The 1990 California gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990. Though incumbent Republican Governor George Deukmejian was eligible for a third term, he announced in January 1989 that he would not pursue reelection. Republicans instead nominated Senator Pete Wilson, who defeated Democratic former San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein in a close race.

Feinstein won the Democratic nomination against opponents including California Attorney General John Van de Kamp, while Wilson faced minimal opposition in his bid for the Republican nomination. Feinstein was elected to Wilson's former Senate seat in 1992, and served in the Senate until her death in September 2023.

Republican primary Candidates Donald L. Bullock Jeffrey T. Greene David M. Williams Pete Wilson, incumbent U.S. senator and former mayor of San Diego

Results

Democratic primary Candidates John Hancock Abbott Eileen Anderson Lydon Byrne Mark Calney Dianne Feinstein, mayor of San Francisco Franklin Geraty Charles A. Mahon III Charles Pineda Jr. Frank L. Thomas John van de Kamp, California attorney general F. Frank Wong

Results

Minor party primaries American Independent Party

Libertarian Party

Peace and Freedom Party

General election results Candidates Dianne Feinstein, mayor of San Francisco (Democratic) Jerome McCready (American Independent) Maria Elizabeth Muñoz (Peace and Freedom) Dennis Thompson (Libertarian) Pete Wilson, U.S. Senator (Republican)

