CALIFORNIA
      Nov. 4, 1980 U.S. Senate

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+Alan Cranston (D) i 4,705,399
 		56.5%
Paul Gann (R)
3,093,426
 		37.2%
David Bergland (L) 202,481
 		2.4%
David Wald (P&F)
 		196,354
 		2.4%
James C. Griffin (AIP)
129,648
 		1.6%

7,805,538
Plurality: 1,611,973 votes (19.3 percentage points).



Notes:  Sen. Alan Cranston (D) handily won a third term, defeating Paul Gann (R), the activist from Sacramento who co-authored 1978's Proposition 13 initiative, by more than 1.6 million votes.  At the same time, the Reagan/Bush ticket carried the state by 1.5 million votes.  Three third party candidates rounded out the Senate field.

Benefiting from high name ID and a network of volunteers built up over his years of activism, Gann won the June 3 Republican primary with 40.0% of the vote, defeating former L.A. Mayor Sam Yorty (28.6%) and state Sen. John G. Schmitz (19.0%) as well as four other candidates in single digits.  In the Democratic primary, Cranston tallied 79.9% of the vote.

Finances were a big challenge for Gann campaign, which finished the primary with a deficit of more than $160,000.  The Gann campaign hoped it could parlay its volunteer network, "inordinate strength in the minor counties," the boost provided by Ronald Reagan at the top of the ticket, and a media campaign portraying Cranston as "politically expedient" to success, but Cranston enjoyed a high favorable rating (memo [PDF]), and easily fended off Gann's challenge.

Cranston
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