The 2014 California State Controller election was held on November 4, 2014, to elect the State Controller of California. Incumbent Democratic Controller John Chiang was term-limited and ineligible to run for re-election to a third term in office.
A primary election was held on June 3, 2014. Under California's nonpartisan blanket primary law, all candidates appear on the same ballot, regardless of party. In the primary, voters may vote for any candidate, regardless of their party affiliation. The top two finishers â€" regardless of party â€" advance to the general election in November, even if a candidate manages to receive a majority of the votes cast in the primary election. Washington is the only other state with this system, a so-called "top two primary" (Louisiana has a similar "jungle primary").
In the primary, Republican Ashley Swearengin and Democrat Betty Yee finished first and second, respectively. The third-place finisher, Democrat John Pérez, initially called for a recount in 15 counties after official results showed him trailing Yee by 481 votes; however, he ultimately conceded to Yee more than a month after the primary. Swearengin and Yee contested the general election, which Yee won.
Primary election
Candidates
Democratic Party
Declared
- Tammy D. Blair, administrator
- John Pérez, Speaker of the California State Assembly
- Betty Yee, Member of the State Board of Equalization
Declined
- Bill Lockyer, State Treasurer and former California Attorney General
Republican Party
Declared
- David Evans, accountant, candidate for California's 22nd congressional district in 2006 and for Controller in 2010
- Ashley Swearengin, Mayor of Fresno
Withdrew
- Tina Mizany
Green Party
Declared
- Laura Wells, activist, retired financial and business analyst, nominee for Controller in 2002 and 2006 and nominee for Governor in 2010
Polling
Results
General election
Polling
Results
References
External links
- California State Controller election, 2014 at Ballotpedia
- Campaign contributions at FollowTheMoney.org
- Official campaign websites
- David Evans for State Controller
- John Pérez for State Controller
- Betty Yee for State Controller
- Laura Wells for State Controller
