Skip to content
Ballot Explained

U.S. House · November 3, 2026

Who's running in California's 26th 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
Open seat
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 · open 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.

  • A plan to address homelessness that he argues current government programmes make worse; set out in his 2021 book More than Animals.
  • Large-scale deportation of people in the country illegally, while allowing long-standing undocumented residents who have worked in local communities to remain.
  • Applying private-sector management experience to federal spending.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • Executive vice president and general manager at PeopleSoft; career began at IBM in 1981.
  • Senior pastor at Embrace Church in Oxnard and founder of homelessness services work.
  • Author of three books, including More than Animals (2021) and A Love that Nobody Wants (2022).
  • Has not held elected office.
  • Raised about $250,000, the most of any Republican in the field.
  • Took 22.0% in the June 2, 2026 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 Gallucci by name could be found: not from Jacqui Irwin or her campaign, not from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and not from Ventura County 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.
Their campaign site ↗Sources:samgallucci.comwtop.comhoodline.comballotpedia.org

What they say they stand for

Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.

  • Opposition to what she calls the Trump administration's assault on democracy and values.
  • Public safety, including gun control measures she pursued after the 2018 Thousand Oaks shooting.
  • Affordability for Ventura County households.
  • Technology and data privacy policy, an area she legislated in heavily.
  • Clean transportation infrastructure.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • Member of the California State Assembly for the 42nd district since 2014; says she has passed 86 bills into law.
  • Thousand Oaks city councilmember from 2004 and twice mayor.
  • Engineer at Teledyne Systems and at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
  • Author of Assembly Bill 1423, removing the credit card reader requirement for electric vehicle chargers to lower installation costs.
  • Endorsed by retiring Rep. Julia Brownley and by the 314 Action Fund.
  • Raised over $500,000, more than any other candidate in the field, and took 40.1% in the June 2, 2026 primary.

Arguments in favor

  • Twelve years in the State Assembly with influential committee chairmanships, and the retiring member's own endorsement to succeed her.

    — Rep. Julia Brownley's endorsement, reported by the Ojai Valley News

  • She finished first in the June primary with 40.09% of the vote in an open-seat field.

    — Primary results reported by The Hill

Arguments against

  • The local Democratic clubs endorsed her the moment the seat opened because she had "paid her dues" — but their "anointed one" holds an F rating from Courage Score, which grades legislators' votes across a broad range of issues.

    — Indivisible Ventura

What we couldn’t verify

  • Irwin's response to the Courage Score rating was not established from the sources found, and the scorecard's methodology was not examined.
  • No criticism of her by name from Sam Gallucci'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 the seat was not established from the sources found.
Their campaign site ↗Sources:jacquiirwin.comojaivalleynews.comthehill.comtoacorn.comballotpedia.orgindivisibleventura.org

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.

This seat is open. Democrat Julia Brownley, who has held it since 2013, announced on January 8, 2026 that she would not seek re-election. California's June 2, 2026 top-two primary sent Democratic Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, with 40.1%, and Republican Sam Gallucci, with 22.0%, to the November ballot. The district covers the Ventura County coast and inland — Oxnard, Camarillo and Thousand Oaks. 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.

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.

See my full California ballot

Voting in California

Confirm this with the official source

Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at California Secretary of State.

Other 2026 races in California

California ballot measures

Before you vote

How do I find out what's on my ballot?

How do I check if I'm registered to vote?

How do I research candidates I've never heard of?

Should I vote early, by mail, or on Election Day?