the 1934 election was amongst the most controversial in the state's political history. Much of the campaign's emphasis was directed at Sinclair's End Poverty in California movement, proposing interventionist reforms to cure the state's ailing economy. Merriam, who had recently assumed the governorship following the death of James Rolph, characterized Sinclair's proposal as a step towards communism. Merriam had succeeded to the office upon the death of James Rolph on June 2. He won the Republican nomination for a full term in the primary over former governor C. C. Young, Los Angeles County supervisor John R. Quinn, and attorney Raymond L. Haight. Merriam also won the endorsement of the Prohibition Party as a write-in candidate, while Haight was nominated by the Commonwealth and Progressive parties. In the Democratic primary, author Upton Sinclair upset the party establishment by defeating eminent journalist George Creel. In the general election, Merriam received significant support from major Hollywood studio executives, who pioneered campaign film techniques in opposition to Sinclair. Anti-Sinclair films included depictions of his supporters as criminals and bums, and aired in California movie theatres with no opportunity for response. The effort has been described as Hollywood's first intervention in electoral politics and was later depicted in the 2020 film Mank. Sinclair was also opposed by major corporations and corporate interest groups, such as Standard Oil of California, Pacific Mutual, and the California Real Estate Association, and all major California newspapers. Ultimately, Merriam won by over 250,000 votes. Republican primary Candidates Raymond L. Haight, Los Angeles attorney Frank Merriam, incumbent Governor since June 1934 John R. Quinn, member, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors C. C. Young, former Governor (1927–31) Results center|thumb|Primary results by county #d02923 Merriam #e55651 Merriam—60–70% #ed8783 Merriam—50–60% #f1b4b2 Merriam—40–50% #fbdedd Merriam—30–40% #b25f00 Young #c56900 Young—60–70% #d79346 Young—50–60% #e8ba85 Young—40–50% #f9e1c6 Young—30–40% #9d40cc Quinn #c88fe4 Quinn—50–60% #dcb7ef Quinn—40–50% #f2dffc Quinn—30–40% Republican primary results Frank F. Merriam (incumbent) Republican Party (United States) 346,329 41.94% C. C. Young Republican Party (United States) 231,431 28.03% John R. Quinn Republican Party (United States) 153,412 18.58% Raymond L. Haight Republican Party (United States) 84,977 10.29% Upton Sinclair (write-in) Republican Party (United States) 9,651 1.17% 825,800 100.00% Democratic primary Candidates George Creel, investigative journalist Forest Dowey William H. Evans Z. T. Malaby W. J. McNichols Upton Sinclair, author and perennial Socialist Party candidate James E. Waddell Justus S. Wardell, nominee for Governor in 1926 Milton K. Young, nominee for Governor in 1930 Results Sinclair won the Democratic nomination in what was considered a political upset.Manchel Frank Film Study An Analytical Bibliography · Volume 1 1990 Fairleigh Dickinson University Press 226 center|thumb|Primary results by county #584CDE Sinclair #584CDE Sinclair—70–80% #6674DE Sinclair—60–70% #7996E2 Sinclair—50–60% #A5B0FF Sinclair—40–50% #BDD3FF Sinclair—30–40% #9d40cc Creel #b368d9 Creel—60–70% #c88fe4 Creel—50–60% #dcb7ef Creel—40–50% #f2dffc Creel—30–40% Democratic primary resultsStatement of Vote at Primary Election held on August 28, 1934 in the State of California California Secretary of State State Printing Office Sacramento, California 5–7 https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.31158006563745&seq=7 