1934 California gubernatorial election

The 1934 California gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1934. Incumbent governor Frank Merriam was re-elected to a second term in office over Upton Sinclair and Raymond L. Haight. Held in the midst of the Great Depression, the 1934 election was amongst the most controversial in the state's political history. Much of the campaign's emphasis was directed at Sinclair's End Poverty in California movement, proposing interventionist reforms to cure the state's ailing economy. Merriam, who had recently assumed the governorship following the death of James Rolph, characterized Sinclair's proposal as a step towards communism.

Merriam had succeeded to the office upon the death of James Rolph on June 2. He won the Republican nomination for a full term in the primary over former governor C. C. Young, Los Angeles County supervisor John R. Quinn, and attorney Raymond L. Haight. Merriam also won the endorsement of the Prohibition Party as a write-in candidate, while Haight was nominated by the Commonwealth and Progressive parties. In the Democratic primary, author Upton Sinclair upset the party establishment by defeating eminent journalist George Creel.

In the general election, Merriam received significant support from major Hollywood studio executives, who pioneered campaign film techniques in opposition to Sinclair. Anti-Sinclair films included depictions of his supporters as criminals and bums, and aired in California movie theatres with no opportunity for response. The effort has been described as Hollywood's first intervention in electoral politics and was later depicted in the 2020 film Mank. Sinclair was also opposed by major corporations and corporate interest groups, such as Standard Oil of California, Pacific Mutual, and the California Real Estate Association, and all major California newspapers. Ultimately, Merriam won by over 250,000 votes.