PolitiFinder

1978 California U.S. House District 42 Election

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

Who won the 1978 California U.S. House District 42 Election?

Lionel Van Deerlin won the 1978 California U.S. House District 42 Election. Lionel Van Deerlin received 85,126 popular votes (73.74%). The main challenger was Lawrence C. Mattera (26.26%).

See the full head-to-head between Deerlin and Mattera

Deerlin +47.5 pts · won by 54,807 votes
Lionel Van DeerlinDemocraticWINNER73.74%
85,126 votes
Lawrence C. MatteraRepublican26.26%
30,319 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.