PolitiFinder

1978 California U.S. House District 16 Election

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

Who won the 1978 California U.S. House District 16 Election?

Leon E. Panetta won the 1978 California U.S. House District 16 Election. Leon E. Panetta received 104,550 popular votes (61.37%). The main challenger was Eric Seastrand (38.63%).

See the full head-to-head between Panetta and Seastrand

Panetta +22.7 pts · won by 38,742 votes
Leon E. PanettaDemocraticWINNER61.37%
104,550 votes
Eric SeastrandRepublican38.63%
65,808 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.