Results

Results by county County Pete WilsonRepublican Dianne FeinsteinDemocratic Dennis ThompsonLibertarian Jerome McCreadyAmerican Independent Maria Elizabeth MuñozPeace & Freedom All othersWrite-in Margin Total votes cast # % # % # % # % # % # % # %Alameda117,10731.64%237,34564.12%6,2611.69%4,0491.09%5,4051.46%110.00%-120,238-32.48%370,178Alpine24252.72%17437.91%143.05%163.49%132.83%00.00%6814.81%459Amador6,46953.99%4,79740.04%2612.18%3362.80%1180.98%00.00%1,67213.96%11,981Butte35,04854.93%25,42239.85%1,4582.29%1,2641.98%6070.95%20.00%9,62615.09%63,801Calaveras7,07152.99%5,42240.63%3912.93%3222.41%1391.04%00.00%1,64912.36%13,345Colusa2,79862.37%1,45532.43%932.07%1032.30%370.82%00.00%1,34329.94%4,486Contra Costa119,90143.94%144,26852.87%3,7031.36%2,7591.01%2,2350.82%170.01%-24,367-8.93%272,883Del Norte3,61553.21%2,71739.99%1402.06%2193.22%1031.52%00.00%89813.22%6,794El Dorado26,45255.81%18,39038.80%7801.65%1,3392.83%4320.91%30.01%8,06217.01%47,396Fresno77,69352.57%63,52342.98%2,1761.47%2,7721.88%1,6181.09%00.00%14,1709.59%147,782Glenn4,19061.06%2,18231.80%1852.70%2573.75%480.70%00.00%2,00829.26%6,862Humboldt22,94346.81%22,82346.57%9511.94%1,0422.13%1,2492.55%00.00%1200.24%49,008Imperial9,42252.22%7,46341.36%2491.38%2971.65%6133.40%00.00%1,95910.86%18,044Inyo4,56662.97%2,36932.67%1141.57%1191.64%831.14%00.00%2,19730.30%7,251Kern73,06560.08%41,76334.34%2,3591.94%2,8572.35%1,5681.29%10.00%31,30225.74%121,613Kings9,77156.09%6,73138.64%2251.29%3932.26%2991.72%00.00%3,04017.45%17,419Lake8,34447.11%8,47547.85%4362.46%2771.56%1781.01%00.00%-131-0.74%17,710Lassen4,79056.23%3,15237.00%1802.11%3113.65%861.01%00.00%1,63819.23%8,519Los Angeles867,78146.61%911,41348.95%30,1571.62%27,9311.50%24,5601.32%510.00%-43,632-2.34%1,861,893Madera11,21656.50%7,43137.44%3231.63%6513.28%2291.15%00.00%3,78519.07%19,850Marin35,56336.77%57,25559.20%1,7501.81%8750.90%1,2771.32%00.00%-21,692-22.43%96,720Mariposa3,33651.88%2,63440.96%1462.27%2503.89%641.00%00.00%70210.92%6,430Mendocino11,72340.86%14,51550.60%7002.44%6962.43%1,0543.67%00.00%-2,792-9.73%28,688Merced17,05450.64%15,00444.55%5141.53%6882.04%4191.24%00.00%2,0506.09%33,679Modoc2,11557.35%1,32035.79%832.25%1233.34%471.27%00.00%79521.56%3,688Mono1,77657.46%1,12436.36%782.52%642.07%491.59%00.00%65221.09%3,091Monterey34,93242.66%42,37151.74%1,5541.90%1,8102.21%1,2221.49%40.00%-7,439-9.08%81,893Napa18,93147.24%19,01747.45%9352.33%7171.79%4731.18%20.00%-86-0.21%40,075Nevada18,45854.20%13,58839.90%8452.48%8182.40%3491.02%00.00%4,87014.30%34,058Orange425,02563.72%208,88631.32%13,5892.04%13,1561.97%6,3670.95%70.00%216,13932.40%667,030Placer36,39756.53%24,57738.17%1,1711.82%1,5932.47%6411.00%30.00%11,82018.36%64,382Plumas4,24351.87%3,47742.51%1762.15%2052.51%780.95%10.01%7669.36%8,180Riverside157,21457.26%102,84737.46%5,0641.84%6,8092.48%2,6200.95%10.00%54,36719.80%274,555Sacramento167,98250.32%149,21544.70%5,3811.61%7,2482.17%3,9971.20%250.01%18,7675.62%333,848San Benito4,12045.23%4,44548.80%1852.03%1711.88%1872.05%00.00%-325-3.57%9,108San Bernardino169,02855.99%114,76438.02%6,6122.19%7,5362.50%3,8941.29%390.01%54,26417.98%301,873San Diego383,95957.09%244,75936.39%18,2172.71%16,9632.52%8,6241.28%150.00%139,20020.70%672,537San Francisco56,65225.00%161,62671.32%2,9381.30%1,4560.64%3,9521.74%30.00%-104,974-46.32%226,627San Joaquin62,24954.98%46,65341.21%1,4881.31%1,9161.69%9040.80%30.00%15,59613.78%113,213San Luis Obispo38,90953.54%30,14041.47%1,5132.08%1,2081.66%9001.24%30.00%8,76912.07%72,673San Mateo80,25340.45%109,96355.43%3,3471.69%2,5371.28%2,2901.15%60.00%-29,710-14.98%198,396Santa Barbara58,67753.11%46,97742.52%1,6671.51%1,4031.27%1,7461.58%40.00%11,70010.59%110,474Santa Clara178,31042.57%218,84352.24%9,9872.38%6,5441.56%5,1951.24%130.00%-40,533-9.68%418,892Santa Cruz26,79733.11%48,53059.96%2,1802.69%1,6942.09%1,7392.15%10.00%-21,733-26.85%80,941Shasta28,32257.85%17,79536.35%1,1952.44%1,3442.75%3050.62%00.00%10,52721.50%48,961Sierra81351.04%67142.12%342.13%543.39%211.32%00.00%1428.91%1,593Siskiyou8,32052.61%6,34640.13%4462.82%5593.54%1420.90%00.00%1,97412.48%15,813Solano36,75542.50%44,96952.00%1,7532.03%2,0202.34%9701.12%150.02%-8,214-9.50%86,482Sonoma54,70638.60%79,09355.81%2,9822.10%2,4361.72%2,5051.77%10.00%-24,387-17.21%141,723Stanislaus47,27553.49%37,18242.07%1,1871.34%1,9802.24%7570.86%10.00%10,09311.42%88,382Sutter12,64765.45%5,79630.00%3181.65%3992.06%1630.84%00.00%6,85135.46%19,323Tehama9,41556.94%5,91535.77%6213.76%4983.01%870.53%00.00%3,50021.17%16,536Trinity2,90851.73%2,25040.02%2083.70%1763.13%801.42%00.00%65811.70%5,622Tulare41,18662.76%21,67033.02%9401.43%1,0581.61%7751.18%00.00%19,51629.74%65,629Tuolumne10,46552.91%8,29441.93%3901.97%4642.35%1670.84%00.00%2,17110.98%19,780Ventura106,23457.58%68,13936.93%3,9622.15%3,7702.04%2,3981.30%20.00%38,09520.65%184,505Yolo19,31643.53%22,89051.59%7561.70%7721.74%6381.44%10.00%-3,574-8.05%44,373Yuba7,35559.22%4,34234.96%2602.09%3372.71%1261.01%00.00%3,01324.26%12,420Total3,791,90449.25%3,525,19745.78%145,6281.89%139,6611.81%96,8421.26%2350.00%266,7073.46%7,699,467

