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 ineligible to run for re-election due to term limits. Former Governor Jerry Brown, who served as the 34th governor of California from 1975 to 1983, to whom the term limits did not apply due to a grandfather clause, defeated Meg Whitman in the general election and was sworn into office on January 3, 2011. As of 2026, this remains the most recent time the governor's office in California has changed partisan control.

Primary election Republican Party

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 Poll source Date(s) administered TomCampbell* MegWhitman StevePoizner PeterFoy*Capitol Weekly/ProbolskyCapitol Weekly/Probolsky January 5–22, 2009 15% 14% 4% 1%The Field PollThe Field Poll February 20 – March 1, 2009 18% 21% 7% —Capitol Weekly/ProbolskyCapitol Weekly/Probolsky May 25, 2009 13% 10% 8% 1%Research 2000 August 9, 2009 19% 24% 9% —The Field PollThe Field Poll September 18 – October 5, 2009 20% 22% 9% —USC/Los Angeles TimesUSC/Los Angeles Times October 27 – November 3, 2009 27% 35% 10% —Public Policy Institute of CaliforniaPublic Policy Institute of California December 16, 2009 12% 32% 8% —The Field PollThe Field Poll January 5–17, 2010 — 45% 17% — 22% 36% 9% —Public Policy Institute of CaliforniaPublic Policy Institute of California January 27, 2010 — 41% 11% —Research 2000Research 2000 March 10, 2010 — 52% 19% —The Field PollThe Field Poll March 17, 2010 — 63% 14% —Public Policy Institute of CaliforniaPublic Policy Institute of California March 24, 2010 — 61% 11% —USC/Los Angeles TimesUSC/Los Angeles Times March 23–30, 2010 — 60% 20% —Survey USASurvey USA April 19–21, 2010 — 49% 27% —Survey USASurvey USA May 6–9, 2010 — 39% 37% —Research 2000Research 2000 May 17–19, 2010 — 46% 36% —Public Policy Institute of CaliforniaPublic Policy Institute of California May 19, 2010 — 38% 29% —Public Policy PollingPublic Policy Polling May 21–23, 2010 — 51% 26% —USC/Los Angeles TimesUSC/Los Angeles Times May 19–26, 2010 — 53% 29% —Survey USASurvey USA June 3–6, 2010 — 59% 30% —

Results

Democratic party

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

Withdrew John Garamendi, incumbent California Lieutenant Governor and former California Insurance Commissioner (ran for U.S. Congress) Gavin Newsom, Mayor of San Francisco (ran for Lieutenant Governor)

Declined Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Senator Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles

Polling Poll source Dates administered DianneFeinstein* JerryBrown AntonioVillaraigosa* GavinNewsom* JohnGaramendi* JackO'Connell* SteveWestly* BillLockyer*Capitol Weekly/Probolsky January 22–25, 2009 36% 14% 9% 9% 4% 3% 1% ––Lake Research PartnersLake Research Partners February 17–19, 2009 –– 27% 20% 14% 8% 1% 3% ––The Field Poll February 20 – March 1, 2009 38% 16% 16% 10% 4% 1% 2% 1% –– 26% 22% 16% 8% 2% 2% 2%Tulchin PollTulchin Poll April 23, 2009 –– 31% 12% 16% 11% 6% –– ––Capital WeeklyCapital Weekly May 25, 2009 –– 24% 15% 16% 7% 5% 3% ––J. MooreJ. Moore June 20, 2009 –– 47% –– 26% –– –– –– ––Research 2000 June 10–16, 2009 –– 29% –– 20% –– –– –– –– 40% 27% –– 16% –– –– –– ––The Field Poll September 18 – October 5, 2009 –– 47% –– 27% –– –– –– ––

Results

American Independent primary Candidates Chelene Nightingale, business owner Markham Robinson, owner of a software firm

Results

Libertarian primary Candidates Jordan Llamas, Doctor of Psychology and Political Science Dale Ogden, business consultant and actuary

Results

Green primary Candidates S. Deacon Alexander, student Laura Wells, financial systems consultant

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."Brown, Whitman Challenged to Pull Negative Ads in California Governor Race 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.

As of 2024, this is the last time the American Independent Party ran in a California gubernatorial election.

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 Source Ranking As of Cook Political Report October 14, 2010 Rothenberg October 28, 2010 RealClearPolitics November 1, 2010 Sabato's Crystal Ball October 28, 2010 CQ Politics October 28, 2010

Polling