1988Final results
1988 election for California's 6th District
U.S. House · California
Barbara Boxer (D) won with 73.4% of the vote, defeating William Steinmetz (R) by 46.7 points.
Barbara BoxerDemocrat · winner
73.4%176,645
William SteinmetzRepublican
26.6%64,174
240,819 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.
Barbara BoxerWilliam Steinmetz
$450.3K
Raised by the campaign
$51K
$351.7K
Spent by the campaign
$50.5K
$233.1K
Cash on hand
$423
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1988.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1988