Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 27, 2026

Al McCandless

Alfred A. McCandless was an American businessman, military veteran, and politician who served six terms as a Republican politician from California from 1983 to 1995.

Last revised
Jul 27, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
517 w
Citations
7
Source
Al McCandless
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from California
In office
January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1995
Preceded byJerry Lewis (redistricting)
Succeeded bySonny Bono
Constituency37th district (1983–93)
44th district (1993–95)
Personal details
BornJuly 23, 1927
DiedAugust 9, 2017(2017-08-09) (aged 90)
PartyRepublican
Alma materUniversity of California at Los Angeles
Professionautomotive dealer
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Marine Corps
Years of service
1945–46
1950–52
RankCaptain

Alfred A. McCandless (July 23, 1927 – August 9, 2017) was an American businessman, military veteran, and politician who served six terms as a Republican politician from California from 1983 to 1995.

Biography

McCandless was born in Brawley, Imperial County, California, on July 23, 1927. He attended Los Angeles City schools and received a B.A., University of California at Los Angeles in 1951.

Military

McCandless served in the United States Marine Corps from 1945 to 1946 and from 1950 to 1952, and attained the rank of captain.

Early career

He later worked as an automobile and truck dealer from 1953 to 1975, and was a member of the Riverside County board of supervisors from 1972 to 1982 and the Riverside County housing authority from 1974 to 1982.

Congress

McCandless was elected as a Republican to the 98th and to the five succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1983 to January 3, 1995) and was not a candidate for reelection to the 114th Congress.

Death

McCandless died at his home in La Quinta, California, on August 9, 2017, at the age of 90.1

Electoral results

1982 United States House of Representatives elections in California2
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Al McCandless 105,065 59.1
Democratic Curtis R. "Sam" Cross 68,510 38.5
Libertarian Marc R. Wruble 4,297 2.4
Total votes 177,872 100.0
Republican hold
1984 United States House of Representatives elections in California3
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Al McCandless (Incumbent) 149,955 63.6
Democratic David E. "Dave" Skinner 85,908 36.4
Total votes 245,863 100.0
Republican hold
1986 United States House of Representatives elections in California4
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Al McCandless (Incumbent) 122,416 63.7
Democratic David E. "Dave" Skinner 69,808 36.3
Total votes 192,224 100.0
Republican hold
1988 United States House of Representatives elections in California5
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Al McCandless (Incumbent) 174,284 64.3
Democratic Johnny Pearson 89,666 33.1
Libertarian Bonnie Flickinger 7,169 2.6
Independent Write-ins 123 0.0
Total votes 271,242 100.0
Republican hold
1990 United States House of Representatives elections in California6
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Al McCandless (Incumbent) 115,469 49.7
Democratic Ralph Waite 103,961 44.8
American Independent Gary R. Odom 6,474 2.8
Libertarian Bonnie Flickinger 6,178 2.7
Total votes 232,082 100.0
Republican hold
1992 United States House of Representatives elections in California7
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Al McCandless (Incumbent) 110,333 54.2
Democratic Georgia Smith 81,693 40.1
Libertarian Phil Turner 11,515 5.7
Total votes 203,541 100.0
Republican hold
References

References

External links