1986Final results
1986 election for California's 26th District
U.S. House · California
Howard L. Berman (D) won with 65.1% of the vote, defeating Robert M. Kerns (R) by 30.1 points.
Howard L. BermanDemocrat · winner
65.1%98,091
Robert M. KernsRepublican
34.9%52,662
150,753 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.
Howard L. BermanRobert M. Kerns
$277.7K
Raised by the campaign
$8.6K
$273K
Spent by the campaign
$10.3K
$21.3K
Cash on hand
$0
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1986.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1986