1988Final results
1988 election for California's 21st District
U.S. House · California
Elton Gallegly (R) won with 69.1% of the vote, defeating Donald E. Stevens (D) by 40.2 points.
Elton GalleglyRepublican · winner
69.1%181,413
Donald E. StevensDemocrat
28.8%75,739
Robert JayLibertarian
2.1%5,519
262,671 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.
No DemocratElton Gallegly
—
Raised by the campaign
$506.4K
—
Spent by the campaign
$465.3K
—
Cash on hand
$81.5K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1988.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1988