1986 United States Senate election in California
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 County results Cranston: 40-50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Zschau: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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The 1986 United States Senate election in California took place on November 4, 1986. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Alan Cranston narrowly won re-election to a fourth and final term over Republican U.S. Congressman Ed Zschau. This was the last time where both major party nominees for the Class 3 Senate seat in California were men until 2022.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- John Hancock Abbott, perennial candidate
- Robert John Banuelos, resident of Costa Mesa
- Alan Cranston, incumbent Senator
- Charles Greene
- Brian Lantz, candidate for Mayor of San Francisco in 1983
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Alan Cranston (incumbent) | 1,807,244 | 80.71% | |
| Democratic | Charles Greene | 165,594 | 7.40% | |
| Democratic | John Hancock Abbott | 124,218 | 5.55% | |
| Democratic | Robert John Banuelos | 77,286 | 3.45% | |
| Democratic | Brian Lantz | 64,907 | 2.90% | |
| Total votes | 2,239,249 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- William B. Allen, professor at Harvey Mudd College and member of the National Council on the Humanities
- Michael D. Antonovich, Los Angeles County Supervisor and former State Assemblyman
- Eldridge Cleaver, author and former Black Panther
- Edward M. Davis, State Senator and former chief of the Los Angeles Police Department
- Bobbi Fiedler, U.S. Representative from Encino
- Bruce Herschensohn, political commentator for KABC-TV in Los Angeles
- Joe Knowland, actor, publisher of The Oakland Tribune and son of former Senator William Knowland
- Art Laffer, economic advisor to President Ronald Reagan
- George Montgomery
- Robert W. Naylor, State Assemblyman from Menlo Park
- William H. Pemberton, candidate for Senate in 1982
- John W. Spring
- Ed Zschau, U.S. Representative from Los Altos
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ed Zschau | 737,384 | 37.12% | |
| Republican | Bruce Herschensohn | 587,852 | 29.59% | |
| Republican | Michael D. Antonovich | 180,010 | 9.06% | |
| Republican | Bobbi Fiedler | 143,032 | 7.20% | |
| Republican | Edward M. Davis | 130,309 | 6.56% | |
| Republican | Robert W. Naylor | 60,820 | 3.06% | |
| Republican | Art Laffer | 47,288 | 2.38% | |
| Republican | Joe Knowland | 35,987 | 1.81% | |
| Republican | Eldridge Cleaver | 23,512 | 1.17% | |
| Republican | George Montgomery | 16,374 | 0.82% | |
| Republican | William B. Allen | 12,990 | 0.65% | |
| Republican | William H. Pemberton | 6,698 | 0.34% | |
| Republican | John W. Spring | 4,478 | 0.23% | |
| Total votes | 1,986,374 | 100.00% | ||
Peace and Freedom primary
Candidates
- Lenni Brenner, Trotskyist anti-war activist and writer
- Paul Kangas, private investigator and perennial candidate
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peace and Freedom | Paul Kangas | 2,495 | 51.03% | |
| Peace and Freedom | Lenni Brenner | 2,394 | 48.97% | |
| Total votes | 4,889 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Results
Shift by county
Trend by county Legend
- Republican — >15%
- Republican — +12.5−15%
- Republican — +10−12.5%
- Republican — +7.5−10%
- Republican — +5−7.5%
- Republican — +2.5−5%
- Republican — +0−2.5%
- Democratic — +0−2.5%
- Democratic — +2.5−5%
- Democratic — +5−7.5%
- Democratic — +7.5-10%
- Democratic — +10−12.5%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Alan Cranston (incumbent) | 3,646,672 | 49.29% | ||
| Republican | Ed Zschau | 3,541,804 | 47.87% | ||
| American Independent | Edward B Vallen | 109,916 | 1.49% | ||
| Libertarian | Breck McKinley | 66,261 | 0.90% | ||
| Peace and Freedom | Paul Kangas | 33,869 | 0.46% | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