19 July 2024 Upton Sinclair Democratic Party (United States) 436,220 51.68% George Creel Democratic Party (United States) 288,106 34.13% Justus S. Wardell Democratic Party (United States) 48,965 5.80% Milton K. Young Democratic Party (United States) 41,609 4.93% James E. Waddell Democratic Party (United States) 12,515 1.48% Z. T. Malaby Democratic Party (United States) 4,476 0.53% Forest Dowey Democratic Party (United States) 4,260 0.50% W. J. McNichols Democratic Party (United States) 3,616 0.43% William H. Evans Democratic Party (United States) 2,433 0.29% Frank F. Merriam (write-in) Democratic Party (United States) 1,035 0.12% Raymond L. Haight (write-in) Democratic Party (United States) 882 0.10% 844,117 100.00% Minor party primaries Socialist center|thumb|Primary results by county #CD3700 Dempster #622E1B Demptster—100% #808080 No vote #808080 No vote Socialist primary results Milen C. Dempster Socialist Party of America 2,521 100.00% 2,521 100.00% Commonwealth center|thumb|Primary results by county #907300 Haight #564500 Haight—100% #808080 No vote #808080 No vote Commonwealth primary results Raymond L. Haight Commonwealth #BDB76B 2,421 100.00% 2,421 100.00% Progressive center|thumb|Primary results by county #30A630 Haight #165016 Haight—100% #808080 No vote #808080 No vote Progressive primary results Raymond L. Haight California Progressive Party 1,344 100.00% 1,344 100.00% Prohibition center|thumb|Primary results by county #FF2A7F Merriam #C0205F Merriam—100% #FF2A7F Merriam—70–80% #FF5599 Merriam—60–70% #FF80B2 Merriam—50–60% #0fa070 Sinclair #085d41 Sinclair—100% #0fa070 Sinclair—70–80% #4ab390 Sinclair—60–70% #ae8bb1 Tie #ae8bb1 Tie-50% #808080 No vote #808080 No vote Prohibition primary results Frank F. Merriam (write-in)Was not listed under Prohibition in the general election Prohibition Party 963 76.43% Upton Sinclair (write-in) Prohibition Party 297 23.57% 1,260 100.00% Communist center|thumb|Primary results by county #a11414 Darcy #681111 Darcy—100% #808080 No vote #808080 No vote Communist primary results Sam Darcy Communist Party USA 1,072 100.00% 1,072 100.00% General election Campaign End Poverty in California thumb|right|Front page of EPIC News following Sinclair's primary victory, August 29, 1934 Negative campaigning funded by the film industry was used against Sinclair to favor the Merriam campaign.Mitchell, Greg. "'Mank' and Politics: What Really Happened in 1934 California". New York Times, Dec 7, 2020. Hollywood studio bosses unanimously opposed Sinclair and their involvement in the campaign has been described as Hollywood's first intervention in electoral politics.Saverio Giovacchini Hollywood Modernism Film and Politics in the Age of the New Deal 2001 Temple University Press 44 They pressured their employees to assist and vote for Merriam's campaign, and made false propaganda films attacking Sinclair, giving him no opportunity to respond. Cohen Harvey G. The Struggle to Fashion the NRA Code: The Triumph of Studio Power in 1933 Hollywood Journal of American Studies 50 4 2015 1039–1066 0021-8758 10.1017/S002187581500122X 147499614 Joseph M. Schenck threatened to move Twentieth Century Fox to Florida should Sinclair be elected.Singer Donald L. Upton Sinclair and the California Gubernatorial Campaign of 1934 Southern California Quarterly Winter 1974 56 4 375–406 10.2307/41171421 41171421 https://www.jstor.org/stable/41171421 subscription thumb|left|A fake campaign poster, claiming to be from the Young Communist League, pledging support to Sinclair Louis B. Mayer's MGM and