PolitiFinder

1978 California U.S. House District 38 Election

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

Who won the 1978 California U.S. House District 38 Election?

Jerry M. Patterson won the 1978 California U.S. House District 38 Election. Jerry M. Patterson received 75,471 popular votes (58.61%). The main challenger was Dan Goedeke (41.39%).

See the full head-to-head between Patterson and Goedeke

Patterson +17.2 pts · won by 22,173 votes
Jerry M. PattersonDemocraticWINNER58.61%
75,471 votes
Dan GoedekeRepublican41.39%
53,298 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.