Skip to content
Ballot Explained

U.S. House · November 3, 2026

Who's running in California's 29th 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
Luz Rivas
Parties
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 · Luz Rivas currently holds this seat

Low confidenceLow confidenceOnly one weak source, dated material, or indirect evidence. Treat specifics with caution.What would raise it: An official filing record and at least one independent report about this candidate would raise this.

What they say they stand for

Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.

  • Health care, housing and economic security for working families.
  • Abortion access and reproductive health care, and bodily autonomy.
  • Criminal justice reform: demilitarising police, ending the school-to-prison pipeline, banning private prisons, eliminating mandatory minimums and changing use-of-force law.
  • Refusing money from defence contractors, pharmaceutical companies, oil companies and super PACs.
  • Accountability in Washington.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • President and vice president of the Sun Valley Area Neighborhood Council.
  • Southern California campaign coordinator for Jill Stein's 2016 presidential campaign; later a Bernie Sanders delegate to the 2016 and 2020 Democratic National Conventions.
  • Has run for this seat in 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024.
  • BA in political science and MA in organisational leadership.
  • Funds her campaign entirely from individual donations.
  • 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 Dueñas by name could be found: not from Luz Rivas or her campaign, and not from San Fernando Valley news coverage. Because no case against her exists on the record, none is presented for her either, rather than showing her own campaign's case unanswered.
  • She has run for this seat repeatedly in previous cycles; her platform and fundraising were not reported in material available.
  • She advanced to the general election as the second-placed candidate in a four-way primary.
Their campaign site ↗Sources:angelica4congress.comangelica4congress.comballotpedia.orgballotpedia.org

What they say they stand for

Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.

  • STEM education and workforce pathways, including apprenticeships for students from non-traditional backgrounds.
  • Environmental justice, including federal funding targeted at communities like the east San Fernando Valley.
  • Advanced manufacturing policy.
  • Reducing methane pollution.
  • Federal project funding for the district.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • U.S. Representative for the 29th District since January 2025; first term.
  • Member of the House Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
  • Co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional STEM Education Caucus.
  • Her Streamlining American Manufacturing Strategy Act was signed into law — her first bill enacted.
  • Introduced the STEM Pathways for the Future Act (June 2025), the Environmental Justice Screening Tool Act and the Methane Pollution Accountability Act (August 2026).
  • Secured over $4 million in community project funding for the district in the January 2026 appropriations package.
  • Led the June 2, 2026 primary field.
  • Endorsed by the California Democratic Party.

Arguments in favor

  • She built the Democratic establishment behind her, including the endorsement of the retiring member Tony Cárdenas, and led the four-candidate June primary.

    — Primary results and endorsements reported by Ballotpedia and NBC News

  • She came to Congress from the State Assembly, where she chaired committee work and legislated on the San Fernando Valley's own issues.

    — Luz Rivas's office

Arguments against

  • She made her name in the State Assembly "by thwarting efforts to increase housing density" — a record that puts her against the main legislative response to California's housing shortage.

    — Reporting on her Assembly record cited in coverage of the 29th District race

What we couldn’t verify

  • No named critic of Rivas was found: not from Angélica María Dueñas's campaign, not from her other primary opponents, and not from San Fernando Valley news coverage. The argument above is drawn from reporting on her legislative record rather than from an identified critic.
  • Rivas's own account of those housing votes was not established from the sources found.
  • This is a same-party contest: California's top-two primary sent two Democrats to the November ballot.
Sources:rivas.house.govrivas.house.govgovtrack.usballotpedia.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 is a race between two Democrats. California's June 2, 2026 top-two primary sent first-term incumbent Luz Rivas and Angélica María Dueñas to the November ballot; two other candidates were eliminated. The district covers the east San Fernando Valley. 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.

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?