California State Senate elections, 2012
From Ballotpedia
 California's 2012 elections: • U.S. Senate • U.S. House • State Senate • State Assembly • Ballot measures |
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The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was March 9, 2012. The primary election day will be June 5, 2012.
In 2010, senators from even-numbered districts were up for election. In 2012, voters in the 20 odd-numbered districts will go to the polls to elect senators.
Incumbents retiring
A total of 9 incumbents are not running for re-election in 2012. Those incumbents are:
| Name: | Party: | Current office: |
|---|---|---|
| Alan Lowenthal |  Democratic | California State Senate District 27 |
| Christine Kehoe | Democratic | California State Senate District 39 |
| Elaine Alquist | Democratic | California State Senate District 13 |
| Joe Simitian | Democratic | California State Senate District 11 |
| Robert Dutton |  Republican | California State Senate District 31 |
| Sam Blakeslee | Republican | California State Senate District 15 |
| Sharon Runner | Republican | California State Senate District 17 |
| Tom Harman | Republican | California State Senate District 35 |
| Tony Strickland | Republican | California State Senate District 19 |
Majority control
- See also: Partisan composition of state senates
Heading into the November 6 election, the Democratic Party holds the majority in the California State Senate:
| California State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of May 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 25 | Pending | |
| Republican Party | 15 | Pending | |
| Total | 40 | 40 | |
Democrats seek supermajority
The 27th Senate District is expected to be a battleground in determining whether Democrats reach the coveted 2/3 majority. Fran Pavley (D) is expected to face Tony Strickland (R). Both senators are far from the political center. The new district, is considered to be somewhat even in political makeup.[1]
Campaign contributions
This chart shows how many candidates ran for state senate in California in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in state senate races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests. All figures come from Follow The Money.[2]
| Year | Number of candidates | Total contributions |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 63 | $23,000,670 |
| 2008 | 59 | $35,169,351 |
| 2006 | 63 | $30,011,241 |
| 2004 | 69 | $32,887,100 |
| 2002 | 53 | $22,148,467 |
In 2010, the candidates running for senate raised a total of $23,000,670 in campaign funds. Their top 10 contributors were: [3]
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| California Democratic Party | $2,591,242 |
| California Republican Party | $1,249,852 |
| AT$T | $240,088 |
| Carol Liu for Senate | $227,997 |
| California Association of Realtors | $195,600 |
| Merced County Democratic Central Cmte | $190,000 |
| Republican Party of Stanislaus County | $174,000 |
| California Dental Association | $171,200 |
| California State Council of Laborers | $166,835 |
| California Professional Fire Fighters | $158,898 |
Qualifications
A candidate shall:
- A. Be at least 30 years of age, a U.S. citizen for nine years, and a resident of California when elected. U.S. Const. Art. I, §3
- B. Have a valid voter registration affidavit on file in the county of residence at the time nomination papers are obtained. §201
- C. Satisfy the following registration requirements:
- 1. Be registered with the political party whose nomination he or she is seeking for not less than three months immediately prior to the time the declaration of candidacy is presented to the county elections official or, if eligible to register for less than three months, for as long as he or she has been eligible to register to vote in California. §8001(a)(1)
- 2. Not have been registered as affiliated with any other qualified political party within twelve months immediately prior to the filing of the declaration of candidacy. §8001(a)(2)[4]
Impact of redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in California
Redistricting in California in 2011 was undertaken by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission for the first time. California voters took the redistricting powers away from legislators through the ballot process in 2008 and 2010.
California state senators represent roughly 1 million citizens while assembly members have about 500,000 constituents.[5] Those are the most citizens per legislator in the country.
Double representation
There is the possibility that some voters will be re-located either from an odd district to an even district, or vice versa. But even more specifically, there is the possibility that a senator elected in 2010 could run in 2012 in an even-numbered district. Should that happen, then the odd-district will be represented by a "custodian" -- selected by the Rules Committee.
Meanwhile, if a senator in an odd-district (elected in 2008) is moved into an even-district, then the voters of that district will have two senators -- the new senator, and the old one elected in 2010. For example:
- If Alex Padilla of District 20 is moved into the 21st District, then he will continue to serve until 2014 as he was elected to a 4-year term. Voters of the new 21st District will still elect a new senator in the fall of 2012. Voters of the new District 20 will be served by the "custodian" -- likely to be a neighboring senator.[6]
"Because state senatorial districts hold staggered elections, redistricting allows some Californians to cast two votes for a state senator within a four-year election cycle: once in their old senatorial district, and once again, just two years later, in their new senatorial district. Meanwhile others do not vote for a state senator at any point within the same four-year timeframe. Redistricting therefore creates the exact harm it intends to prevent: in service of the ideal of “one person, one vote,” California gives some voters two votes and others no vote at all. During the current cycle, an estimated 3.97 million Californians will be temporarily disenfranchised on account of redistricting; another 3.9 million will be double-enfranchised."[7]
Term limits
The California State Senate has been a term-limited state senate since California voters approved Proposition 140 in 1990. Under the terms of Proposition 140, California's senators can serve no more than two 4-year terms in the state senate. This is a lifetime limit, as is the case in five other states with state senatorial term limits.
