1980Final results
1980 election for California Assembly District 12
California State Assembly · California
Tom Bates (D) won with 60.5% of the vote, defeating William J. Sullivan (R) by 27.7 points.
Tom BatesDemocrat · winner · incumbent
60.5%77,238
William J. SullivanRepublican
32.8%41,898
Kelly L. HaughtonLibertarian
4.2%5,427
Hilda S. CowanPeace and Freedom
2.5%3,168
127,731 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1980
Races before and after
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The candidates
Tom Bates (D)William J. Sullivan (R)
Also on the ballot: Kelly L. Haughton (Libertarian), 4.2%; Hilda S. Cowan (Peace and Freedom), 2.5%