# 2005 California's 5th congressional district special election

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vte :
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vte :
vte :
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.

## Results

California's 5th congressional district special election, 2005 :
| Party | 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 | Invalid or blank votes | Invalid or blank votes | 637 | 0.77 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 83,033 | 100.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 27.72 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |