1998Final results
1998 election for California's 38th District
U.S. House · California
Stephen Horn (R) won with 52.9% of the vote, defeating Peter Mathews (D) by 8.6 points.
Stephen HornRepublican · winner
52.9%71,386
Peter MathewsDemocrat
44.3%59,767
David BowersLibertarian
2.7%3,705
134,858 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.
Peter MathewsStephen Horn
$166K
Raised by the campaign
$414.2K
$165.6K
Spent by the campaign
$238.6K
$678
Cash on hand
$202.7K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1998.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1998