other film studios deducted a day's pay from their employees to raise an anti-Sinclair fund that amounted to $500,000. Irving Thalberg was to lead MGM's anti-Sinclair campaign and the studio recruited Carey Wilson to create a series of anti-Sinclair propaganda films. These films, directed by Felix E. Feist, included fake newsreels of Sinclair supporters who were portrayed as bums and criminals. They were shown in California movie theaters, with one episode featuring hired actors as Sinclair supporters speaking with foreign accents.Critchlow Donald T. When Hollywood Was Right: How Movie Stars, Studio Moguls, and Big Business Remade American Politics 2013 Cambridge University Press 26–27 Supposedly when one actor objected to the films Thalberg replied "Nothing is unfair in politics".Mattson Kevin Upton Sinclair and the Other American Century 2006 Turner Publishing Company 182 Big corporations in California were strongly opposed to Sinclair. Both Standard Oil of California and Pacific Mutual sent out a letter to their stockholders encouraging them to oppose Sinclair. Various corporations created front organizations to oppose his campaign, for instance the California Real Estate Association formed the 'Merriam for Governor Committee'.American Fascism and the New Deal The Associated Farmers of California and the Pro-Industrial Movement 2013 Lexington Books 58–9 thumb|right|upright=1.2|Democratic headquarters in Downtown Los Angeles during the campaign, October 1934 Sinclair later stated that there was a "campaign of lying" against him during the campaign which was "ordered by the biggest businessmen in California and paid for with millions of dollars" that was carried out by newspapers, politicians, advertisers, and the film industry.Sinclair Upton I, Candidate for Governor And How I Got Licked 2023 University of California Press 99 One survey of over 500 California newspapers found that over 90% supported Merriam, 5% supported Raymond Haight and the rest made no endorsement. The only newspaper surveyed that endorsed Sinclair was his own outlet Epic News. However, Sinclair did have support from some public figures. For instance, the 'Author's League for Sinclair' was founded by Frank Scully, Dorothy Thompson and Gene Fowler. Progressives such as Charlie Chaplin,Maland Charles J. Chaplin and American Culture The Evolution of a Star Image 2021 Princeton University Press 135–6 Dorothy Parker, Donald Ogden Stewart, Lillian Hellman and Groucho Marx were also Sinclair supporters. Haight campaigned as a centrist between the right-wing Merriam and the leftist Sinclair, seeking support from voters dissatisfied with both candidates. Haight garnered 302,519 votes, or 13% of the vote. Much of his voting strength came from the San Joaquin Valley, where farmers were suspicious of Sinclair's End Poverty in California scheme to take over so-called 'idle farms'.http://www.redlandsfortnightly.org/papers/singer00.htm Going Negative: The Smear Campaign Against Upton Sinclair The Fortnightly Club October 19, 2000 2008-09-08 Candidates Sam Darcy, organizer for the Marine Workers Industrial Union and 1934 waterfront strike (Communist) Milen C. Dempster (Socialist) Raymond L. Haight, Los Angeles attorney (Commonwealth-Progressive) Frank F. Merriam, incumbent Governor since June 1934 (Republican) Upton Sinclair, author and perennial Socialist Party candidate (Democratic) Results 1934 California gubernatorial electionStatement of Vote at General Election held on November 6, 1934 in the State of California California Secretary of State State Printing Office