California's 26th Congressional District election, 2026
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| California's 26th Congressional District |
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| General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: March 6, 2026 |
| Primary: June 2, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
7 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Race ratings |
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending Inside Elections: Solid Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| See also |
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All U.S. House districts, including the 26th Congressional District of California, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. To learn more about other elections on the ballot, click here.
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
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for U.S. House California District 26
Incumbent Julia Brownley, Samuel Gallucci, Michael Koslow, William Scott, and Jonathan Wagoner are running in the general election for U.S. House California District 26 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Julia Brownley (D) | ||
| Samuel Gallucci (R) | ||
| Michael Koslow (R) | ||
| William Scott (R) | ||
Jonathan Wagoner (R) ![]() | ||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
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: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "I’m Jonathan Wagoner, a husband, father, small business owner, and proud resident of Ventura County. I wasn’t born into politics. I was raised by a single mother who taught me the value of hard work, faith, and community. I started working right out of high school, cleaning carpets and later working in management at a large retail chain, before launching my own restoration company and eventually co-founding a digital marketing business to help other local service businesses grow. I’ve seen firsthand how hard it is to build something from nothing, how broken our systems can be, and how out of touch many of our elected officials are. I’m not running for Congress to become part of the political machine. I’m running because I believe Ventura County deserves a representative who’s been in the trenches, understands real-world struggles, and is ready to bring people together to find real solutions."
Voting information
- See also: Voting in California
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Survey responses from candidates in this race
Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.
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.
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Jonathan Wagoner (R)
I believe leadership means showing up, listening, and getting things done. Ventura County deserves a representative who will put the community first, not party agendas. I’ll work across the aisle to protect working families, support small businesses, and bring accountability back to government. I’m here to make a real difference for the people who call this place home.
I’m running to bring Ventura County the kind of leadership it deserves, grounded in real-life experience, not political ambition. I’ve built businesses, faced challenges, and worked hard to create opportunities for others. In Congress, I’ll bring that same drive to fight for working families, protect our local economy, and deliver solutions that actually improve lives. This campaign is about service, not status.
Jonathan Wagoner (R)
Jonathan Wagoner (R)
Jonathan Wagoner (R)
Jonathan Wagoner (R)
Jonathan Wagoner (R)
Jonathan Wagoner (R)
Jonathan Wagoner (R)
Jonathan Wagoner (R)
Jonathan Wagoner (R)
Jonathan Wagoner (R)
Jonathan Wagoner (R)
Jonathan Wagoner (R)
Jonathan Wagoner (R)
Jonathan Wagoner (R)
Jonathan Wagoner (R)
Jonathan Wagoner (R)
Jonathan Wagoner (R)
Jonathan Wagoner (R)
You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:
Campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julia Brownley | Democratic Party | $475,083 | $279,136 | $1,138,305 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Samuel Gallucci | Republican Party | $173,293 | $103,770 | $69,523 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Michael Koslow | Republican Party | $28,544 | $35,713 | $4,142 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| William Scott | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Jonathan Wagoner | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
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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." |
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General election race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[1]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[2][3][4]
| Race ratings: California's 26th Congressional District election, 2026 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| 11/4/2025 | 10/28/2025 | 10/21/2025 | 10/14/2025 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | |||||
| Decision Desk HQ and The Hill | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe Democratic | Safe Democratic | Safe Democratic | Safe Democratic | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week. | |||||||||
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 |
District history
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.
2024
See also: California's 26th Congressional District election, 2024
California's 26th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 top-two primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House California District 26
Incumbent Julia Brownley defeated Michael Koslow in the general election for U.S. House California District 26 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Julia Brownley (D) | 56.1 | 187,393 | |
Michael Koslow (R) ![]() | 43.9 | 146,913 | ||
| Total votes: 334,306 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 26
Incumbent Julia Brownley and Michael Koslow defeated Bruce Boyer and Chris Anstead in the primary for U.S. House California District 26 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Julia Brownley (D) | 51.4 | 84,997 | |
| ✔ | Michael Koslow (R) ![]() | 33.8 | 55,908 | |
| Bruce Boyer (R) | 10.7 | 17,707 | ||
| Chris Anstead (D) | 4.1 | 6,841 | ||
| Total votes: 165,453 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Joseph Marotta (R)
2022
General election
General election for U.S. House California District 26
Incumbent Julia Brownley defeated Matt Jacobs in the general election for U.S. House California District 26 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Julia Brownley (D) | 54.5 | 134,575 | |
Matt Jacobs (R) ![]() | 45.5 | 112,214 | ||
| Total votes: 246,789 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 26
Incumbent Julia Brownley and Matt Jacobs defeated Paul Nathan Taylor, David Goodman, and Fadde Mikhail in the primary for U.S. House California District 26 on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Julia Brownley (D) | 54.3 | 91,535 | |
| ✔ | Matt Jacobs (R) ![]() | 38.4 | 64,835 | |
| Paul Nathan Taylor (R) | 3.3 | 5,612 | ||
| David Goodman (Independent) | 2.3 | 3,950 | ||
Fadde Mikhail (R) ![]() | 1.6 | 2,775 | ||
| Total votes: 168,707 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Daniel Wilson (Independent)
- Peter Austin (Independent Party)
2020
General election
General election for U.S. House California District 26
Incumbent Julia Brownley defeated Ronda Kennedy in the general election for U.S. House California District 26 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Julia Brownley (D) | 60.6 | 208,856 | |
| Ronda Kennedy (R) | 39.4 | 135,877 | ||
| Total votes: 344,733 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 26
Incumbent Julia Brownley and Ronda Kennedy defeated Robert Salas and Enrique Petris in the primary for U.S. House California District 26 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Julia Brownley (D) | 55.8 | 106,141 | |
| ✔ | Ronda Kennedy (R) | 35.6 | 67,579 | |
Robert Salas (D) ![]() | 6.7 | 12,717 | ||
| Enrique Petris (D) | 1.9 | 3,624 | ||
| Total votes: 190,061 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Crystal Golden (R)
District analysis
This section will contain facts and figures related to this district's elections when those are available.
See also
| California | 2026 primaries | 2026 U.S. Congress elections |
|---|---|---|
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Voting in California California elections: 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 |
Republican primary battlegrounds U.S. Senate Democratic primaries U.S. Senate Republican primaries U.S. House Democratic primaries U.S. House Republican primaries |
U.S. Senate elections U.S. House elections Special elections Ballot access |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
