Bob Smith (California's 24th Congressional District)
Bob Smith (Republican Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent California's 24th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.[source]
Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Bob Smith served in the U.S. Navy from 1998 to 2024. He earned a bachelor's degree from Old Dominion University in 2006 and a graduate degree from Naval Postgraduate School in 2015. His career experience includes working as a engineering manager.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: California's 24th Congressional District election, 2026
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for U.S. House California District 24
Incumbent Salud Carbajal and Bob Smith are running in the general election for U.S. House California District 24 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Salud Carbajal (D) | |
 | Bob Smith (R)  | |
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Endorsements
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Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Bob Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Smith's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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He enlisted in 1998. He served five years as an enlisted sailor, working as a technician on the formidable AEGIS Weapon System, before being selected for the Navy’s prestigious Seaman to Admiral program, which allowed him to attend Old Dominion University for a B.S. in General Engineering Technology. After commissioning as a Navy officer in 2006, he served as a Surface Warfare Officer, leading the enlisted men and women he once was part of through multiple combat deployments. He earned an M.S. in Systems Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. He spent the remainder of his career as an Engineering Duty Officer, directing development programs for the Navy’s newest weapon systems.
Bob has exemplified leadership in serving our country, progressing from a junior enlisted member to a senior officer in the U.S. Navy. He has excelled through significant challenges in our national defense by building diverse teams and guiding those perspectives to successful solutions, including delivering the Navy’s newest ballistic missile defense platform, which earned him the U.S. Navy’s Best Engineer of the Year award for 2023. Bob aims to bring that bipartisan leadership to the U.S. House of Representatives.- Bob retired after 26 years of service in the U.S. Navy. He worked his way up from an enlisted recruit to a senior officer, serving in multiple combat deployments and working with great Americans from every walk of life in stressful situations. After hanging up his uniform, he quickly realized that he was not finished serving our country.
- We need to heal the extreme partisan divide in our politics. The decline of the middle class is a significant factor in the ongoing extreme shift to the left and the right. We must heal this country and start communicating with one another. If we remain toxic, so will our representation.
- The world faces numerous geopolitical issues today that require strong American leadership. Our Congress cannot afford to be ineffective. The 24th district owes it to our country to provide the most capable leadership possible, not career campaigners.
2. Peace through Strength - Our military has lost decades on our competitors. We must be so far ahead technologically, that war with the U.S. is not an option for anyone.
Lincoln called for “a new birth of freedom,” and that challenge still stands. We must elect leaders who reflect the people's will and work to improve the nation, not for power, but for purpose. Our democracy, just like in Lincoln’s time, is only as strong as our commitment to it.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on April 16, 2025