There are 40 California State Senators. In 2012, 7 who are current members, 17.5% of the total senate seats, will be ineligible to run for the senate again in November. Of them, 4 are Democratic and 3 are Republican.
In addition to the 7 state senators who are leaving office because of California's term limits, 21 state representatives are also termed-out.
The state senators who are term-limited in 2012 are:
Democrats (4):
Republicans (3):
List of candidates
District 1
- June 5 primary candidates:
Julie Griffith-Flatter
Les Baugh
- Ted Gaines Incumbent Gaines first assumed office in 2011.
Bogdan Ambrozewicz
November 6 General election candidates:
District 3
Note: Incumbent Mark Leno (D) is seeking re-election in District 11 due to redistricting.
- June 5 primary candidates:
- Lois Wolk District 5 incumbent Wolk first assumed office in 2008.
November 6 General election candidates:
District 5
Note: Incumbent Lois Wolk (D) is seeking re-election in District 3 due to redistricting.
- June 5 primary candidates:
- Cathleen Galgiani Galgiani has represented Assembly District 17 since 2006.
- Bill Berryhill Berryhill has represented Assembly District 26 since 2008.
- Leroy Ornellas
November 6 General election candidates:
District 7
- June 5 primary candidates:
- Mark Desaulnier Incumbent Desaulnier first assumed office in 2008.
- Mark P. Meuser
November 6 General election candidates:
District 9
- June 5 primary candidates:
- Loni Hancock Incumbent Hancock first assumed office in 2008.
November 6 General election candidates:
District 11
Note: Incumbent Joe Simitian (D) was unable to run for re-election due to term limits.
- June 5 primary candidates:
- Mark Leno District 3 incumbent Leno first assumed office in 2008.
- Harmeet Dhillon
November 6 General election candidates:
District 13
Note: Incumbent Elaine Alquist (D) was unable to run for re-election due to term limits.
- June 5 primary candidates:
- Christopher Kent Chiang
- Gerald Hill Hill has represented Assembly District 19 since 2008.
- Sally Lieber
John H. Webster
November 6 General election candidates:
District 15
Note: Incumbent Sam Blakeslee (R) is not running for re-election.
- June 5 primary candidates:
- James Beall Jr. Beall has represented Assembly District 24 since 2006.
- Joe Coto
November 6 General election candidates:
District 17
Note: Incumbent Sharon Runner (R) is not running for re-election.
- June 5 primary candidates:
- Bill Monning Monning has represented Assembly District 27 since 2008.
- Larry Beaman
November 6 General election candidates:
District 19
Note: Incumbent Tony Strickland (R) is running for election to California's 26th congressional district.
- June 5 primary candidates:
November 6 General election candidates:
District 21
Note: Incumbent Carol Liu (D) is seeking re-election in District 25 due to redistricting.
- June 5 primary candidates:
- Star Moffatt
- Stephen Knight Knight has represented Assembly District 36 since 2008.
November 6 General election candidates:
District 23
Note: Incumbent Fran Pavley (D) is seeking re-election in District 27 due to redistricting.
- June 5 primary candidates:
- Melissa Ruth O'Donnell
- Bill Emmerson District 37 incumbent Emmerson first assumed office in 2010.
November 6 General election candidates:
District 25
Note: Incumbent Roderick "Rod" Wright (D) is seeking re-election in District 35 due to redistricting.
- June 5 primary candidates:
- Ameenah Fuller
- Carol Liu District 21 incumbent Liu first assumed office in 2008.
- Gilbert Gonzales
November 6 General election candidates:
District 27
Note: Incumbent Alan Lowenthal (D) was unable to run for re-election due to term limits and is instead running for election to California's 47th congressional district.
- June 5 primary candidates:
- Fran Pavley District 23 incumbent Pavley first assumed office in 2008.
- Todd Zink
November 6 General election candidates:
District 29
- June 5 primary candidates:
- Greg Diamond
- Robert "Bob" Huff Incumbent Huff first assumed office in 2008.
November 6 General election candidates:
District 31
Note: Incumbent Robert Dutton (R) was unable to run for re-election due to term limits and is instead running for election to California's 31st congressional district.
- June 5 primary candidates:
- Steve Clute
- Richard Roth
- Jeff Miller Miller has represented Assembly District 71 since 2008.
November 6 General election candidates:
District 33
Note: Incumbent Mimi Walters (R) is seeking re-election in District 37 due to redistricting.
- June 5 primary candidates:
- Ricardo Lara Lara has represented Assembly District 50 since 2010. [1]
November 6 General election candidates:
District 35
Note: Incumbent Tom Harman (R) was unable to run for re-election due to term limits.
- June 5 primary candidates:
- Paul Butterfield
- Roderick "Rod" Wright District 25 incumbent Wright first assumed office in 2008.
- Charlotte Svolos
November 6 General election candidates:
District 37
Note: Incumbent Bill Emmerson (R) is seeking re-election in District 23 due to redistricting.
- June 5 primary candidates:
- Steve Young
- Mimi Walters District 33 incumbent Walters first assumed office in 2008.
November 6 General election candidates:
District 39
Note: Incumbent Christine Kehoe (D) was unable to run for re-election due to term limits.
- June 5 primary candidates:
- Martin Block Block has represented Assembly District 78 since 2008.
- Patrick Marsh
- George Plescia
November 6 General election candidates:
See also
External links
References
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