2008 United States House of Representatives elections in California

2008 United States House of Representatives elections in California
All 53 California seats to the United States House of Representatives
	Results:; Democratic hold; Republican hold

The 2008 United States House of Representatives elections in California were held on November 4, 2008 to determine who would represent California various congressional districts in the United States House of Representatives. In the 111th Congress, California has 53 seats in the House, apportioned accordingly after the 2000 United States Census. Representatives are elected to two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 111th Congress from January 3, 2009 to January 3, 2011. The election coincides with the United States presidential election as well as other elections in California.

According to CQ Politics, the districts considered the most competitive were the 4th and 11th, with the 3rd, 8th, 26th, 46th and 50th as less than safe as well.^[1] However, the partisan balance of the state's congressional delegation did not change, despite the strong Democratic dominance during the broader elections.

Overview[]

United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2008^[2]
Party		Votes	Percentage	Seats	+/–
	Democratic	7,380,825	59.90%	34	0
	Republican	4,515,925	36.65%	19	0
	Libertarian	220,118	1.79%	0	0
	Independent	90,340	0.73%	0	0
	Green	60,926	0.49%	0	0
	Peace and Freedom	47,659	0.39%	0	0
	American Independent	6,286	0.05%	0	0
Valid votes		12,322,079	89.66%	—	—
Invalid or blank votes		1,421,098	10.34%	—	—
Totals		13,743,177	100.00%	53	—
Voter turnout		79.42%

Results[]

Below are the final official results as reported by the Secretary of State.^[2]^[3]

District 1 • District 2 • District 3 • District 4 • District 5 • District 6 • District 7 • District 8 • District 9 • District 10 • District 11 • District 12 • District 13 • District 14 • District 15 • District 16 • District 17 • District 18 • District 19 • District 20 • District 21 • District 22 • District 23 • District 24 • District 25 • District 26 • District 27 • District 28 • District 29 • District 30 • District 31 • District 32 • District 33 • District 34 • District 35 • District 36 • District 37 • District 38 • District 39 • District 40 • District 41 • District 42 • District 43 • District 44 • District 45 • District 46 • District 47 • District 48 • District 49 • District 50 • District 51 • District 52 • District 53

District 1[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 1st congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mike Thompson (incumbent)	197,812	68.10
	Republican	Zane Starkewolf	67,853	23.36
	Green	Carol Wolman	24,793	8.54
	Green	Pamela Elizondo (write-in)	14	0.00
Total votes			290,472	100.00
Turnout				75.99
	Democratic hold

District 2[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 2nd congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Wally Herger (incumbent)	163,459	57.89
	Democratic	Jeffrey Morris	118,878	42.11
Total votes			282,337	100.00
Turnout				76.98
	Republican hold

District 3[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 3rd congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Dan Lungren (incumbent)	155,424	49.49
	Democratic	Bill Durston	137,971	43.93
	Peace and Freedom	Dina Padilla	13,378	4.26
	Libertarian	Douglas Tuma	7,273	2.32
Total votes			314,046	100.00
Turnout				76.21
	Republican hold

District 4[]

(map)

California’s 4th District (New Rating: No Clear Favorite. Previous Rating: Leans Republican) from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

On December 2, 2008, Republican Tom McClintock declared victory over Democrat in the race in the 4th congressional district. Brown conceded his defeat the next day. The race had been so close that it took four weeks of counting all mailed and provisional ballots before McClintock could be assured of victory.

