1996Flipped from RepublicanFinal results
1996 election for California's 10th District
U.S. House · California
Ellen Tauscher (D) won with 48.6% of the vote, defeating William Baker (R) by 1.4 points, a seat Republicans won last time.
Ellen TauscherDemocrat · winner
48.6%137,726
William BakerRepublican
47.2%133,633
John PlaceReform
2.2%6,354
Valerie JanloisNatural Law
1.1%3,047
Gregory K. LyonLibertarian
0.9%2,423
283,183 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 1996
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.
Ellen TauscherWilliam Baker
$2.6M
Raised by the campaign
$1.5M
$2.6M
Spent by the campaign
$1.4M
$671
Cash on hand
$66.1K
Other candidates' campaigns: John Place $94.1K · Gregory K. Lyon $17.7K · Valerie Janlois $5.6K.
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996
The candidates
Ellen Tauscher (D)William Baker (R)
Also on the ballot: John Place (Reform), 2.2%; Valerie Janlois (Natural Law), 1.1%; Gregory K. Lyon (Libertarian), 0.9%