1996Flipped from RepublicanFinal results
1996 election for California's 46th District
U.S. House · California
Loretta Sanchez (D) won with 46.7% of the vote, defeating Robert Dornan (R) by 1.0 points, a seat Republicans won last time.
Loretta SanchezDemocrat · winner
46.7%47,964
Robert DornanRepublican
45.7%46,980
Lawrence J. StaffordReform
3.4%3,535
Thomas E. ReimerLibertarian
2.3%2,333
J. Carlos AguirreNatural Law
1.9%1,972
102,784 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.
Loretta SanchezRobert Dornan
$829.8K
Raised by the campaign
$748.3K
$818.6K
Spent by the campaign
$742K
$11.2K
Cash on hand
$119.8K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996
The candidates
Loretta Sanchez (D)Robert Dornan (R)
Also on the ballot: Lawrence J. Stafford (Reform), 3.4%; Thomas E. Reimer (Libertarian), 2.3%; J. Carlos Aguirre (Natural Law), 1.9%