1998Final results
1998 election for California's 17th District
U.S. House · California
Sam Farr (D) won with 64.5% of the vote, defeating Bill McCampbell (R) by 31.9 points.
Sam FarrDemocrat · winner
64.5%103,719
Bill McCampbellRepublican
32.7%52,470
Rick S. GarrettLibertarian
1.7%2,791
Scott R. HartleyNatural Law
1.1%1,710
160,690 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 1998
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 FarrBill McCampbell
$422.7K
Raised by the campaign
$114.4K
$381.5K
Spent by the campaign
$108.9K
$137.1K
Cash on hand
$5.5K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1998.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1998
The candidates
Sam Farr (D)Bill McCampbell (R)
Also on the ballot: Rick S. Garrett (Libertarian), 1.7%; Scott R. Hartley (Natural Law), 1.1%