PolitiFinder

1980 California U.S. House District 5 Election

California · 3 candidates · See every 1980 U.S. House race

Who won the 1980 California U.S. House District 5 Election?

John L. Burton won the 1980 California U.S. House District 5 Election. John L. Burton received 101,105 popular votes (51.11%). The main challenger was Dennis McQuaid (45.31%).

See the full head-to-head between Burton and McQuaid

Burton +5.8 pts · won by 11,481 votes
John L. BurtonDemocraticWINNER51.11%
101,105 votes
Dennis McQuaidRepublican45.31%
89,624 votes
Dan P. DoughertyLibertarian3.59%
7,092 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.