1980Final results
1980 election for Washington's 5th District
U.S. House · Washington
Thomas Foley (D) won with 51.9% of the vote, defeating John Sonneland (R) by 3.8 points.
Thomas FoleyDemocrat · winner
51.9%120,530
John SonnelandRepublican
48.1%111,705
232,235 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.
Thomas FoleyJohn Sonneland
$378.8K
Raised by the campaign
$213.7K
$346.8K
Spent by the campaign
$213.9K
$0
Cash on hand
$0
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1980.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1980