1988Final results
1988 election for California's 36th District
U.S. House · California
George Brown (D) won with 54.0% of the vote, defeating John Paul Stark (R) by 11.5 points.
George BrownDemocrat · winner
54.0%103,493
John Paul StarkRepublican
42.5%81,413
Kenneth E. ValentineLibertarian
1.8%3,382
Fred L. AndersonIndependent
1.8%3,360
191,648 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.
George BrownJohn Paul Stark
$504.4K
Raised by the campaign
$219K
$532.9K
Spent by the campaign
$218.7K
$8.9K
Cash on hand
$2.7K
Other candidates' campaigns: Fred L. Anderson $2.4K.
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1988.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1988
The candidates
George Brown (D)John Paul Stark (R)
Also on the ballot: Kenneth E. Valentine (Libertarian), 1.8%; Fred L. Anderson (Independent), 1.8%