PolitiFinder

1978 California U.S. House District 3 Election

California · 2 candidates · See every 1978 U.S. House race

Who won the 1978 California U.S. House District 3 Election?

Robert T. Matsui won the 1978 California U.S. House District 3 Election. Robert T. Matsui received 105,537 popular votes (53.44%). The main challenger was Sandy Smoley (46.56%).

See the full head-to-head between Matsui and Smoley

Matsui +6.9 pts · won by 13,571 votes
Robert T. MatsuiDemocraticWINNER53.44%
105,537 votes
Sandy SmoleyRepublican46.56%
91,966 votes
Popular-vote totals for U.S. House elections come from the MIT Election Data and Science Lab (1976–2024).

Data last verified July 28, 2026.