CQ Politics had forecast the race in this traditionally Republican district as 'No Clear Favorite'.^[4] Two polls sponsored by Brown showed Brown in the lead; two polls sponsored by McClintock showed McClintock in the lead.^[5]

Pollster	Dates	Respondents	McClintock	Brown	Other	Undecided
Val Smith (R-McClintock)	10/21-22/08	400 likely voters	49%	40%	-	-
Val Smith (R-McClintock)	9/22-24/08	400 likely voters	47%	39%	-	-
Benenson Strategy (D-Brown)	8/21-24/08	500 likely voters	41%	43%	-	15%
Benenson Strategy (D-Brown)	5/14-15/08	400 likely voters	40%	42%	-	18%

Charlie Brown is a retired Air Force officer who first ran for this seat in 2006, losing to incumbent John Doolittle by three percent of the vote. Brown announced in February 2007 that he would run again in 2008. Doolittle's prospects for reelection suffered because of a federal investigation into his alleged ties to Jack Abramoff. In April 2007, the FBI raided Doolittle's Virginia home. Doolittle denies all wrongdoing, and has not been charged with any crime. On January 10, 2008, Doolittle announced that he would finish his term but not run for re-election.^[6]

On March 4, 2008, State Senator Tom McClintock of Thousand Oaks officially launched his campaign for this district at the Placer County Courthouse in Auburn. McClintock received immediate endorsements from local and state Republicans, including State Senator Sam Aanasted, State Assemblyman Ted Gaines, State Assemblyman Rick Keene, Auburn City Councilman Kevin Hanley, Yuba County Supervisor Dan Logue, and Nevada County Supervisor Sue Horne. ^[7]

Brown was endorsed by Senator Max Cleland, former General Wesley Clark, former Republican Congressman Pete McCloskey, Senator Jim Webb of Virginia, and many veterans' groups including the Veterans' Alliance for Security and Democracy and VoteVets.org.^[8]

In the primary election on June 3, 2008, Tom McClintock won the Republican primary with 54% of the vote ahead of Doug Ose, Suzanne Jones, and Theodore Terbolizard, in that order.^[9] Other Republican candidates had withdrawn from the race and thus did not appear on the ballot, including Rico Oller, Eric Egland, and Auburn City Councilman Mike Holmes.^[10]

Charlie Brown won the Democratic primary with 88% of the vote, ahead of John "Wolf" Wolfgram,^[9] who had little financial support.^[11]

California's 4th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Tom McClintock	185,790	50.24
	Democratic		183,990	49.76
Total votes			369,780	100.00
Turnout				82.07
	Republican hold

District 5[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 5th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Doris Matsui (incumbent)	164,242	74.27
	Republican	Paul Smith	46,002	20.80
	Peace and Freedom	Linda Roberts	10,731	4.85
	Independent	David Lynch (write-in)	180	0.08
Total votes			221,155	100.00
Turnout				70.93
	Democratic hold

District 6[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 6th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lynn Woolsey (incumbent)	229,672	71.69
	Republican	Mike Halliwell	77,073	24.06
	Libertarian	Joel Smolen	13,617	4.25
Total votes			320,362	100.00
Turnout				87.80
	Democratic hold

District 7[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 7th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	George Miller (incumbent)	170,962	72.82
	Republican	Roger Petersen	51,166	21.79
	Peace and Freedom	William Callison	6,695	2.85
	Libertarian	Camden McConnell	5,950	2.53
Total votes			234,773	100.00
Turnout				79.02
	Democratic hold

District 8[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

The eighth congressional district has been represented by Democrat Nancy Pelosi since 1993, when the area was redistricted from the 5th congressional district. Pelosi, who is Speaker of the House, is considered safe for re-election, but Iraq War activist Cindy Sheehan announced that she would consider running against Pelosi if Pelosi did not put in an article of impeachment against President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.^[12] She qualified for the ballot as an independent candidate and was endorsed by the Peace and Freedom Party.^[13]

California's 8th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Nancy Pelosi (incumbent)	204,996	71.87
	Independent	Cindy Sheehan	46,118	16.17
	Republican	Dana Walsh	27,614	9.68
	Libertarian	Philip Berg	6,504	2.28
	Independent	Lea Sherman (write-in)	11	0.00
	Independent	Michelle Clay (write-in)	4	0.00
Total votes			285,247	100.00
Turnout				73.15
	Democratic hold

