1996Flipped from DemocraticFinal results
1996 election for California's 15th District
U.S. House · California
Tom Campbell (R) won with 58.5% of the vote, defeating Dick Lane (D) by 23.7 points, a seat Democrats won last time.
Tom CampbellRepublican · winner
58.5%132,737
Dick LaneDemocrat
34.8%79,048
Valli Sharpe-GeislerReform
2.7%6,230
Ed Leo WimmersLibertarian
2.4%5,481
Bruce CurrivanNatural Law
1.5%3,372
226,868 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.
Dick LaneTom Campbell
$68.1K
Raised by the campaign
$2.5M
$71.4K
Spent by the campaign
$2.2M
$263
Cash on hand
$352.1K
Other candidates' campaigns: Valli Sharpe-Geisler $23.7K.
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996
The candidates
Tom Campbell (R)Dick Lane (D)
Also on the ballot: Valli Sharpe-Geisler (Reform), 2.7%; Ed Leo Wimmers (Libertarian), 2.4%; Bruce Currivan (Natural Law), 1.5%