2012Final results
2012 election for California's 16th District
U.S. House · California
Jim Costa (D) won with 57.4% of the vote, defeating Brian Daniel Whelan (R) by 14.8 points.
Jim CostaDemocrat · winner
57.4%84,649
Brian Daniel WhelanRepublican
42.6%62,801
147,450 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 2012
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.
Jim CostaBrian Daniel Whelan
$1.5M
Raised by the campaign
$706.1K
$1.3M
Spent by the campaign
$694.5K
$210.6K
Cash on hand
$11.6K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 2012.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2012