District 9[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 9th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Barbara Lee (incumbent)	238,915	86.06
	Republican	Charles Hargrave	26,917	9.70
	Libertarian	James Eyer	11,704	4.22
	Green	David Heller (write-in)	37	0.01
	Republican	Christopher Kula (write-in)	27	0.01
Total votes			277,600	100.00
Turnout				72.10
	Democratic hold

District 10[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 10th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ellen Tauscher (incumbent)	192,226	65.12
	Republican	Nicholas Gerber	91,877	31.13
	Peace and Freedom	Eugene Ruyle	11,062	3.75
Total votes			295,165	100.00
Turnout				79.75
	Democratic hold

District 11[]

()

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 11th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jerry McNerney (incumbent)	164,500	55.27
	Republican	Dean Andal	133,104	44.72
	American Independent	David Christensen (write-in)	12	0.00
Total votes			297,616	100.00
Turnout				78.53
	Democratic hold

District 12[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 12th congressional district is represented by Democrat Jackie Speier. She won a special election months before the general election to replace Tom Lantos, who represented the district from 1981 until his death due to esophageal cancer at the age of 80 in 2008. Lantos had announced that he would not seek re-election due to his declining health. This overwhelmingly Democratic district comprises mainly northern San Mateo County and the Sunset area of San Francisco.

California's 12th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jackie Speier (incumbent)	200,442	75.11
	Republican	Greg Conlon	49,258	18.46
	Peace and Freedom	Nathalie Hrizi	5,793	2.17
	Green	Barry Hermanson	5,776	2.16
	Libertarian	Kevin Peterson	5,584	2.09
Total votes			266,853	100.00
Turnout				72.73
	Democratic hold

District 13[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 13th congressional district has been represented by Democrat Pete Stark since 1973. Often regarded as the most liberal member of Congress (and its only atheist), Stark ran for re-election and was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.^[14] His overwhelmingly Democratic district is centered in the East Bay and includes Hayward.

California's 13th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Pete Stark (incumbent)	166,829	76.43
	Republican	Raymond Chui	51,447	23.57
Total votes			218,276	100.00
Turnout				70.72
	Democratic hold

District 14[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 14th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Anna Eshoo (incumbent)	190,301	69.77
	Republican	Ronny Santana	60,610	22.22
	Libertarian	Brian Holtz	11,929	4.37
	Green	Carol Brouillet	9,926	3.64
Total votes			272,766	100.00
Turnout				78.46
	Democratic hold

District 15[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 15th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mike Honda (incumbent)	170,977	71.66
	Republican	Joyce Cordi	55,489	23.26
	Green	Peter Myers	12,123	5.08
Total votes			238,589	100.00
Turnout				78.78
	Democratic hold

District 16[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 16th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Zoe Lofgren (incumbent)	146,481	71.34
	Republican	Charel Winston	49,399	24.06
	Libertarian	Steven Wells	9,447	4.60
Total votes			205,327	100.00
Turnout				75.75
	Democratic hold

District 17[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 17th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Sam Farr (incumbent)	168,907	73.88
	Republican	Jeff Taylor	59,037	25.82
	Independent	Peter Andresen (write-in)	682	0.30
Total votes			228,626	100.00
Turnout				79.72
	Democratic hold

District 18[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 18th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Dennis Cardoza (incumbent)	130,192	100.00
Total votes			130,192	100.00
Turnout				48.61
	Democratic hold

District 19[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 19th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	George Radanovich (incumbent)	179,245	98.43
	Democratic	Peter Leinau (write-in)	2,490	1.37
	Independent	Phil Rockey (write-in)	366	0.20
Total votes			182,101	100.00
Turnout				51.19
	Republican hold

District 20[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 20th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jim Costa (incumbent)	93,023	74.33
	Republican	Jim Lopez	32,118	25.67
Total votes			125,141	100.00
Turnout				60.55
	Democratic hold

District 21[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 21st congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Devin Nunes (incumbent)	143,498	68.39
	Democratic	Larry Johnson	66,317	31.61
Total votes			209,815	100.00
Turnout				69.40
	Republican hold

