California's 20th Congressional District election, 2016
The 20th Congressional District of California held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 8, 2016.
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Democratic. Incumbent Sam Farr (D) did not seek re-election in 2016. Jimmy Panetta (D) defeated Casey Lucius (R) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Panetta and Lucius defeated Joe Williams (Peace and Freedom), Jack Digby (Independent), and Barbara Honegger (Independent) in the top-two primary on June 7, 2016.[4][5]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: California uses a top-two primary system, in which all candidates appear on the same ballot. The top two vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, move on to the general election. In states that do not use a top-two system, all parties are usually able to put forward a candidate for the general election if they choose to.[6][7]
Unlike the top-two format used in some states (Louisiana and Georgia special elections for example), a general election between the top-two candidates in California occurs regardless of whether the top candidate received 50% of the vote in the first round of elections.
As of June 2025, California was one of five states to use a top-two primary system, or a variation of the top-two system. See here for more information.
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Sam Farr (D), who was first elected in 1992. Farr announced that he would not seek re-election on November 12, 2015.[8]
As of the 2010 redistricting cycle, California's 20th Congressional District was located in the western portion of the state and included the counties of Monterey and San Benito as well as portions of the counties of Santa Clara and Santa Cruz.[9]
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Jimmy Panetta |
70.8% | 180,980 | |
| Republican | Casey Lucius | 29.2% | 74,811 | |
| Total Votes | 255,791 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State | ||||
Primary election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |
Jimmy Panetta |
70.8% | 116,826 | |
| Republican | Casey Lucius |
19.8% | 32,726 | |
| Peace and Freedom | Joe Williams | 3.9% | 6,400 | |
| Independent | Barbara Honegger | 3.7% | 6,054 | |
| Independent | Jack Digby | 1.8% | 2,932 | |
| Total Votes | 164,938 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State |
||||
Candidates
|
General election candidates:  Jimmy Panetta   Casey Lucius |
|
Primary candidates: Jimmy Panetta - Monterey County Deputy District Attorney[4][10] Casey Lucius[4][11]  Joe Williams (Peace and Freedom)[4][12] Jack Digby (Independent)[4][12] Barbara Honegger (Independent)[4] |
|
Not running: |
|
Withdrew: Matt Bruner (No Party Preference)[4][12] |
Endorsements
Jimmy Panetta
- The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California[14]
- Retiring incumbent Sam Farr - "Jimmy Panetta has been very involved in the community his entire life. What I find, is that you need a Congressmember who is passionate about the district - who knows that the environment is our greatest asset. You have to protect that - that's our coastline, our mountains and our valleys - it's agriculture, it's tourism. I'm really fond of Jimmy. I've watched him on the Marine Sanctuary Advisory Committee to protect the coast. I watched him raise money to help build the veterans cemetery. Jimmy is a local kid - he knows this area."[15]
District history
2014
The 20th Congressional District of California held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Sam Farr (D) defeated Ronald Paul Kabat (I) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sam Farr Incumbent |
75.2% | 106,034 | |
| Independent | Ronald Paul Kabat | 24.8% | 35,010 | |
| Total Votes | 141,044 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State | ||||
2012
The 20th Congressional District of California held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. The incumbent from the 17th District, Sam Farr, won election in the district.[16]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sam Farr Incumbent |
74.1% | 172,996 | |
| Republican | Jeff Taylor | 25.9% | 60,566 | |
| Total Votes | 233,562 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
Important dates and deadlines
- See also: California elections, 2016
The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in California in 2016.
| Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Event type | Event description | |
| February 1, 2016 | Campaign finance | Semi-annual report due | |
| February 25, 2016 | Ballot access | Close of signature in lieu of filing fee period for voter-nominated offices | |
| March 11, 2016 | Ballot access | Close of declaration of candidacy and nomination paper period for voter-nominated offices | |
| April 28, 2016 | Campaign finance | Pre-election report due | |
| May 26, 2016 | Campaign finance | Pre-election report due | |
| August 1, 2016 | Campaign finance | Semi-annual report due | |
| June 7, 2016 | Election date | Primary election | |
| November 8, 2016 | Election date | General election | |
| Sources: California Secretary of State, "Key Dates and Deadlines," accessed January 11, 2016 California Fair Political Practices Commission, "Filing Schedule for State Candidate Controlled Committees Listed on the June 7, 2016 Ballot," accessed January 11, 2016 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2016
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2016
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2016 House Race Ratings for July 11, 2016," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2016 House," accessed July 18, 2016
- ↑ Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, "House Ratings," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 California Secretary of State, "Certified List of Candidates for Voter-Nominated Offices June 7, 2016, Presidential Primary Election," accessed April 4, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "California Primary Results," June 7, 2016
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed August 13, 2024
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Primary Elections in California," accessed August 13, 2024
- ↑ Facebook, "Sam Farr," November 12, 2015
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Counties by Congressional Districts," accessed June 8, 2016
- ↑ Santa Cruz Sentinel, "Election 2016: Jimmy Panetta launches campaign for Congress," November 17, 2015
- ↑ Casey Lucius for Congress, "Home," accessed September 9, 2015
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 County of Santa Cruz, "June 7, 2016 Presidential Primary Election - Candidate Watch," accessed January 25, 2016
- ↑ Facebook, "Sam Farr," November 12, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "ARNOLD stars for KASICH -- CD25 game changer? -- SUPER BOWL windfall," March 4, 2016
- ↑ KSBW.com, "Rep. Sam Farr endorses Jimmy Panetta for Congress," March 17, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, California," accessed August 15, 2012
For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!
