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Ballot Explained

U.S. House · November 3, 2026

Who's running in California's 46th 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
Lou Correa
Parties
Democratic · Republican
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 · Lou Correa 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.

  • Immigration policy in a majority-Latino district.
  • Homeland security and border management, through his committee assignment.
  • Support for small businesses and workers in Santa Ana and Anaheim.
  • Veterans' services.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • U.S. Representative for the 46th District since January 2017; re-elected in 2024 with 60.2%.
  • Served in the California State Assembly, the State Senate and on the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
  • Member of the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Judiciary Committee.
  • Graduate of California State University, Fullerton.
  • Led the June 2, 2026 primary field.

Arguments in favor

  • As ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security border subcommittee he has voted against the Republican border security bill, against funding ICE and DHS in the February 2026 spending bill, and publicly pressed Secretary Noem over what he called illegal ICE and DHS activities.

    — Office of Rep. Lou Correa

  • He voted against the SAVE America Act, calling it redundant legislation that would make voting harder for American citizens.

    — Office of Rep. Lou Correa

Arguments against

  • He is "out of step with his district": he supports further arming law enforcement, opposes reining in Big Tech, sided with Republicans in blocking California's electric car mandate, and worked with Donald Trump on immigration in the first term. He is not a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus but belongs to the Blue Dog Coalition.

    — Progressive Voters Guide

What we couldn’t verify

  • No named critic of Correa was found: not from David Pan's campaign, not from the National Republican Congressional Committee, and not from Orange County news coverage. The argument above comes from a voter guide's donor screen rather than from an identified critic, and his response to that characterisation was not established from the sources found.
  • He faced three Democratic primary challengers in June 2026; no criticism of him by name from any of them was found.
  • The district's boundaries changed under Proposition 50, approved in November 2025; how that changes his position was not established from the sources found.
Their campaign site ↗Sources:loucorrea.comballotpedia.orgballotpedia.orgdailytitan.comprogressivevotersguide.comcorrea.house.govcorrea.house.gov

What they say they stand for

Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.

  • A universal basic income, which he proposed in his 2024 campaign.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • Professor at the University of California, Irvine.
  • Republican candidate against Correa in the 2024 general election; took 39.8%.
  • Has not held elected office.
  • Advanced from the June 2, 2026 top-two primary as the only Republican in the field.

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 Pan by name could be found: not from Lou Correa or his campaign, not from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and not from Orange 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.
Sources:ballotpedia.orgdailytitan.comballotpedia.orgcookpolitical.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 Lou Correa and Republican David Pan to the November ballot; three other Democrats were eliminated. This is a rematch of the 2024 general election, which Correa won 60.2% to 39.8%. The district covers the heart of Orange County — much of Santa Ana and Anaheim and part of Fullerton. 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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