District 22[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 22nd congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Kevin McCarthy (incumbent)	224,549	100.00
Total votes			224,549	100.00
Turnout				61.56
	Republican hold

District 23[]

()

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 23rd congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lois Capps (incumbent)	171,403	68.07
	Republican	Matt Kokkonen	80,385	31.93
Total votes			251,788	100.00
Turnout				77.41
	Democratic hold

District 24[]

(map)

California's 24th congressional district has been represented by Republican Elton Gallegly since 1987. Although he had claimed that his 2006 campaign would be his last, Gallegly has announced that he intends to seek another term in 2008. Republican State Senator Tom McClintock, who has name statewide recognition from his several statewide campaigns, would have considered the likely frontrunner were there an open seat but moved to an open seat in Northern California's 4th District in 2008. McClintock had been an intra-party rival to Gallegly, who had hoped to have a political ally nominated to succeed him. Bush won 55% here in 2004.

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 24th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Elton Gallegly (incumbent)	174,492	58.15
	Democratic	Marta Jorgensen	125,560	41.85
Total votes			300,052	100.00
Turnout				77.30
	Republican hold

District 25[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 25th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Howard McKeon (incumbent)	144,660	57.73
	Democratic	Jackie Conaway	105,929	42.27
Total votes			250,589	100.00
Turnout				72.24
	Republican hold

District 26[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org
Dreier (R-i) vs Warner (D) graph of collected poll results from Pollster.com

California's 26th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	David Dreier (incumbent)	140,615	52.64
	Democratic	Russ Warner	108,039	40.44
	Libertarian	Ted Brown	18,476	6.92
Total votes			267,130	100.00
Turnout				72.22
	Republican hold

District 27[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 27th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Brad Sherman (incumbent)	145,812	68.51
	Republican	Navraj Singh	52,852	24.83
	Libertarian	Tim Denton	14,171	6.66
Total votes			212,835	100.00
Turnout				70.78
	Democratic hold

District 28[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 28th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Howard Berman (incumbent)	137,471	99.89
	Independent	Michael Koch (write-in)	150	0.11
Total votes			137,621	100.00
Turnout				55.68
	Democratic hold

District 29[]

()

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 29th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Adam Schiff (incumbent)	146,198	68.91
	Republican	Charles Hahn	56,727	26.74
	Libertarian	Alan Pyeatt	9,219	4.35
Total votes			212,144	100.00
Turnout				68.57
	Democratic hold

District 30[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 30th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Henry Waxman (incumbent)	242,792	100.00
Total votes			242,792	100.00
Turnout				58.37
	Democratic hold

District 31[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 31st congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Xavier Becerra (incumbent)	110,955	100.00
Total votes			110,955	100.00
Turnout				57.69
	Democratic hold

District 32[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 32nd congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Hilda Solis (incumbent)	130,142	99.99
	Independent	Innocent Osunwa (write-in)	8	0.01
Total votes			130,150	100.00
Turnout				53.65
	Democratic hold

District 33[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 33rd congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Diane Watson (incumbent)	186,924	87.57
	Republican	David Crowley	26,536	12.43
Total votes			213,460	100.00
Turnout				70.19
	Democratic hold

District 34[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 34th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lucille Roybal-Allard (incumbent)	98,503	77.09
	Republican	Christopher Balding	29,266	22.91
Total votes			127,769	100.00
Turnout				63.68
	Democratic hold

District 35[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 35th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Maxine Waters (incumbent)	150,778	82.58
	Republican	Ted Hayes	24,169	13.24
	Libertarian	Herb Peters	7,632	4.18
Total votes			182,579	100.00
Turnout				69.73
	Democratic hold

District 36[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 36th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jane Harman (incumbent)	171,948	68.64
	Republican	Brian Gibson	78,543	31.36
Total votes			250,491	100.00
Turnout				74.36
	Democratic hold

District 37[]

(map)

This district has been represented by Democrat Laura Richardson since winning a special election on August 21, 2007 that was called after Democrat Juanita Millender-McDonald died of cancer. The staunchly Democratic district includes Compton, some of south-central Los Angeles and much of Long Beach.

