2016Final results
2016 election for California's 8th District
U.S. House · California
Paul Cook (R) won with 62.3% of the vote, defeating Rita Ramirez (D) by 24.5 points.
Paul CookRepublican · winner
62.3%136,972
Rita RamirezDemocrat
37.7%83,035
220,007 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Oct 1, 2026, 4:52 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 2016
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Oct 1, 2026, 4:52 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Rita RamirezPaul Cook
$35.7K
Raised by the campaign
$944.7K
$31.6K
Spent by the campaign
$909.7K
$4.1K
Cash on hand
$571.2K
Campaign money: FEC, through Oct 19, 2016; FEC, through Dec 31, 2016.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2016