1986Final results
1986 election for California's 21st District
U.S. House · California
Elton Gallegly (R) won with 68.4% of the vote, defeating Gilbert R. Saldana (D) by 40.2 points.
Elton GalleglyRepublican · winner
68.4%132,090
Gilbert R. SaldanaDemocrat
28.2%54,497
Daniel WienerLibertarian
3.4%6,504
193,091 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 1986
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.
Gilbert R. SaldanaElton Gallegly
$76.1K
Raised by the campaign
$631.4K
$65.5K
Spent by the campaign
$591K
$10.5K
Cash on hand
$40.4K
Campaign money: FEC, through Oct 15, 1986; FEC, through Dec 31, 1986.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1986