1996Final results
1996 election for California's 4th District
U.S. House · California
John Doolittle (R) won with 60.5% of the vote, defeating Katie Hirning (D) by 24.4 points.
John DoolittleRepublican · winner
60.5%164,048
Katie HirningDemocrat
36.1%97,948
Patrick Lee McHargueLibertarian
3.4%9,319
271,315 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.
Katie HirningJohn Doolittle
$199.7K
Raised by the campaign
$717.3K
$199.2K
Spent by the campaign
$604.8K
$2.5K
Cash on hand
$129K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996