PolitiFinder

1996 California U.S. House District 5 Election

California · 5 candidates · See every 1996 U.S. House race

Who won the 1996 California U.S. House District 5 Election?

Robert T. Matsui won the 1996 California U.S. House District 5 Election. Robert T. Matsui received 142,618 popular votes (70.44%). The main challenger was Robert S. Dinsmore (26.15%).

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

Matsui +44.3 pts · won by 89,678 votes
Robert T. MatsuiDemocraticWINNER70.44%
142,618 votes
Robert S. DinsmoreRepublican26.15%
52,940 votes
Joseph B. MillerLibertarian1.26%
2,548 votes
Gordon D. MorsIndependent1.1%
2,231 votes
Charles Kerseynatural law1.05%
2,123 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.