California's 7th Congressional District election, 2016
The 7th Congressional District of California held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 8, 2016.
California's 7th Congressional District was a battleground district in 2016. Incumbent Ami Bera (D) won re-election to his third term in 2016. He defeated Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones (R) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Both candidates advanced past the top-two primary by default, as they were the only two to file in the race.[4][5][6]
| 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.[7][8]
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 August 2024, 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 Ami Bera (D), who was first elected in 2012.
California's 7th Congressional District is located in the central portion of the state and includes much of Sacramento County.[9]
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Ami Bera Incumbent |
51.2% | 152,133 | |
| Republican | Scott Jones | 48.8% | 145,168 | |
| Total Votes | 297,301 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State | ||||
Primary election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |
Ami Bera Incumbent |
54% | 93,506 | |
| Republican | Scott Jones |
46% | 79,640 | |
| Total Votes | 173,146 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State |
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Candidates
|
General election candidates:  Ami Bera   Scott Jones |
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Primary candidates: Ami Bera - Incumbent[5] Scott Jones - Sacramento County Sheriff[5][10] |
Race background
Incumbent Ami Bera was one of the initial 14 members of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Frontline Program. The program was designed to help protect vulnerable Democratic incumbents heading into the 2016 election.[11]
Scott Jones was a member of the NRCC's Young Guns Program in 2016. The Young Guns program "supports and mentors challenger and open-seat candidates in races across the country."[12]
Campaign finance fraud
On May 10, 2016, incumbent Ami Bera's father, Bob Bera, pleaded guilty of violating campaign finance laws. Bob Bera made the maximum allowed contribution to his son's campaign in the 2010 and 2012 election and then got friends and relatives to do the same. Bob Bera would then reimburse them, effectively circumventing campaign finance laws. Ami Bera released a statement claiming to be unaware of his father's activity. He said, "I am incredibly saddened and disappointed in learning what my dad did. While I deeply love my father, it's clear he has made a grave mistake that will have real consequences for him. Neither I, no anyone involved with my campaign, was aware of my father's activities until we learned about them from the U.S. Attorney's Office." Bera also said that he returned the illegal contributions to the U.S. Treasury.[13]
On August 18, 2016, Bob Bera was sentenced to a year in prison and fined $100,000. Bera's campaign manager said of the ruling, "This is one of the most difficult experiences of Congressman Bera's and his entire family's lives. Babulal Bera made a grave mistake and he now has to face the consequences of that."[14]
Polls
| California’s 7th District - Ami Bera vs. Scott Jones | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Ami Bera |
Scott Jones | Margin of Error | Sample Size | |||||||||||||||
| Tulchin Research/DCCC October 10-12, 2016 | 50% | 39% | +/-4.9 | 400 | |||||||||||||||
| NRSC/Public Opinion Strategies October 1-3, 2016 | 42% | 47% | +/-4.9 | 400 | |||||||||||||||
| NRSC/Public Opinion Strategies August 14-17, 2016 | 46% | 45% | +/-4.9 | 400 | |||||||||||||||
| Congressional Leadership Fund/NMB Research August 9-11,2016 | 45% | 46% | +/-4.9 | 400 | |||||||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected] | |||||||||||||||||||
Media
Ami Bera
Support
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Opposition
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Campaign themes
Ami Bera
| “ |
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” |
| —Ami Bera's campaign website, http://www.beraforcongress.com/ | ||
Scott Jones
| “ |
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” |
| —Scott Jones' campaign website | ||
Campaign contributions
Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.
Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.
Ami Bera
Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.
Scott Jones
Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.
The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may not represent all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer, and campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
District history
2014
California's 7th Congressional District was a battleground district in 2014 due to the low margin of victory for Democrats in the last election and last two presidential elections. Incumbent Ami Bera (D) and Doug Ose (R) triumphed in the blanket primary over Igor Birman (R), Elizabeth Emken (R), Douglas Arthur Tuma (L) and Phill Tufi (I). Bera then narrowly defeated Ose in the general election.[16][17]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ami Bera Incumbent |
50.4% | 92,521 | |
| Republican | Doug Ose | 49.6% | 91,066 | |
| Total Votes | 183,587 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State | ||||
2012
Ami Bera won election in 2012, defeating Dan Lungren in the general election on November 6, 2012.[18][19]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ami Bera |
51.7% | 141,241 | |
| Republican | Dan Lungren Incumbent | 48.3% | 132,050 | |
| Total Votes | 273,291 | |||
| 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
- ↑ The Sacramento Bee, " Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones plans 2016 challenge of Democratic Rep. Ami Bera," November 13, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 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
- ↑ California Redistricting Map, "Map," accessed September 25, 2012
- ↑ The Sacramento Bee, " Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones plans 2016 challenge of Democratic Rep. Ami Bera," November 13, 2015
- ↑ Roll Call, "Exclusive: DCCC Announces 14 Incumbents in Frontline Program," February 12, 2015
- ↑ NRCC, "32 Congressional Candidates Announced “On the Radar” as Part of NRCC’s Young Guns Program," November 19, 2015
- ↑ KCRA.com, "Rep. Ami Bera's father admits to violating campaign finance rules," May 10, 2016
- ↑ KCRA 3, "Rep. Ami Bera's father sentenced to year in prison," August 18, 2016
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The New York Times, "California Primary Results," June 3, 2014
- ↑ The Sacramento Bee, "Bera beats Ose in high-priced congressional race," November 19, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed January 21, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official election results," accessed January 14, 2014
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For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!