Sacramento, California 5 https://archive.org/details/statementofvote192639cali/page/n591/mode/2up?view=theater 19 July 2024 Republican Party (United States) Frank F. Merriam (incumbent) 1,138,620 48.87% -23.28% Democratic Party (United States) Upton Sinclair 879,537 37.75% +13.64% California Progressive Party Raymond L. Haight 302,519 12.99% +12.99% Communist Party USA Sam Darcy 5,826 0.25% +0.25% Socialist Party of America Milen C. Dempster 2,947 0.13% -3.52% Scattering 273 0.01% 259,083 11.12% 2,329,458 100.00% Republican Party (United States) -36.93% Results by county County Frank F. MerriamRepublican Upton SinclairDemocratic Raymond L. HaightCommonwealth/Progressive Sam DarcyCommunist Milen C. DempsterSocialist ScatteringWrite-in Margin Total votes cast # % # % # % # % # % # % # %Alameda102,32852.68%73,23337.70%17,7589.14%5810.30%2910.15%410.02%29,09514.98%194,232Alpine15887.29%137.18%105.52%00.00%00.00%00.00%14580.11%181Amador1,94652.00%98126.22%80221.43%90.24%40.11%00.00%96525.79%3,742Butte8,04147.82%5,93235.28%2,79516.62%290.17%180.11%00.00%2,10912.54%16,815Calaveras1,52445.83%1,23237.05%55316.63%80.24%50.15%30.09%2928.78%3,325Colusa2,58455.70%86118.56%1,17925.41%80.17%70.15%00.00%1,405"haight" Margin over Haight30.29%4,639Contra Costa15,54045.52%15,59145.67%2,8948.48%800.23%280.08%70.02%-51-0.15%34,140Del Norte1,22149.39%1,10644.74%1295.22%40.16%120.49%00.00%1154.65%2,472El Dorado1,74433.37%1,68132.17%1,76633.79%230.44%120.23%00.00%-22-0.42%5,226Fresno15,33830.46%15,50930.80%19,29638.33%1010.20%1010.20%20.00%-3,787"sinclair" Margin over Sinclair-7.53%50,347Glenn2,34246.00%1,45628.60%1,28625.26%20.04%50.10%00.00%88617.40%5,091Humboldt9,17950.95%6,44835.79%2,27112.61%790.44%380.21%00.00%2,73115.16%18,015Imperial7,25352.01%5,63740.42%1,0017.18%170.12%380.27%00.00%1,61611.59%13,946Inyo1,51457.39%87733.24%2328.79%110.42%40.15%00.00%63724.15%2,638Kern14,79848.59%11,34837.26%4,19713.78%490.16%600.20%20.01%3.45011.33%30,454Kings3,63341.18%2,32626.37%2,84832.28%50.06%90.10%10.01%785"haight"8.90%8,822Lake2,31756.54%1,33832.65%43310.57%10.02%90.22%00.00%97923.89%4,098Lassen1,69733.09%2,02339.44%1,38226.94%60.12%210.41%00.00%-326-6.36%5,129Los Angeles457,75547.45%405,33142.02%98,34810.20%2,2380.23%8220.09%1420.01%52,4245.43%964,636Madera2,20432.84%2,44136.37%2,04330.44%160.24%80.12%00.00%-237-3.53%6,712Marin9,75654.50%6,49436.28%1,5558.69%430.24%490.27%50.03%3,26218.22%17,902Mariposa1,08946.80%86537.17%35415.21%70.30%120.52%00.00%2249.63%2,327Mendocino6,17862.87%2,76328.12%7948.08%680.69%230.23%10.01%3,41534.75%9,827Merced4,12335.52%3,72732.10%3,72732.10%180.16%130.11%10.01%3963.41%11,609Modoc1,45249.39%83628.44%63721.67%50.17%100.34%00.00%61620.95%2,940Mono52063.11%23428.40%647.77%10.12%50.61%00.00%28634.71%824Monterey11,08361.53%5,58531.01%1,2857.13%400.22%160.09%40.02%5,49830.52%18,013Napa5,75058.96%2,80628.77%1,17512.05%110.11%110.11%00.00%2,94430.19%9,753Nevada3,16345.33%2,16531.03%1,60222.96%280.40%190.27%00.00%99814.30%6,977Orange27,09953.73%14,09227.94%9,14218.13%590.12%420.08%40.01%13,00725.79%50,438Placer3,33734.23%3,11331.93%3,27133.55%160.16%130.13%00.00%66"haight"0.68%9,750Plumas1,21336.64%1,22637.03%85825.91%20.06%120.36%00.00%-13-0.39%3,311Riverside19,89262.33%9,89631.01%2,0726.49%310.10%240.08%00.00%9,99631.32%31,915Sacramento19,36035.75%16,29130.09%18,31033.81%1330.25%510.09%30.01%1,050"haight"1.94%54,148San Benito2,93165.25%1,25127.85%2966.59%60.13%80.18%00.00%1,68037.40%4,492San Bernardino30,28556.76%19,15735.90%3,7747.07%800.15%570.11%60.01%11,12820.85%53,359San Diego44,42250.76%32,07336.65%10,75912.29%1850.21%690.08%00.00%12,34914.11%87,508San