California's 28th Congressional District election, 2026

The boundaries of this district will change as a result of California Proposition 50, which voters approved on November 5, 2025. Click here to read more about the mid-decade redistricting effort in California and other states.

← 2024
California's 28th Congressional District
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. Voting in California
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Democratic 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 28th 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

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for U.S. House California District 28

Incumbent Judy Chu, Robert Gonzalez, and April Verlato are running in the general election for U.S. House California District 28 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Judy Chu (D)
		Robert Gonzalez (D)
		April Verlato (R)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= 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.

Robert Gonzalez

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "Just a Gen Z Candidate looking to help my constituents in my residing district have a voice for the concerns they have. I want to be the one that actually stands up for all as we are all equal in this world."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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We are in this together. A fight for all of our voices to be heard and to be recognized.

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Equality is what brings us together. No matter what skin we are we shall all be treated equally till the very end if we were to keep America the great country

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God created no mistakes. In the Bible, we shall not judge each other nor shall we be disrespectful to one another based on our skin, race or ethnicity. We are all born under the same God.

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.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Robert Gonzalez (D)

We are in this together. A fight for all of our voices to be heard and to be recognized.

Equality is what brings us together. No matter what skin we are we shall all be treated equally till the very end if we were to keep America the great country

God created no mistakes. In the Bible, we shall not judge each other nor shall we be disrespectful to one another based on our skin, race or ethnicity. We are all born under the same God.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Robert Gonzalez (D)

Democracy, we are all living in the United States of America as a democracy. We must choose the one candidate that will be there for all of their constituents.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Robert Gonzalez (D)

Family. Respect one another and lead by example with the respect you have.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Robert Gonzalez (D)

Honesty and Accountability

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Robert Gonzalez (D)

Honesty and the commitment for what they campaign on

What legacy would you like to leave?

Robert Gonzalez (D)

Respect and Honesty

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Robert Gonzalez (D)

9/11 I was 2 years old when it happened.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Robert Gonzalez (D)

Mcdonald's for 5 and half years

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Robert Gonzalez (D)

Publicity, I tend to not like being in a large crowd or on stage

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

Robert Gonzalez (D)

Checks and Balances. We assure what is right and what is wrong for any bill that comes to the House. We must ensure it is a bill that is right for the people

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

Robert Gonzalez (D)

No. Anyone interested in Politcs shall be allowed to run. Politcs is something a lot of people can learn on the side and if this is what they want to do, let them run

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Robert Gonzalez (D)

Yes. Its the good amount because the people are allowed to change for another candidate if the incumbent isn't what the people voted for failed to help the people

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Robert Gonzalez (D)

I agree with term limits because we need to have younger and fresher candidates to represent every single district

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Robert Gonzalez (D)

Yes. We need to be as much bipartisan as much as possible. Bipartisanship is what makes the U.S. even better than one political move.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

Robert Gonzalez (D)

It will depend on what type of bill it is and if it good I shall vote aye, if not no

What role should the United States government have in the development or use of artificial intelligence?

Robert Gonzalez (D)

We shall not allow AI to run in the government. One wrong move can hurt the government.

What legislation would you enact related to election administration in the United States?

Robert Gonzalez (D)

Term Limits Small Business Recognition

You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:

• April Verlato
• Judy Chu

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Judy Chu	Democratic Party	$510,564	$438,946	$3,673,624	As of September 30, 2025
Robert Gonzalez	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
April Verlato	Republican Party	$50	$7,445	$443	As of September 30, 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." ** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election. *** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

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.
• 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.

