1986Final results
1986 election for California's 38th District
U.S. House · California
Robert Dornan (R) won with 55.3% of the vote, defeating Richard Robinson (D) by 12.9 points.
Robert DornanRepublican · winner
55.3%66,032
Richard RobinsonDemocrat
42.4%50,625
Lee ConnellyLibertarian
2.3%2,807
119,464 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.
Richard RobinsonRobert Dornan
$592.4K
Raised by the campaign
$1.2M
$581.9K
Spent by the campaign
$1.2M
$10.5K
Cash on hand
$39.5K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1986.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1986