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Contra Costa Lake Los Angeles Marin Mendocino Monterey Napa San Benito San Mateo Santa Clara Santa Cruz Solano Sonoma Yolo

By congressional district Pete Wilson won 25 of California's 45 congressional districts, including eight districts that were won by Democrats. Dianne Feinstein won 20 of California's 45 congressional districts, including two districts that were won by Republicans. District Wilson Feinstein Representative 42.3% 51.6% Frank Riggs (R) 56.3% 37.4% Wally Herger (R) 49.3% 46.1% Bob Matsui (D) 48.7% 45.5% Vic Fazio (D) 26.7% 69.7% Nancy Pelosi (D) 32.0% 63.7% Barbara Boxer (D) 41.3% 54.3% George Miller (D) 29.0% 67.7% Ron Dellums (D) 37.2% 58.4% Pete Stark (D) 37.2% 57.2% Don Edwards (D) 38.2% 57.4% Tom Lantos (D) 45.2% 50.1% Tom Campbell (R) 43.7% 50.9% Norman Mineta (D) 56.6% 38.4% John Doolittle (R) 53.0% 42.3% Gary Condit (D) 39.6% 54.6% Leon Panetta (D) 59.7% 35.9% Cal Dooley (D) 48.3% 46.8% Richard Lehman (D) 52.4% 42.5% Bob Lagomarsino (R) 61.2% 33.3% Bill Thomas (R) 59.8% 35.6% Elton Gallegly (R) 62.9% 32.7% Carlos Moorhead (R) 41.0% 55.7% Anthony Beilenson (D) 33.7% 62.5% Henry Waxman (D) 34.5% 60.0% Edward Roybal (D) 42.4% 53.4% Howard Berman (D) 42.9% 52.8% Mel Levine (D) 27.4% 69.2% Julian Dixon (D) 22.2% 74.3% Maxine Waters (D) 46.7% 48.0% Matthew Martinez (D) 34.8% 60.6% Mervyn Dymally (D) 50.3% 44.4% Glenn Anderson (D) 59.4% 35.5% David Dreier (R) 47.0% 46.8% Ed Torres (D) 60.5% 33.2% Jerry Lewis (R) 48.3% 46.1% George Brown (D) 58.4% 36.5% Al McCandless (R) 57.4% 36.6% Bob Dornan (R) 66.6% 28.2% William Dannemeyer (R) 63.6% 32.0% Christopher Cox (R) 54.9% 39.5% Bill Lowery (R) 62.0% 33.8% Dana Rohrabacher (R) 64.0% 30.0% Ron Packard (R) 46.6% 46.1% Duke Cunningham (R) 60.5% 32.3% Duncan Hunter (R)

Notes

References