2008Final results
2008 election for California's 17th District
U.S. House · California
Sam Farr (D) won with 73.9% of the vote, defeating Jeff Taylor (R) by 48.1 points.
Sam FarrDemocrat · winner
73.9%168,907
Jeff TaylorRepublican
25.8%59,037
228,626 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 2008
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 FarrJeff Taylor
$743.1K
Raised by the campaign
$157.4K
$775.8K
Spent by the campaign
$152.1K
$79.8K
Cash on hand
$5.4K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 2008.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2008