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Ballot Explained

U.S. House · November 3, 2026

Who's running in California's 44th 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
Nanette Barragán
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 · Nanette Barragán 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.

  • Community safety, accountability and effective law enforcement.
  • Lowering the cost of living and expanding economic opportunity for working families.
  • Lowering out-of-pocket health care costs, expanding access and improving system efficiency.
  • On abortion: she says she holds a pro-life position personally but respects states' authority to decide and does not support a federal ban.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • Family nurse practitioner, small business owner and health care executive.
  • Resident of Lakewood for close to thirty years.
  • Has not held elected office.
  • Endorsed by the California Rifle and Pistol Association's political action committee, Reform California and the Los Angeles County Republican Party.
  • Advanced automatically from the June 2, 2026 primary as one of only two candidates on the ballot.

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 Angel by name could be found: not from Nanette Barragán or her campaign, not from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and not from Los Angeles 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.
  • Her positions and record were not stated in material available.
  • Her fundraising totals were not reported in material available.
Their campaign site ↗Sources:angelforcongress.comballotpedia.orgfec.govballotpedia.org

What they say they stand for

Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.

  • Health care access, through the Energy and Commerce Committee.
  • Environmental justice and air quality in the port communities of south Los Angeles County.
  • Immigration policy.
  • Homeland security and port security.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • U.S. Representative for the 44th District since January 2017; re-elected in 2024 with 71.4%.
  • First Latina to represent the district.
  • Former Hermosa Beach city councilmember; attorney by profession.
  • Former chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
  • Advanced automatically from the June 2, 2026 primary as one of only two candidates on the ballot.

Arguments in favor

  • She organises the whole state delegation behind district priorities, leading every California Democrat in urging the administration to protect Head Start funding.

    — Office of Rep. Nanette Barragán

  • She holds the California Democratic Party's endorsement for the general election and represents a district shaped by the ports and the refineries around them.

    — California Democratic Party 2026 general election endorsements

Arguments against

  • Her donors include real estate, fossil fuel and corporate political committees — the National Association of Realtors PAC, Meta Platforms, Google, FedEx and Edison International — money the guide flags as problematic in a district carrying the pollution burden of the ports.

    — Progressive Voters Guide

What we couldn’t verify

  • No named critic of Barragán was found: not from Genevieve Angel's campaign, not from the National Republican Congressional Committee, and not from South Bay news coverage. The argument above comes from a voter guide's donor screen rather than from an identified critic.
  • Barragán's response to the donor criticism was not established from the sources 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:barragan.house.govballotpedia.orgballotpedia.orgballotpedia.orgprogressivevotersguide.combarragan.house.gov

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.

Only two candidates filed in this district, so both advanced automatically from the June 2, 2026 top-two primary: Democratic incumbent Nanette Barragán and Republican Genevieve Angel. The district covers south Los Angeles County including San Pedro, Compton and Lakewood. 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.

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