2010 California Gubernatorial Election

The 2010 California gubernatorial election was held November 2, 2010 to elect the Governor of California. The primary elections were held on June 8, 2010. Because constitutional office holders in California have been prohibited from serving more than two terms in the same office since November 6, 1990, incumbent Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger was term-limited and thus was ineligible to run for re-election to a third term. Former Governor Jerry Brown, to whom the term limits did not apply due to a grandfather clause, defeated Meg Whitman in the general election. Brown was sworn into office on January 3, 2011.

Republican primary

Candidates

* Bill Chambers, railroad switchman
* Douglas Hughes, retired business owner
* Ken Miller, former broadcast manager
* Steven Mozena (write-in candidate)
* Lawrence Naritelli, accountant and controller
* Robert Newman, psychologist and farmer
* Steve Poizner, businessman and then-California Insurance Commissioner
* David Tully-Smith, primary care physician
* Meg Whitman, businesswoman, former CEO of eBay

Polling

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

* Richard Aguirre, businessman
* Jerry Brown, incumbent California Attorney General and former Governor of California
* Lowell Darling, independent artist
* Vibert Greene, mechanical engineer and CEO
* Charles Pineda, parole board judge
* Peter Schurman, non-profit organization consultant who dropped out of the race
* Nadia Smalley (write-in candidate)
* Joe Symmon, president of a non-profit organization

Declined

* Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Senator
* Gavin Newsom, Mayor of San Francisco ( ran for Lieutenant Governor)

Polling

Results

American Independent primary

Candidates

* Chelene Nightingale, business owner
* Markham Robinson, owner of a software firm

Results

Green primary

Candidates

* S. Deacon Alexander, student
* Laura Wells, financial systems consultant

Results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

* Jordan Llamas, Doctor of Psychology and Political Science
* Dale Ogden, business consultant and actuary

Results

Peace and Freedom primary

Candidates

* Stewart Alexander, political consultant and former vice presidential candidate for Socialist Party USA
* Carlos Alvarez, retail worker
* Mohammad Arif, businessman

Results

General election

Campaign

Both Whitman and Brown were criticized for negative campaigning during the election. During their final debate at the 2010 Women's Conference a week before the election, moderator Matt Lauer asked both candidates to pull attack ads for the rest of the election, which elicited loud cheers from the audience.Whitman, Brown In The Hot Seat Over Negative Ads
by Ina Jaffe. Brown agreed and picked one ad each of his and Whitman's that he thought, if Whitman would agree, should be the only ones run, but Whitman, who had been loudly cheered earlier as the prospective first woman governor of the state, was booed when she stated that she would keep "the ads that talk about where Gov. Brown stands on the issues."
PBS Newshour, David Chalian and Terrance Burlij, October 27, 2010.

The ''Los Angeles Times'' reported that nearly $250 million was spent on the Governor's race. At least two spending records were broken during the campaign. Whitman broke personal spending records by spending $140 million of her own money on the campaign,"How Jerry Brown got back in the governor's saddle"
Ashley Fantz, CNN, November 3, 2010. Fetched from URL on November 3, 2010. and independent expenditures exceeded $31.7 million, with almost $25 million of that spent in support of Brown.

In an interview with CNN, the reporter opined that Whitman was hurt most during the campaign by a matter involving Nicky Diaz, her former Mexican maid, whom Whitman fired after Diaz asked for help as she was an illegal immigrant.

Candidates' stances on issues

Jobs:
Meg Whitman

1. Eliminate small business start-up tax ($800 fee for new business start-ups)

2. Eliminate factory tax

3. Increase R&D tax credit (increase from 15% to 20%)

4. Promote investments in agriculture

5. Eliminate the state tax on capital gains




Jerry Brown


1. Stimulate clean energy jobs (build 12,000MW of localized electricity generation; build 8,000MW of large-scale renewables; appoint a Clean Energy Czar)

2. Invest in infrastructure/construction jobs (federal dollars for projects; prioritize water needs; high-speed rail; strengthen the port system; prioritize use of existing funds for job creation; infill development

3. Create strike team to focus on job retention

4. Cut regulations (speed up regulatory processes and eliminate duplicative functions; develop CEQA guidelines; fully utilize administrative law; update outdated technology systems

5. Increase manufacturing jobs

6. Deliver targeted workforce training programs

7. Invest in education

Education:
Meg Whitman

1. Direct more money to classroom

2. Reward outstanding teachers

3. Eliminate cap on charter schools

4. Grade public schools A-F

5. Establish fast-track parent process for charter school conversions

6. Invest $1 billion in UC and CSU University systems

7. Utilize alternative paths to the classroom to attract high quality teachers

Jerry Brown


1. Higher education (create new state master plan; focus on community colleges and transfer credits)

2. Overhaul state testing program

3. Change school funding formulas and consolidate the 62 existing categorical programs

4. Teacher recruitment and training

5. Simplify the Education Code and return more decision-making to local school districts

6. A more balanced and creative school curriculum (science, history, and humanities; experiment with online, etc.)

7. Place special emphasis on teaching science, technology, engineering, and math

8. Increase proficiency in English

9. Improve high school graduation rates

10. Charter schools

11. Magnet or theme schools

12. Citizenship and character

Predictions

Polling

Results

See also

* 2010 United States gubernatorial elections

References

External links

*http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/survey/S_910MBS.pdf
California Secretary of State - ElectionsCalifornia State Offices
at Project Vote Smart
Campaign contributions for 2010 California Governor
from ''Follow the Money''

graph of multiple polls from ''Pollster.com''
Election 2010: California Governor
from ''Rasmussen Reports''
2010 California Governor - Whitman vs. Brown
from ''Real Clear Politics''
2010 California Governor's Race
from ''CQ Politics''
Race Profile
in ''The New York Times''
2010 Governor's Race
in the ''Los Angeles Times''
endorsement for Brown (October 3)California Governor Race 2010
in '' The Sacramento Bee''
endorsement for Brown (October 3)California Elections 2010
in the ''San Francisco Chronicle''
endorsement for Brown (October 3)2010 California Governor's Race
in the ''San Jose Mercury News''
endorsement for Brown (October 10)
;Debates
California Republican Gubernatorial Primary Debate
on ''C-SPAN'', May 2, 2010
California Gubernatorial Debate
''C-SPAN'', September 28, 2010
;Official campaign sites:
Carlos AlvarezJerry BrownChelene NightingaleDale OgdenLaura WellsMeg Whitman

Primary candidates:
Richard AguirreS. Deacon AlexanderStewart AlexanderMohammad ArifJerry BrownBill ChambersLowell DarlingVibert GreeneDouglas HughesKen MillerSteven MozenaLawrence NaritelliRobert NewmanChelene NightingaleCharles PinedaSteve PoiznerPeter SchurmanJoe SymmonDavid Tully-SmithLaura Wells

{{DEFAULTSORT:California Gubernatorial Election, 2010
Gubernatorial
2010
2010 United States gubernatorial elections
2010