Elections / 1948 · President · CA
California — 1948 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1948 presidential electionCalifornia · PresidentTrumanD+0.4
How it voted
Share of the 1948 vote
| Harry S. Truman ✓Democratic | 47.6% | 1,913,134 |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas E. DeweyRepublican | 47.1% | 1,895,269 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 5.3% | 213,135 |
1948presidential margin
D+60R+60
58 counties, each filled by 1948 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
California cast 25 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (58 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Alameda County, CA | Democratic | D+1.2 |
| Alpine County, CA | Republican | R+58.7 |
| Amador County, CA | Democratic | D+18.6 |
| Butte County, CA | Republican | R+3.7 |
| Calaveras County, CA | Democratic | D+2.7 |
| Colusa County, CA | Democratic | D+5.6 |
| Contra Costa County, CA | Democratic | D+14.6 |
| Del Norte County, CA | Republican | R+13.0 |
| El Dorado County, CA | Democratic | D+8.9 |
| Fresno County, CA | Democratic | D+21.3 |
| Glenn County, CA | Republican | R+4.4 |
| Humboldt County, CA | Democratic | D+1.2 |
| Imperial County, CA | Republican | R+7.8 |
| Inyo County, CA | Republican | R+15.6 |
| Kern County, CA | Democratic | D+14.6 |
| Kings County, CA | Democratic | D+22.7 |
| Lake County, CA | Republican | R+19.8 |
| Lassen County, CA | Democratic | D+29.0 |
| Los Angeles County, CA | Democratic | D+0.5 |
| Madera County, CA | Democratic | D+20.2 |
| Marin County, CA | Republican | R+18.9 |
| Mariposa County, CA | Republican | R+16.0 |
| Mendocino County, CA | Republican | R+6.5 |
| Merced County, CA | Democratic | D+12.3 |
| Modoc County, CA | Democratic | D+4.0 |
| Mono County, CA | Republican | R+34.3 |
| Monterey County, CA | Republican | R+4.5 |
| Napa County, CA | Republican | R+9.2 |
| Nevada County, CA | Republican | R+0.04 |
| Orange County, CA | Republican | R+24.5 |
| Placer County, CA | Democratic | D+21.6 |
| Plumas County, CA | Democratic | D+29.0 |
| Riverside County, CA | Republican | R+15.4 |
| Sacramento County, CA | Democratic | D+20.6 |
| San Benito County, CA | Republican | R+13.6 |
| San Bernardino County, CA | Republican | R+0.9 |
| San Diego County, CA | Republican | R+1.6 |
| San Francisco County, CA | Democratic | D+2.2 |
| San Joaquin County, CA | Republican | R+2.1 |
| San Luis Obispo County, CA | Republican | R+11.3 |
| San Mateo County, CA | Republican | R+17.0 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA | Republican | R+20.1 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | Republican | R+11.1 |
| Santa Cruz County, CA | Republican | R+20.7 |
| Shasta County, CA | Democratic | D+17.2 |
| Sierra County, CA | Democratic | D+9.1 |
| Siskiyou County, CA | Democratic | D+11.5 |
| Solano County, CA | Democratic | D+29.8 |
| Sonoma County, CA | Republican | R+15.1 |
| Stanislaus County, CA | Republican | R+0.6 |
| Sutter County, CA | Republican | R+7.4 |
| Tehama County, CA | Republican | R+6.6 |
| Trinity County, CA | Democratic | D+3.6 |
| Tulare County, CA | Democratic | D+3.2 |
| Tuolumne County, CA | Republican | R+1.4 |
| Ventura County, CA | Democratic | D+12.6 |
| Yolo County, CA | Democratic | D+8.6 |
| Yuba County, CA | Democratic | D+2.8 |
Nominees: Harry S. Truman (D) · Thomas E. Dewey (R) · Strom Thurmond (States' Rights Democratic)
California's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1948 contest in context
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | +1.2% |
| 1896 | −0.6% |
| 1900 | −13.1% |
| 1904 | −34.9% |
| 1908 | −22.5% |
