PolitiFinder

1996 California U.S. House District 44 Election

California · 4 candidates · See every 1996 U.S. House race

Who won the 1996 California U.S. House District 44 Election?

Sonny Bono won the 1996 California U.S. House District 44 Election. Sonny Bono received 110,643 popular votes (57.77%). The main challenger was Anita Rufus (38.56%).

See the full head-to-head between Bono and Rufus

Bono +19.2 pts · won by 36,799 votes
Sonny BonoRepublicanWINNER57.77%
110,643 votes
Anita RufusDemocratic38.56%
73,844 votes
Donald CochranIndependent2.03%
3,888 votes
Karen Wilkinsonnatural law1.64%
3,143 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.