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Ballot Explained

U.S. House · November 3, 2026

Who's running in California's 18th congressional district

2 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.

Candidates
2
Incumbent
Zoe Lofgren
Parties
Republican · Democratic
State primary
Jun 2

Candidates appear in ballot order. We do not rank them, score them, or recommend one — here is how this is put together, and here is what the office actually does.

2 candidates · ballot order · Zoe Lofgren currently holds this seat

Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.

What they say they stand for

Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.

  • Local government control over federal mandates, so that governments share common goals rather than imposing them downward.
  • Immigration policy that respects local community input rather than federal overreach.
  • Education reform tied to measurable student progress and state standards.
  • Water accessibility for agriculture.
  • Guest worker programmes for farm labour.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • U.S. Marine Corps veteran; completed recruit training at Parris Island and parachutist qualification at Fort Benning.
  • Engineer at PROCEPT BioRobotics.
  • Bachelor's and master's degrees in political science and government from Liberty University.
  • Has not held elected office.
  • Advanced from the June 2, 2026 top-two primary.

Arguments in favor

We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.

Arguments against

We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.

What we couldn’t verify

  • No published criticism of Lewis by name could be found: not from Zoe Lofgren or her campaign, not from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and not from South Bay news coverage. Because no case against him exists on the record, none is presented for him either, rather than showing his own campaign's case unanswered.
  • His positions and record were not stated in material available.
  • His fundraising totals were not reported in material available.
Sources:benitolink.comballotpedia.orgballotpedia.org

What they say they stand for

Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.

  • Restoring Affordable Care Act tax credits and reversing the Medicaid reductions in the 2025 Republican reconciliation law.
  • Ending the current tariffs, which she says cost families about $1,700 a year.
  • Rural health care, through physician incentive programmes and expanded telehealth.
  • The Farm Workforce Modernization Act, and reducing federal paperwork for growers.
  • Experienced and level-headed leadership, which she names as her reason for running again.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • U.S. Representative for San Jose since January 1995.
  • Resident of San Jose since 1973.
  • Led the June 2, 2026 primary field.
  • Age 78 as of the 2026 election.

Arguments in favor

  • As ranking Democrat on the Science Committee she is the chamber's main check on the administration's handling of research funding: demanding reversal of the National Science Foundation award changes, calling out what she says is illegal use of CHIPS and Science Act money, and opposing the plan to put political review over expert peer review.

    — Office of Rep. Zoe Lofgren and the House Science Committee Democrats

  • She leads the California Democratic delegation, the largest state bloc in the House.

    — CNN

Arguments against

  • Progressives are "furious" that as the delegation's leader she tried to sink a left-wing candidate in the contest for Eric Swalwell's former seat, releasing a video questioning Aisha Wahab's fitness to serve and endorsing a more moderate candidate before the August runoff.

    — California progressives, reported by CNN

What we couldn’t verify

  • Lofgren's own explanation of that intervention was not established from the sources found.
  • No criticism of her by name from Shane Lewis's campaign or from the National Republican Congressional Committee was found.
  • The district's boundaries changed under Proposition 50, approved in November 2025; how that changes her position was not established from the sources found.
Sources:benitolink.comballotpedia.orglofgren.house.govdemocrats-science.house.govlofgren.house.govcnn.com

Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.

California's June 2, 2026 top-two primary sent Democratic incumbent Zoe Lofgren and Republican Shane Lewis to the November ballot; a second Republican and a no-party-preference candidate were eliminated. The district covers San Jose and reaches south into San Benito and Monterey counties. Neither candidate is listed with arguments for or against here: no published criticism of either candidate by name from someone opposing them could be found, and setting out a case against one and not the other would tilt the page. Roster confirmed against Ballotpedia's primary results.

This is one contest on a longer ballot

A California ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.

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