The 1992 United States Senate election in California took place on November 3, 1992, at the same time as the
special election to the United States Senate in California. Incumbent Democrat
Alan Cranston
Alan MacGregor Cranston (June 19, 1914 – December 31, 2000) was an American politician and journalist who served as a United States Senator from California from 1969 to 1993, and as a President of the World Federalist Association from 1949 to ...
decided to retire. Democrat
Barbara Boxer
Barbara Sue Boxer (née Levy; born November 11, 1940) is an American politician and lobbyist who served in the United States Senate, representing California from 1993 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the U.S ...
won the open seat. This election was noted as both of California's senators were elected for the first time. This is not a unique occurrence; it would happen again in
Tennessee in 1994,
Kansas in 1996, and
Georgia in 2021. Fellow Democrat
Dianne Feinstein
Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein ( ; born Dianne Emiel Goldman; June 22, 1933) is an American politician who serves as the senior United States senator from California, a seat she has held since 1992. A member of the Democratic Party, she wa ...
, California's senior senator, won the special election and was inaugurated in November 1992.
Democratic primary
Candidates
*
Barbara Boxer
Barbara Sue Boxer (née Levy; born November 11, 1940) is an American politician and lobbyist who served in the United States Senate, representing California from 1993 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the U.S ...
, U.S. Representative from
Greenbrae
* Charles Greene, perennial candidate
*
Mel Levine, U.S. Representative from
Santa Monica
Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to i ...
*
Leo T. McCarthy
Leo Tarcissus McCarthy (August 15, 1930 – February 5, 2007) was an American politician and businessman. He served as the 43rd lieutenant governor of California from 1983 to 1995.
Early life and education
McCarthy, whose parents were both na ...
, Lieutenant Governor of California and nominee for Senate in 1988
Results
In the primary election in June, Boxer defeated McCarthy and Levine with 43.6% of the vote.
Republican primary
Candidates
*
Sonny Bono
Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono (; February 16, 1935 – January 5, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and politician who came to fame in partnership with his second wife Cher as the popular singing duo Sonny & Cher. A member of the Republica ...
,
Mayor of Palm Springs
The Mayor of Palm Springs, California is a largely ceremonial title, elected at-large, with no executive functions. The Mayor is the chairman of the city council meetings. The legislative body is the five-member city council, which is voted into ...
and retired entertainer, best known as a member of the duo
Sonny & Cher
Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of husband and wife Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector.
The pair f ...
* John M. Brown, resident of
Stockton
*
Tom Campbell, U.S. Congressman from
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo Cou ...
*
Bruce Herschensohn
Stanley Bruce Herschensohn (September 10, 1932 – November 30, 2020) was an American conservative political commentator, author, and senior fellow at the Pepperdine University School of Public Policy in Malibu, California.
Herschensohn q ...
, political commentator for
KABC-TV
KABC-TV (channel 7) is a television station in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast of the United States, West Coast Flagship (broadcasting), flagship of the American Broadcasting Company, ABC network. ...
in Los Angeles and candidate for Senate in 1986
* Alexander Swift Justice, candidate for U.S. Representative in 1990
* John W. Spring, independent candidate for Senate in 1986
* Isaac Park Yonker, candidate for U.S. Representative in 1990 from
Mariposa
Results
Peace and Freedom primary
Candidates
*Genevieve Torres,
*Shirley Lee
Results
General election
Campaign
The general election between Boxer and Herschensohn was very close. At the eleventh hour, controversy emerged that the Republican nominee attended a strip club, which some Republican operatives later blamed for Herschensohn's loss.
Four days before
Election Day
Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. In many countries, general elections are always held on a Saturday or Sunday, to enable as many voters as possible to participate; while in other countries elections ...
polls showed Herschensohn had narrowed a double digit deficit, trailing by 3 points.
Political operative Bob Mulholland disrupted a campaign appearance with a large poster advertising a
strip club
A strip club is a venue where strippers provide adult entertainment, predominantly in the form of striptease or other erotic or exotic dances. Strip clubs typically adopt a nightclub or bar style, and can also adopt a theatre or cabaret-style ...
shouting "Should the voters of California elect someone who frequently travels the strip joints of Hollywood?" Herschensohn admitted he had visited a strip club once, with his girlfriend and another couple. With
press coverage of the story, Herschensohn spent the waning days of the campaign denying related allegations. When the votes were cast and counted, Boxer won the election by five points.
[ ''The authors were LA Times staff writers''.] Although Republicans have blamed the defeat on the underhanded tactics of the Boxer campaign, evidence of the connection between Mulholland's outburst and the campaign never surfaced.
[
][
]
Results
The election was very close. Boxer was declared the winner by the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...
at 1:22 A.M. Pacific Coast Time.
By county
Final results from the
Secretary of State of California
The secretary of state of California is the chief clerk of the U.S. state of California, overseeing a department of 500 people. The secretary of state is elected for four year terms, like the state's other constitutional officers; the officeh ...
.
See also
*
1992 United States Senate elections
The 1992 United States Senate elections, held November 3, 1992, were elections for the United States Senate that coincided with Bill Clinton's victory in the presidential election. Both parties swapped a pair of seats, resulting in no net change ...
References
External links
* JoinCaliforni
1992 General Election
{{1992 United States elections
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engin ...
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and po ...