Jim Bates

U.S. Representative
Born
July 21, 1941
Current age
85
Home state
California
Party
Democratic
On the ballot
1982–1990
4-1
RecordWin–Loss
Total Popular Votes
Bates387,917
Opponents246,105
5
Elections run

Between 1982 and 1990, Jim Bates ran in 5 U.S. House elections, winning 4 and losing 1. Bates's biggest single-election total was 99,378 votes, in the 1984 U.S. House election in California's District 44. Bates's closest win came in the 1986 U.S. House election in California's District 44, decided by 34,198 votes.

Browse every U.S. House race in California's District 44 or all 1990 U.S. House races.

How many votes has Jim Bates received?

Jim Bates has received 387,917 popular votes across 5 U.S. elections, with a career record of 4–1.

Election history

Jim Bates’s election history
YearOfficeResultVotesOpponent(s)
1990U.S. HouseCaliforniaLost48,71244.81%Randy Duke Cunningham
Donna White

John Wallner
1988U.S. HouseCaliforniaWon90,79659.7%Rob Butterfield
Dennis Thompson (head-to-head)
1986U.S. HouseCaliforniaWon70,55764.24%William D. Mitchell
Shirley Rachel Isaacson

Dennis Thompson (head-to-head)
1984U.S. HouseCaliforniaWon99,37869.71%Neill Campbell
Jim Conole (head-to-head)
1982U.S. HouseCaliforniaWon78,47464.95%Shirley M. Gissendanner
Jim Conole (head-to-head)
Identity & sources. Identity verified against the Congressional Bioguide (B000236) and Wikidata (Q1689035). Election results come from official certified totals and the MIT Election Data and Science Lab; see methodology.
Cite this profile. PolitiFinder, “Jim Bates: election history & vote totals.” https://politifinder.com/p/jim-bates. Accessed [date].

Compiled by PolitiFinder. Election results from official certified sources and the MIT Election Lab. See Data & sources and methodology. Data last verified July 28, 2026.