2005 California's 5th congressional district special election
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On March 8, 2005, a special election was held in the California's 5th congressional district to choose a U.S. Representative to replace Bob Matsui, who had died of pneumonia shortly after being re-elected in the 2004 elections. Matsui's wife, Doris, was quickly able to win support from the Democratic Party officials, and ended up winning over two-thirds of the vote in the special primary election, meaning a run-off would not be needed. As of 2021, this is the last time a widow succeeded their spouse in Congress.[a]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Doris Matsui | 56,175 | 67.65 | |
| Democratic | Julie Padilla | 7,158 | 8.62 | |
| Republican | John Flynn | 6,559 | 7.90 | |
| Republican | Serge Chernay | 3,742 | 4.51 | |
| Republican | Michael O'Brien | 2,591 | 3.12 | |
| Republican | Shane Singh | 1,753 | 2.11 | |
| Republican | Bruce Stevens | 1,124 | 1.35 | |
| Green | Pat Driscoll | 976 | 1.18 | |
| Independent | Leonard Padilla | 916 | 1.10 | |
| Democratic | Charles Pineda | 659 | 0.79 | |
| Libertarian | Gale Morgan | 451 | 0.54 | |
| Peace and Freedom | John Reiger | 286 | 0.34 | |
| Democratic | Lara Shapiro (write-in) | 6 | 0.01 | |
| Invalid or blank votes | 637 | 0.77 | ||
| Total votes | 83,033 | 100.0 | ||
| Turnout | {{{votes}}} | 27.72 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
References
- ^ In 2020, Luke Letlow was elected to represent Louisiana but died before he could be sworn in. The special election to fill his vacant seat was won by his widow, Julia Letlow.
- ^ "Special Election Results" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 29, 2008. Retrieved May 29, 2008.
