1988Final results
1988 election for California's 20th District
U.S. House · California
William Thomas (R) won with 71.1% of the vote, defeating Lita Reid (D) by 44.0 points.
William ThomasRepublican · winner
71.1%162,779
Lita ReidDemocrat
27.1%62,037
David BersohnLibertarian
1.8%4,190
229,006 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 1988
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.
Lita ReidWilliam Thomas
$13.9K
Raised by the campaign
$336.6K
$13K
Spent by the campaign
$329.4K
$879
Cash on hand
$200.9K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1988.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1988