2008Final results
2008 election for California's 49th District
U.S. House · California
Darrell Issa (R) won with 58.3% of the vote, defeating Robert Hamilton (D) by 20.8 points.
Darrell IssaRepublican · winner
58.3%140,300
Robert HamiltonDemocrat
37.5%90,138
Lars R. GrossmithLibertarian
4.3%10,232
240,670 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.
Robert HamiltonDarrell Issa
$63.2K
Raised by the campaign
$1M
$63.2K
Spent by the campaign
$950.6K
$0
Cash on hand
$123K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 2008.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2008