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 37th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Laura Richardson (incumbent)	131,342	74.94
	Independent	Nicholas Dibs	42,774	24.41
	Democratic	Peter Mathews (write-in)	600	0.34
	Republican	June Pouesi (write-in)	526	0.30
	Democratic	Lee Davis (write-in)	10	0.01
Total votes			175,252	100.00
Turnout				63.24
	Democratic hold

District 38[]

()

California's 38th congressional district has been represented by Democrat Grace Napolitano since 1999. Napolitano's heavily Democratic east Los Angeles-based district is a largely Hispanic one that includes Montebello, Pico Rivera, La Puente, and part of Norwalk.

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 38th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Grace Napolitano (incumbent)	130,211	81.73
	Libertarian	Christopher Agrella	29,113	18.27
Total votes			159,324	100.00
Turnout				63.74
	Democratic hold

District 39[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 39th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Linda Sánchez (incumbent)	125,289	69.67
	Republican	Diane Lenning	54,533	30.33
Total votes			179,822	100.00
Turnout				68.28
	Democratic hold

District 40[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 40th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ed Royce (incumbent)	144,923	62.55
	Democratic	Christina Avalos	86,772	37.45
Total votes			231,695	100.00
Turnout				67.40
	Republican hold

District 41[]

(map)

California's 41st congressional district has been represented by Republican Jerry Lewis since 1979. Lewis served as the chair of the House Appropriations Committee when Republicans controlled the House. Lewis, who will be 74 in 2008, has come under investigation for connections to the Copeland Lowery lobbying firm. In spite of speculation that he would retire, Lewis announced he would seek reelection on August 31.^[15] Bush won 62% here in 2004.

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 41st congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jerry Lewis (incumbent)	159,486	61.65
	Democratic	Tim Prince	99,214	38.35
Total votes			258,700	100.00
Turnout				71.43
	Republican hold

District 42[]

(map)

California's 42nd congressional district is one of the most conservative districts in the state, and has been represented by Republican Gary Miller since 1999. Before the election, Miller suffered bad press, with four ex-aides accusing him of conflict-of-interest and using his position to profit from the sale of personal land holdings.^[16]

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 42nd congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Gary Miller (incumbent)	158,404	60.16
	Democratic	Ed Chau	104,909	39.84
Total votes			263,313	100.00
Turnout				70.77
	Republican hold

District 43[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 43rd congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joe Baca (incumbent)	108,259	69.14
	Republican	John Roberts	48,312	30.86
Total votes			156,571	100.00
Turnout				63.37
	Democratic hold

District 44[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 44th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ken Calvert (incumbent)	129,937	51.19
	Democratic	Bill Hedrick	123,890	48.81
Total votes			253,827	100.00
Turnout				72.61
	Republican hold

District 45[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 45th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mary Bono Mack (incumbent)	155,166	58.29
	Democratic	Julie Bornstein	111,026	41.71
Total votes			266,192	100.00
Turnout				74.36
	Republican hold

District 46[]

(map)

Republican Dana Rohrabacher's district (which includes the Southern Channel Islands, Palos Verdes Peninsula, and parts of Orange County) has been a Republican stronghold in recent years. Huntington Beach mayor Debbie Cook was the (Democratic) challenger.

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 46th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Dana Rohrabacher (incumbent)	149,818	52.52
	Democratic	Debbie Cook	122,891	43.08
	Green	Thomas Lash	8,257	2.89
	Libertarian	Ernst Gasteiger	4,311	1.51
Total votes			285,277	100.00
Turnout				70.10
	Republican hold

District 47[]

(map)

California's 47th congressional district was represented by Democrat Loretta Sanchez since 1997. Sanchez won 62% of the vote in a district that barely went to George W. Bush with around 50% to 49% in 2004, which could have resulted in an opening for Republicans, who had not recruited a strong candidate in years. This year, Republican Rosie Avila hoped to oust Sanchez. However, Sanchez's district is located in one of the more Democratic areas of Orange County, including Anaheim and Santa Ana, and Al Gore won this district in 2000 by a comfortable margin.

