1980Final results
1980 election for California's 37th District
U.S. House · California
Jerry Lewis (R) won with 71.6% of the vote, defeating Donald M. "don" Rusk (D) by 46.4 points.
Jerry LewisRepublican · winner
71.6%165,371
Donald M. "don" RuskDemocrat
25.1%58,091
Larry MorrisLibertarian
3.3%7,615
231,077 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.
Donald M. "don" RuskJerry Lewis
$42.8K
Raised by the campaign
$132.6K
$42.8K
Spent by the campaign
$54.5K
$0
Cash on hand
$0
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1980.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1980