1990Flipped from DemocraticFinal results
1990 election for California's 44th District
U.S. House · California
Randall Cunningham (R) won with 46.3% of the vote, defeating Jim Bates (D) by 1.5 points, a seat Democrats won last time.
Randall CunninghamRepublican · winner
46.3%50,377
Jim BatesDemocrat
44.8%48,712
Donna WhitePeace and Freedom
4.8%5,237
John WallnerLibertarian
4.0%4,385
108,711 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 1990
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.
Jim BatesRandall Cunningham
$787.6K
Raised by the campaign
$539.7K
$764.3K
Spent by the campaign
$534.2K
-$4.2K
Cash on hand
$5.6K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1990.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1990
The candidates
Randall Cunningham (R)Jim Bates (D)
Also on the ballot: Donna White (Peace and Freedom), 4.8%; John Wallner (Libertarian), 4.0%