Francisco115,04750.91%87,85038.88%21,4999.51%1,1160.49%4330.19%320.01%27,19712.04%225,977San Joaquin17,61246.64%13,72036.33%6,25516.56%700.19%1040.28%00.00%3,89210.31%37,761San Luis Obispo6,42247.11%5,09337.36%2,06315.13%340.25%190.14%00.00%1,3299.75%13,631San Mateo18,44852.29%13,02236.91%3,66910.40%920.26%400.11%60.02%5,42615.38%35,277Santa Barbara14,42960.29%7,73532.32%1,7027.11%530.22%110.05%20.01%6,69427.97%23,932Santa Clara37,15660.06%19,28131.17%5,2158.43%1070.17%1000.16%20.00%17,87528.90%61,861Santa Cruz10,90563.17%5,15529.86%1,1196.48%740.43%80.05%30.02%5,75033.31%17,264Shasta3,28342.75%2,81936.71%1,54320.09%70.09%280.36%00.00%4646.04%7,680Sierra67645.19%47131.48%33922.66%20.13%70.47%10.07%20513.70%1,496Siskiyou4,20239.19%3,51432.77%2,95327.54%160.15%370.35%00.00%6886.42%10,722Solano6,72844.57%5,11233.87%3,20621.24%290.19%190.13%00.00%1,61610.71%15,094Sonoma15,32957.41%8,16430.58%3,07011.50%900.34%430.16%30.01%7,16526.84%26,699Stanislaus7,85334.46%6,26027.47%8,59237.70%180.08%640.28%10.00%-739-3.24%22,788Sutter2,87247.01%1,98032.41%1,24420.36%80.13%50.08%00.00%89214.60%6,109Tehama2,86544.34%1,81628.10%1,76327.28%70.11%110.17%00.00%1,04916.23%6,462Trinity88940.21%99344.91%30813.93%130.59%80.36%00.00%-104-4.70%2,211Tulare9,85037.46%6,86726.12%9,51236.18%460.17%180.07%10.00%338"haight"1.29%26,294Tuolumne1,58036.62%1,94044.96%78518.19%00.00%100.23%00.00%-360-8.34%4,315Ventura11,01554.07%6,56032.20%2,74013.45%290.14%260.13%00.00%4,45521.87%20,370Yolo4,08746.44%1,64618.70%3,04134.56%120.14%140.16%00.00%1,046"haight"11.89%8,800Yuba2,60349.81%1,60130.64%1,00319.19%30.06%160.31%00.00%1,00219.17%5,226Total1,138,62048.87%879,53737.75%302,51912.99%5,8260.25%2,9470.13%2730.01%259,08311.12%2,329,722 Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Contra Costa Lassen Madera Plumas Trinity Tuolumne Counties that flipped from Republican to Progressive El Dorado Fresno Stanislaus Aftermath and legacy Hollywood involvement in the campaign against Sinclair was depicted in the 2020 American biographical drama film Mank. Notes References Further reading Antognini, Richard. "The Role of A.P. Giannini in the 1934 California Gubernatorial Election." Southern California Quarterly 57.1 (1975): 53–86. online Barger, Bob. "Raymond L. Haight and the Commonwealth Progressive Campaign of 1934" California Historical Society Quarterly 43 (September, 1964), pp 219–30. online Hill, Patricia Lucy. "Upton Sinclair and the 1934 California gubernatorial election." (MS thesis, Portland State University, 1978) online. Kirch, John F. "Upton Sinclair and the Los Angeles Times: A Content Analysis." AEJMC National Conference (History Division) (2008) online. Kevles, Daniel J. "How They Killed Upton Sinclair." Reviews in American history 21#2 (1993): 252-258. How Hollywood used movie newsreels to attack him. 2703209 Larsen, Charles E. "The Epic Campaign of 1934." Pacific Historical Review 27.2 (1958): 127–147. online Mitchell, Greg. The campaign of the century: Upton Sinclair's race for governor of California and the birth of media politics (Random House, 1992). Rising, George G. "An EPIC Endeavor: Upton Sinclair's 1934 California Gubernatorial Campaign." Southern California Quarterly 79.1 (1997): 101–124. online Singer, Donald L. "Upton Sinclair and the California Gubernatorial Campaign of 1934." Southern California Quarterly 56.4 (1974): 375–406. online External links "Democrats back Upton Sinclair for Governor--outtakes." Fox Movietone News Story 23-308, September 20, 1934. California 1934 Gubernatorial Category:November 1934 in the United States