1974 United States House of Representatives elections in California

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1974 United States House of Representatives elections in California

Overview
California held elections on November 5, 1974, to choose all 43 of its seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. The results reflected a nationwide swing toward the Democratic Party in the wake of the Watergate era. Democrats gained five seats from Republicans, bringing California’s delegation to 28 Democrats and 15 Republicans. In total, Democrats received about 56.8% of the California vote, Republicans about 40.6%, with the rest split among minor parties.

What happened in California
- 43 seats were up for election.
- The Democratic Party gained five seats, increasing their California delegation to a majority with 28 of 43 seats.
- The Republican Party lost five seats, finishing with 15 seats.
- The overall vote share in California was roughly 56.8% for Democrats, 40.6% for Republicans, with small shares for American Independent and Peace and Freedom parties.

Key context
- The 1974 elections came during a period of national political shift following the Watergate scandal, which helped Democrats gain seats across the country, including several in California.
- Most incumbents who ran again were re-elected, while a number of districts switched from Republican to Democratic representation, contributing to the net Democratic gain in the state.

For more detail
- Final results were reported by the Clerk of the House and reflected district-by-district outcomes, with Democrats holding or gaining most districts and Republicans defending a smaller portion.