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 47th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Loretta Sanchez (incumbent)	85,878	69.49
	Republican	Rosemarie Avila	31,432	25.43
	American Independent	Robert Lauten	6,274	5.08
Total votes			123,584	100.00
Turnout				57.01
	Democratic hold

District 48[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 48th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Campbell (incumbent)	171,658	55.61
	Democratic	Steve Young	125,537	40.67
	Libertarian	Don Patterson	11,507	3.73
Total votes			308,702	100.00
Turnout				70.17
	Republican hold

District 49[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 49th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Darrell Issa (incumbent)	140,300	58.30
	Democratic	Robert Hamilton	90,138	37.45
	Libertarian	Lars Grossmith	10,232	4.25
Total votes			240,670	100.00
Turnout				76.19
	Republican hold

District 50[]

()

California's 50th congressional district has been represented by Republican Brian Bilbray since 2006. Bilbray won 53% of the vote in a Republican-leaning district north of San Diego that was previously represented by the scandal-plagued Duke Cunningham (R). George W. Bush won 54% here in 2004. Nick Leibham won against Cheryl Ede in the Democratic primary. CQ Politics forecasts the race as 'Safe Republican'.

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org
Bilbray (R-i) vs Leibham (D) graph of collected poll results from Pollster.com

California's 50th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Brian Bilbray (incumbent)	157,502	50.24
	Democratic	Nick Leibham	141,635	45.18
	Libertarian	Wayne Dunlap	14,365	4.58
Total votes			313,502	100.00
Turnout				80.15
	Republican hold

District 51[]

(map)

The congressional district has been held by Bob Filner, who formerly represented the 50th, since its inception following the 1992 redistricting. The district was redrawn following the 2000 Census, creating a gerrymandered district boundary. Democratic incumbent Bob Filner of San Diego is seeking reelection and is being challenged by Republican businessman David Lee Joy of Spring Valley. The Libertarian candidate is musician and software systems engineer Dan "Frodo" Litwin of San Diego.

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 51st congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bob Filner (incumbent)	148,281	72.75
	Republican	David Joy	49,345	24.21
	Libertarian	Dan Litwin	6,199	3.04
Total votes			203,825	100.00
Turnout				69.06
	Democratic hold

District 52[]

(map)

This race is for an open seat, being vacated by former Republican presidential candidate Duncan Hunter. Both Democratic and Republican candidates are OIF veterans. The Libertarian candidate is 2002 congressional candidate Mike Benoit.^[17]

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 52nd congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Duncan D. Hunter	160,724	56.37
	Democratic	Mike Lumpkin	111,051	38.95
	Libertarian	Michael Benoit	13,316	4.67
	Independent	Joseph Ryan (write-in)	47	0.02
Total votes			285,138	100.00
Turnout				79.48
	Republican hold

District 53[]

(map)

Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

California's 53rd congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Susan Davis (incumbent)	161,315	68.49
	Republican	Michael Crimmins	64,658	27.45
	Libertarian	Edward Teyssier	9,569	4.06
Total votes			235,542	100.00
Turnout				72.72
	Democratic hold

References[]

