Federal race · 2020
California U.S. House, District 8, 2020
Primary: March 3, 2020 · General election: November 3, 2020
Money raised
- Jay Obernolte (R)$2M raised · $70K on hand
- Christine Bubser (D)$1.9M raised · $1K on hand
- Paul Cook (R)$348K raised · $3K on hand
- Timothy M. Donnelly (R)$212K raised · $0 on hand
- Jeremy Staat (R)$126K raised · $201 on hand
- Jeff Esmus (NON)$21K raised · $9K on hand
- Robert Dean Conaway (D)$7K raised · −$26 on hand
- James Robert Ellars (D)$2K raised · $166 on hand
- Blanca Gomez (D)$931 raised · $894 on hand
Raised Cash on hand · bars are blue for Democrats, red for Republicans, gray for others
Candidates
| Candidate | Status | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand | Through |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jay Obernolte (R) | Won the general election (56.1%) | $2,028,339.32 | $1,958,786.11 | $69,583.21 | 2020-12-31 |
| Christine Bubser (D) | Lost the general election (43.9%) | $1,878,105.57 | $1,876,717.93 | $1,387.64 | 2020-12-31 |
| Paul Cook (R) | Not running (declined to run) | $347,752.66 | $484,891.11 | $3,118.66 | 2020-12-31 |
| Timothy M. Donnelly (R) | Lost primary | $212,020.37 | $212,847.28 | $0.00 | 2020-03-31 |
| Jeremy Staat (R) | Lost primary | $125,797.96 | $123,356.63 | $201.35 | 2020-12-31 |
| Jeff Esmus (NON) | Lost primary | $21,000.00 | $12,479.92 | $8,520.08 | 2020-03-31 |
| Robert Dean Conaway (D) | Lost primary | $7,470.57 | $7,496.07 | −$25.50 | 2020-02-12 |
| James Robert Ellars (D) | Lost primary | $2,056.20 | $1,890.25 | $165.95 | 2019-12-31 |
| Blanca Gomez (D) | Registered with the FEC; has not yet raised or spent $5,000 | $931.00 | $36.79 | $894.21 | 2020-12-31 |
| Craya Conradina Caron (R) | Registered with the FEC; has not yet raised or spent $5,000 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2020-07-15 |
Totals from the FEC candidate summary file, retrieved October 23, 2026. A dated snapshot, not live reporting; each candidate’s FEC page is the official source.
Total spent on this race
$4,994,047.16 = candidates’ own spending $4,161,003.97 + outside spending $833,043.19
| Candidate | Outside spending for | Against | Electioneering and member messages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timothy M. Donnelly | $74,703.06 | $348,815.04 | $0.00 |
| Jay Obernolte | $365,006.00 | $59.76 | $23,544.36 |
| Christine Bubser | $7,909.84 | $0.00 | $4,360.62 |
| Paul Cook | $8,600.00 | $44.51 | $0.00 |
Candidates’ own spending is their committees’ disbursements less transfers to other committees, contributions to others, loan repayments and refunds (FEC committee summary). Outside spending is independent expenditures, electioneering communications and company or union member communications for or against these candidates (FEC totals by candidate from regular reports, retrieved October 24, 2026; the latest 24- and 48-hour notices are not included yet). Party coordinated spending is not split by race and is not included. All the money
Polling and ratings
Race ratings
Recent polls
| Pollster | Dates | Sample | Margin of error | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global Strategy Group (D) | August 1–5, 2020 | 400 (LV) | ± 4.9% | Jay Obernolte 48% · Christine Bubser 38% |
Ratings and polls as listed on Wikipedia: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in California (retrieved October 23, 2026), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. TerraCivic does not rate races or compute its own average.
Results
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jay Obernolte | Republican Party | 158,711 | 56.1% |
| Christine Bubser | Democratic Party | 124,400 | 43.9% |
As listed on Wikipedia; official results come from the state election office.
TerraCivic shows public filings without scores, grades or judgments about any candidate.
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