| 1912 | +41.8% |
| 1916 | +0.4% |
| 1920 | −41.9% |
| 1924 | −49.0% |
| 1928 | −30.5% |
| 1932 | +21.0% |
| 1936 | +35.3% |
| 1940 | +16.1% |
| 1944 | +13.5% |
| 1948 | +0.4% |
| 1952 | −13.6% |
| 1956 | −11.1% |
| 1960 | −0.5% |
| 1964 | +18.3% |
| 1968 | −3.1% |
| 1972 | −13.5% |
| 1976 | −1.8% |
| 1980 | −16.8% |
| 1984 | −16.2% |
| 1988 | −3.6% |
| 1992 | +13.4% |
| 1996 | +12.9% |
| 2000 | +11.8% |
| 2004 | +9.9% |
| 2008 | +24.0% |
| 2012 | +23.1% |
| 2016 | +30.0% |
| 2020 | +29.1% |
| 2024 | +20.1% |
County-by-county results — 58 counties
| County | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alameda County | D | 154,549 | 150,588 | 323,331 | |
| Alpine County | R | 25 | 106 | 138 | |
| Amador County | D | 2,334 | 1,578 | 4,063 | |
| Butte County | R | 10,133 | 10,948 | 22,181 | |
| Calaveras County | D | 1,995 | 1,888 | 4,037 | |
| Colusa County | D | 2,020 | 1,803 | 3,901 | |
| Contra Costa County | D | 50,277 | 36,958 | 91,376 | |
| Del Norte County | R | 1,172 | 1,541 | 2,840 | |
| El Dorado County | D | 3,493 | 2,894 | 6,724 | |
| Fresno County | D | 47,762 | 30,379 | 81,665 | |
| Glenn County | R | 2,578 | 2,819 | 5,528 | |
| Humboldt County | D | 11,268 | 10,979 | 23,266 | |
| Imperial County | R | 5,301 | 6,217 | 11,810 | |
| Inyo County | R | 1,539 | 2,135 | 3,827 | |
| Kern County | D | 33,029 | 24,464 | 58,811 | |
| Kings County | D | 6,909 | 4,289 | 11,521 | |
| Lake County | R | 1,999 | 3,054 | 5,333 | |
| Lassen County | D | 3,632 | 1,960 | 5,773 | |
| Los Angeles County | D | 812,690 | 804,232 | 1,729,082 | |
| Madera County | D | 5,226 | 3,416 | 8,982 | |
| Marin County | R | 12,540 | 18,747 | 32,855 | |
| Mariposa County | R | 983 | 1,378 | 2,467 | |
| Mendocino County | R | 5,553 | 6,368 | 12,603 | |
| Merced County | D | 9,959 | 7,721 | 18,124 | |
| Modoc County | D | 1,607 | 1,480 | 3,180 | |
| Mono County | R | 255 | 541 | 835 | |
| Monterey County | R | 15,704 | 17,233 | 34,063 | |
| Napa County | R | 7,207 | 8,724 | 16,516 | |
| Nevada County | R | 3,914 | 3,917 | 8,326 | |
| Orange County | R | 29,018 | 48,587 | 79,814 | |
| Placer County | D | 8,837 | 5,570 | 15,109 | |
| Plumas County | D | 3,125 | 1,657 | 5,058 | |
| Riverside County | R | 23,305 | 32,209 | 57,864 | |
| Sacramento County | D | 54,197 | 35,074 | 92,842 | |
| San Benito County | R | 2,096 | 2,775 | 4,987 | |
| San Bernardino County | R | 45,691 | 46,570 | 95,838 | |
| San Diego County | R | 98,217 | 101,552 | 205,459 | |
| San Francisco County | D | 167,726 | 160,135 | 350,709 | |
| San Joaquin County | R | 27,908 | 29,135 | 59,361 | |
| San Luis Obispo County | R | 8,135 | 10,325 | 19,304 | |
| San Mateo County | R | 34,215 | 48,909 | 86,272 | |
| Santa Barbara County | R | 13,085 | 19,998 | 34,400 | |
| Santa Clara County | R | 41,905 | 52,982 | 99,502 | |
| Santa Cruz County | R | 9,862 | 15,395 | 26,690 | |
| Shasta County | D | 7,177 | 5,010 | 12,623 | |
| Sierra County | D | 660 | 546 | 1,258 | |
| Siskiyou County | D | 6,749 | 5,315 | 12,498 | |
| Solano County | D | 23,257 | 12,345 | 36,624 | |
| Sonoma County | R | 16,026 | 22,077 | 39,984 | |
| Stanislaus County | R | 18,350 | 18,564 | 38,371 | |
| Sutter County | R | 3,362 | 3,913 | 7,458 | |
| Tehama County | R | 2,920 | 3,348 | 6,530 | |
| Trinity County | D | 1,053 | 975 | 2,163 | |
| Tulare County | D | 19,681 | 18,414 | 39,192 | |
| Tuolumne County | R | 2,561 | 2,639 | 5,474 | |
| Ventura County | D | 18,100 | 13,930 | 33,049 | |
| Yolo County | D | 6,655 | 5,560 | 12,684 | |
| Yuba County | D | 3,608 | 3,403 | 7,263 |
Source. Compiled historical county records — 1948 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.