1996Final results
1996 election for California's 17th District
U.S. House · California
Sam Farr (D) won with 58.9% of the vote, defeating Jess Brown (R) by 21.1 points.
Sam FarrDemocrat · winner
58.9%115,116
Jess BrownRepublican
37.8%73,856
John H. BlackNatural Law
3.4%6,573
195,545 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.
Sam FarrJess Brown
$774.1K
Raised by the campaign
$418.6K
$793.5K
Spent by the campaign
$418.3K
$95.9K
Cash on hand
$271
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996