Race ratings: California's 28th 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 28th Congressional District election, 2024

California's 28th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 top-two primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House California District 28

Incumbent Judy Chu defeated April Verlato in the general election for U.S. House California District 28 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Judy Chu (D)	64.9	204,489
		April Verlato (R)	35.1	110,455

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 314,944
= 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 28

Incumbent Judy Chu and April Verlato defeated William Patterson and Jose Castaneda in the primary for U.S. House California District 28 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Judy Chu (D)	62.7	99,261
✔		April Verlato (R)	33.1	52,369
		William Patterson (Peace and Freedom Party)	2.2	3,503
	Submit photo	Jose Castaneda (L)	2.0	3,156

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 158,289
= 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

• Bonnie Wallace (R)
• Kerry Lewis (R)
• Robert Lucero (R)

2022

See also: California's 28th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House California District 28

Incumbent Judy Chu defeated Wes Hallman in the general election for U.S. House California District 28 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Judy Chu (D)	66.2	150,062
		Wes Hallman (R)	33.8	76,495

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 226,557
= 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 28

Incumbent Judy Chu and Wes Hallman defeated Dorothy Caronna and Giuliano DePaolis in the primary for U.S. House California District 28 on June 7, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Judy Chu (D)	63.0	90,395
✔		Wes Hallman (R)	29.2	41,955
		Dorothy Caronna (D)	5.6	7,993
		Giuliano DePaolis (Independent)	2.2	3,100

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 143,443
= 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

• Jonathan Braun (D)

2020

See also: California's 28th Congressional District election, 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House California District 28

Incumbent Adam Schiff defeated Eric Early in the general election for U.S. House California District 28 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Adam Schiff (D)	72.7	244,271
		Eric Early (R)	27.3	91,928

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 336,199
= 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 28

The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House California District 28 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Adam Schiff (D)	59.6	110,251
✔		Eric Early (R)	12.6	23,243
		Maebe A. Girl (D)	12.0	22,129
		Jennifer Barbosa (Independent)	5.6	10,421
	Submit photo	William Bodell (R)	3.8	7,093
		Sal Genovese (D)	3.4	6,294
		Ara Khachig Manoogian (D)	1.8	3,290
	Submit photo	Chad Anderson (D)	1.3	2,359

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 185,080
= 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

• Akinyemi Agbede (D)
• Jon Hollis (R)
• Christopher Edgardo Martinez (D)
• Selena Rose Martinez (D)

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
California congressional delegation Voting in California California elections: 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018	Democratic primary battlegrounds 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. Congress elections U.S. Senate elections U.S. House elections Special elections Ballot access

External links

• Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

[show]

California's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Alex Padilla (D)

Adam Schiff (D)

Representatives

District 1

Doug LaMalfa (R)

District 2

Jared Huffman (D)

District 3

Kevin Kiley (R)

District 4

Mike Thompson (D)

District 5

Tom McClintock (R)

District 6

Ami Bera (D)

District 7

Doris Matsui (D)

District 8

John Garamendi (D)

District 9

Josh Harder (D)

District 10

Mark DeSaulnier (D)

District 11

Nancy Pelosi (D)

District 12

Lateefah Simon (D)

District 13

Adam Gray (D)

District 14

Eric Swalwell (D)

District 15

Kevin Mullin (D)

District 16

Sam Liccardo (D)

District 17

Ro Khanna (D)

District 18

Zoe Lofgren (D)

District 19

Jimmy Panetta (D)

District 20

Vince Fong (R)

District 21

Jim Costa (D)

District 22

David Valadao (R)

District 23

Jay Obernolte (R)

District 24

Salud Carbajal (D)

District 25

Raul Ruiz (D)

District 26

Julia Brownley (D)

District 27

George Whitesides (D)

District 28

Judy Chu (D)

District 29

Luz Rivas (D)

District 30

Laura Friedman (D)

District 31

Gil Cisneros (D)

District 32

Brad Sherman (D)

District 33

Pete Aguilar (D)

District 34

Jimmy Gomez (D)

District 35

Norma Torres (D)

District 36

Ted Lieu (D)

District 37

Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D)

District 38

Linda Sánchez (D)

District 39

Mark Takano (D)

District 40

Young Kim (R)

District 41

Ken Calvert (R)

District 42

Robert Garcia (D)

District 43

Maxine Waters (D)

District 44

Nanette Barragán (D)

District 45

Derek Tran (D)

District 46

Lou Correa (D)

District 47

Dave Min (D)

District 48

Darrell Issa (R)

District 49

Mike Levin (D)

District 50

Scott Peters (D)

District 51

Sara Jacobs (D)

District 52

Juan Vargas (D)

Democratic Party (45)

Republican Party (9)

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