1980Final results
1980 election for California's 36th District
U.S. House · California
George Brown (D) won with 52.5% of the vote, defeating John Paul Stark (R) by 9.1 points.
George BrownDemocrat · winner
52.5%88,628
John Paul StarkRepublican
43.4%73,247
Harry J. HistenLibertarian
4.0%6,815
168,690 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1980
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
George BrownJohn Paul Stark
$89.3K
Raised by the campaign
$28.5K
$84.7K
Spent by the campaign
$28.1K
$0
Cash on hand
$0
Other candidates' campaigns: Harry J. Histen $1.4K.
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1980.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1980