California's 11th Congressional District election, 2026 (June 2 top-two primary)
A top-two primary takes place on June 2, 2026, in California's 11th Congressional District to determine which two candidates will run in the district's general election on November 3, 2026.
| Candidate filing deadline | Primary election | General election |
|---|---|---|
California uses a top-two primary system, in which all candidates appear on the same ballot. The top two vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, move on to the general election. In states that do not use a top-two system, all parties are usually able to put forward a candidate for the general election if they choose to.[1][2]
Unlike the top-two format used in some states (Louisiana and Georgia special elections for example), a general election between the top-two candidates in California occurs regardless of whether the top candidate received 50% of the vote in the first round of elections.
As of October 2025, California was one of five states to use a top-two primary system, or a variation of the top-two system for some or all statewide primaries. See here for more information.
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
This is one of 51 open races for the U.S. House of Representatives this year in which an incumbent is not running for re-election. Across the country, 21 Democrats and 30 Republicans are not running for re-election. In 2024, 45 incumbents — 24 Democrats and 21 Republicans — did not seek re-election.
This page focuses on California's 11th Congressional District's top-two primary. For more in-depth information on the district's general election, see the following page:
Candidates and election results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
Nonpartisan primary
Nonpartisan primary election for U.S. House California District 11
The following candidates are running in the primary for U.S. House California District 11 on June 2, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Cole Bettles (D) | ||
 | Saikat Chakrabarti (D)  | |
 | Connie Chan (D) | |
 | Omed Hamid (D) | |
 | Darren Helton (D) | |
 | Marie Hurabiell (D) | |
| Daniel Wheeler (D) | ||
 | Scott Wiener (D) | |
 | Jingchao Xiong (D) | |
| David Ganezer (R) | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Nancy Pelosi (D)
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Submitted Biography: "My name is Saikat Chakrabarti, and I’m running for Congress in California’s 11th District. I came to San Francisco in 2009 after studying computer science at Harvard and became an early engineer at Stripe. For the son of Indian immigrants who came to this country through a government program that once actively recruited people to help build America, it felt like the American Dream. But as I watched friends, neighbors, and coworkers struggling harder every year just to make rent or afford childcare, I realized that dream was slipping away for most people. I left tech because I couldn’t ignore the deeper crisis. I wanted to use my skills to fight for an economy and a democracy that actually work for ordinary people. Over the past decade I’ve helped launch some of the biggest progressive campaigns in America: I built organizing tools for Bernie Sanders’ 2016 campaign, co-founded Justice Democrats, recruited and ran campaigns for candidates like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and served as her first Chief of Staff where I helped launch the Green New Deal. After leaving Washington, I started the think tank New Consensus to develop detailed plans for how we can rebuild American industry, create millions of high-wage jobs, and tackle the climate crisis. Now I’m running for Congress because San Franciscans are being crushed by the cost of living and betrayed by leaders who are too comfortable in power to fight for us. We need bold action, and I know how to make it happen."
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Submitted Biography: "My name is Darren Helton, and I'm a fourth-generation Californian running for Congress. Working families and the future of our children are being decimated while those in power are too comfortable to care. My great-grandparents came from the East Coast to San Diego in the 1940s to build a better life. From them, I grew up believing in the American dream: work hard enough, and anyone could make it. Even as a foster kid learning to prospect and pan for gold, I held onto that belief: determination and grit could still strike it rich in our state. At eight, I was taken from my mother. The system taught me that those making decisions about our lives often know exactly what harm they're causing, they just don't care enough to stop it. San Francisco changed everything for me. Our city gave me the chance to build a career in tech, to transform my life, to prove that where you start doesn't define where you end up. Now I'm running because I need to give back to the city that shaped me. Sadly, the opportunities that lifted me are vanishing. Families can't make rent. Workers can't afford healthcare. Children can't afford hope. We don't need another politician. We need someone who understands that power breaks when regular people stop fighting each other and start fighting together. San Francisco gave me a chance. Now I'm fighting to make sure others get theirs."
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Submitted Biography: "Social management scientist, founder of Common World, author of Automated Era My qualified is social management scientist. As the founder of social management, I possess the highest level of legislative skills in mankind. I can establish the world peace order , check and balance the power of the President of USA, make America more great. There are another 434 representatives in Congress with different ideology. I will lead the Democrats and persuade the Republicans to institutionalize the Internet society and implement policies in the Professional Era . Let officials and legislators in various places obtain scientific licenses in social management in order to serve people's livelihood. I will build new industries and promote common economics so that there will be no more needy people in the world. Send me to Congress, the per capita income of San Francisco county residents will exceed $1 million/year in three years. My book "AUTOMATED ERA" has discussed the evolution of human beings and planned the common world of Automated Era.Belief in living saints is more realistic than belief in imaginary God. I can bring mankind into a common world that is more equal, free, happy, and materially abundant than heaven!"
Voting information
- See also: Voting in California
Campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole Bettles | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Saikat Chakrabarti | Democratic Party | $1,769,248 | $1,656,981 | $112,266 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Connie Chan | Democratic Party | $174,385 | $54,854 | $119,531 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Omed Hamid | Democratic Party | $34,968 | $0 | $34,968 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Darren Helton | Democratic Party | $5,247 | $5,247 | $0 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Marie Hurabiell | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Daniel Wheeler | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Scott Wiener | Democratic Party | $2,785,939 | $511,574 | $2,274,365 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Jingchao Xiong | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| David Ganezer | Republican Party | $59 | $16 | $43 | As of December 31, 2025 |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
|||||
District analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.
- District map - A map of the district before and after redistricting ahead of the 2026 election.
- Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
- State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
Below is the district map used in the 2024 election next to the map in place for the 2026 election. Click on a map below to enlarge it.
2024
2026
Partisan Voter Index
Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is D+36. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 36 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made California's 11th the 6th most Democratic district nationally.[3]
2020 presidential election results
The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.
Kamala Harris  | Donald Trump  |
|---|---|
| 81.8% | 14.1% |
Presidential voting history
California presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 16 Democratic wins
- 15 Republican wins
- 1 other win
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | R | R | R | P[4] | D | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of California's congressional delegation as of January 2026.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from California | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 2 | 43 | 45 |
| Republican | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 2 | 52 | 54 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in California's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor | Gavin Newsom |
| Lieutenant Governor | Eleni Kounalakis |
| Secretary of State | Shirley Weber |
| Attorney General | Rob Bonta |
State legislature
California State Senate
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 30 | |
| Republican Party | 10 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 40 | |
California State Assembly
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 60 | |
| Republican Party | 20 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 80 | |
Trifecta control
California Party Control: 1992-2025
Twenty years with Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Assembly | D | D | D | S | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Ballot access
The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in California in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in California, click here.
| Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
| California | U.S. House | All candidates | 40-60 | $1,740 | 3/6/2026 | Source |
See also
- California's 11th Congressional District election, 2026
- United States House elections in California, 2026 (June 2 top-two primaries)
- United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2026
- United States House Republican Party primaries, 2026
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2026
- U.S. House battlegrounds, 2026
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ California Legislative Information, "California Constitution, Article II, Section 5," accessed October 29, 2025
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Primary Elections in California," accessed October 29, 2025
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025
- ↑ Progressive Party
