1996Final results
1996 election for California's 44th District
U.S. House · California
Sonny Bono (R) won with 57.8% of the vote, defeating Anita Rufus (D) by 19.2 points.
Sonny BonoRepublican · winner
57.8%110,643
Anita RufusDemocrat
38.6%73,844
Donald CochranAmerican Independent
2.0%3,888
Karen WilkinsonNatural Law
1.6%3,143
191,518 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.
Anita RufusSonny Bono
$116.4K
Raised by the campaign
$475.8K
$116.2K
Spent by the campaign
$459.5K
$199
Cash on hand
$24.3K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996
The candidates
Sonny Bono (R)Anita Rufus (D)
Also on the ballot: Donald Cochran (American Independent), 2.0%; Karen Wilkinson (Natural Law), 1.6%