^ "2008 House Ratings Chart". Congressional Quarterly. 2008-10-28. Archived from the original on October 28, 2010.
^ ^a ^b "Statement of Vote: November 4, 2008, General Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. 2008-12-15. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 2, 2012. Retrieved 2008-12-25.
^ "October 20, 2008 Report of Registration: Registration by Congressional District" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. 2008-10-31. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 24, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
^ "California's 4th District (New Rating: No Clear Favorite. Previous Rating: Leans Republican". Congressional Quarterly. Archived from the original on 2008-10-31. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
^ "2008 California CD-04 General Election: McClintock (R) vs Brown (D)". Pollster.com. Archived from the original on 2008-09-18. Retrieved 2008-10-30.
^ Blake, Aaron; Kucinich, Jackie (2008-01-10). "Doolittle says he will not seek reelection". The Hill. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
^ "McClintock Launches Campaign for Congress". Tom McClintock's congressional Campaign. 2008-03-04. Archived from the original on March 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
^ "New McClintock Attack Site Plagiarizes Charlie Brown's Website". YubaNet.com. 2008-09-26. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
^ ^a ^b "Statement of Vote: June 3, 2008, Statewide Direct Primary Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. 2008-09-02. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
^ Whitney, David (2007-08-15). "Second Republican takes on Doolittle". The Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on 2008-06-02. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
^ Moller, Dave. "Congressional Showdown". The Union. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
^ "Cindy Sheehan considering run against Pelosi". CNN. 2007-07-08. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
^ "Cindy Sheehan for Congress!". Peace and Freedom Party. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
^ "County finalizes primary ballots". Inside Bay Area. 2008-03-11.
^ "Rep. Jerry Lewis to Run for Re-election Despite Lobbying Probe". Fox News. Associated Press. 2008-08-31. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
^ Heisel, William (2006-12-12). "Ex-aides allege abuse of power". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 10, 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-15.
^ "Direct Primary Election, Candidate List" (PDF). County of San Diego - Registrar of Voters. 2008-03-26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-04-14. Retrieved 2008-03-26.

External links[]

U.S. Congress candidates for California at Project Vote Smart
California U.S. House Races from 2008 Race Tracker
Campaign contributions for California congressional races from OpenSecrets.org

[1] "2008 House Ratings Chart". Congressional Quarterly. 2008-10-28. Archived from the original on October 28, 2010.

[results-2] "Statement of Vote: November 4, 2008, General Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. 2008-12-15. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 2, 2012. Retrieved 2008-12-25.

[3] "October 20, 2008 Report of Registration: Registration by Congressional District" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. 2008-10-31. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 24, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-07.

[4] "California's 4th District (New Rating: No Clear Favorite. Previous Rating: Leans Republican". Congressional Quarterly. Archived from the original on 2008-10-31. Retrieved 2008-10-29.

[5] "2008 California CD-04 General Election: McClintock (R) vs Brown (D)". Pollster.com. Archived from the original on 2008-09-18. Retrieved 2008-10-30.

[6] Blake, Aaron; Kucinich, Jackie (2008-01-10). "Doolittle says he will not seek reelection". The Hill. Retrieved 2008-10-18.

[7] "McClintock Launches Campaign for Congress". Tom McClintock's congressional Campaign. 2008-03-04. Archived from the original on March 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-18.

[8] "New McClintock Attack Site Plagiarizes Charlie Brown's Website". YubaNet.com. 2008-09-26. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2008-10-18.

[June-9] "Statement of Vote: June 3, 2008, Statewide Direct Primary Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. 2008-09-02. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-18.

[10] Whitney, David (2007-08-15). "Second Republican takes on Doolittle". The Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on 2008-06-02. Retrieved 2016-02-09.

[11] Moller, Dave. "Congressional Showdown". The Union. Retrieved 2008-10-18.

[12] "Cindy Sheehan considering run against Pelosi". CNN. 2007-07-08. Retrieved 2008-10-18.

[13] "Cindy Sheehan for Congress!". Peace and Freedom Party. Retrieved 2008-10-18.

[14] "County finalizes primary ballots". Inside Bay Area. 2008-03-11.

[15] "Rep. Jerry Lewis to Run for Re-election Despite Lobbying Probe". Fox News. Associated Press. 2008-08-31. Retrieved 2009-01-07.

[16] Heisel, William (2006-12-12). "Ex-aides allege abuse of power". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 10, 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-15.

[17] "Direct Primary Election, Candidate List" (PDF). County of San Diego - Registrar of Voters. 2008-03-26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-04-14. Retrieved 2008-03-26.

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