PolitiFinder

1972 California U.S. House District 17 Election

California · 4 candidates · See every 1972 U.S. House race

Who won the 1972 California U.S. House District 17 Election?

Paul N. Pete McCloskey Jr. won the 1972 California U.S. House District 17 Election. Paul N. Pete McCloskey Jr. received 110,988 popular votes (54.54%). The main challenger was William Kirk Stewart (35.93%).

See the full head-to-head between Jr. and Stewart

Jr. +18.6 pts · won by 37,865 votes
Paul N. Pete McCloskey Jr.RepublicanWINNER54.54%
110,988 votes
William Kirk StewartDemocratic35.93%
73,123 votes
James Gordon KnappRepublican9.52%
19,377 votes
Dean S Reedsocialist workers0%
1 votes
Popular-vote totals for this U.S. House election come from the Constituency-Level Elections Archive (CLEA) and the official public record.

Data last verified July 28, 2026.