1998Final results
1998 election for California's 5th District
U.S. House · California
Robert Matsui (D) won with 71.9% of the vote, defeating Robert S. Dinsmore (R) by 45.9 points.
Robert MatsuiDemocrat · winner
71.9%130,715
Robert S. DinsmoreRepublican
26.0%47,307
Douglas Arthur TumaLibertarian
2.1%3,746
181,768 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.
Robert MatsuiRobert S. Dinsmore
$674K
Raised by the campaign
$17.4K
$587.8K
Spent by the campaign
$17.5K
$231.3K
Cash on hand
$0
Other candidates' campaigns: Douglas Arthur Tuma $1.8K.
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1998; FEC, through Dec 5, 1998.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1998