2000Final results
2000 election for California's 12th District
U.S. House · California
Tom Lantos (D) won with 74.5% of the vote, defeating Mike Garza (R) by 53.7 points.
Tom LantosDemocrat · winner
74.5%158,404
Mike GarzaRepublican
20.8%44,162
Barbara J. LessLibertarian
3.0%6,431
Rifkin YoungNatural Law
1.7%3,559
212,556 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 2000
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.
Tom LantosNo Republican
$510K
Raised by the campaign
—
$311K
Spent by the campaign
—
$678.7K
Cash on hand
—
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 2000.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2000
The candidates
Tom Lantos (D)Mike Garza (R)
Also on the ballot: Barbara J. Less (Libertarian), 3.0%; Rifkin Young (Natural Law), 1.7%