The 1934 California gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1934. Held in the midst of the
Great Depression, the 1934 election was amongst the most controversial in the state's political history, pitting conservative
RepublicanFrank Merriam against former
Socialist Party member turned
DemocratUpton Sinclair, author of The Jungle. A strong
third party challenge came from
ProgressiveRaymond L. Haight, a Los Angeles lawyer campaigning for the political
center. Much of the campaign's emphasis was directed at Sinclair's
EPIC 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.
Antognini, Richard. "The Role of A.P. Giannini in the 1934 California Gubernatorial Election." Southern California Quarterly 57.1 (1975): 53–86.
online
Barger, Bob. "Raymond L. Haight and the Commonwealth Progressive Campaign of 1934" California Historical Society Quarterly 43 (September, 1964), pp 219–30.
online
Hill, Patricia Lucy. "Upton Sinclair and the 1934 California gubernatorial election." (MS thesis, Portland State University, 1978)
online.
Larsen, Charles E. "The Epic Campaign of 1934." Pacific Historical Review 27.2 (1958): 127–147.
online
Mitchell, Greg. The campaign of the century: Upton Sinclair's race for governor of California and the birth of media politics (Random House, 1992).
Rising, George G. "An EPIC Endeavor: Upton Sinclair's 1934 California Gubernatorial Campaign." Southern California Quarterly 79.1 (1997): 101–124.
online
Singer, Donald L. "Upton Sinclair and the California Gubernatorial Campaign of 1934." Southern California Quarterly 56.4 (1974): 375–406.
online