California's 6th Congressional District election, 2026
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← 2024
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| California's 6th Congressional District |
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| General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: March 6, 2026 |
| Primary: Pending 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 6th 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 6
The following candidates are running in the general election for U.S. House California District 6 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Ami Bera (D) | |
 | Chris Bennett (D)  | |
| Kindra Pring (D) | ||
 | Christine Bish (R) | |
 | Craig DeLuz (R) | |
 | Raymond Riehle (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: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "I'm half Puerto Rican (mom née Rodriguez), a husband of 10 years (we met on tinder), a father of two cats (Monica and Rachel), a U.S. Army Veteran, and a West Point and Berkeley Haas MBA grad. I have 10 siblings from 5 different marriages and I'm the oldest brother and 2nd oldest overall. I wanted to be an architect when I grew up, moved more than a dozen times by age 18, and only applied to one college. I played football in high school and did track & field and cross country once I realized I wasn't big enough to play offensive center anymore. I wanted kids my whole life but my wife and I have been unable to have them ourselves so our focus is to help everyone else's kids and our 10+ nephews and nieces who we adore and spoil. I've worked in nonprofit healthcare at Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health and I've worked for profit at PwC Strategy& as a management consultant and at Papa John's making pizzas. I like fixing people's computers and phones and I'm a big fan of the hierarchy of evidence and data-driven decision-making. I'm a recovering gamer and spent way too much of my life playing RuneScape and Counter Strike. I'm trying to relearn Spanish but I already miss the Duolingo Owl. And I've been an ethical vegan for more than two years because I have a naive belief that if we treat animals better, we'll treat humans better since "animal" is how we dehumanize them."
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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Chris Bennett (D)
I'm here to bring back a culture where everyone agrees genocide and preemptive strikes are bad and that corporate landlords should not be allowed to collude with one another to jack up rent prices and make people homeless.
I'm here to give our seniors restful retirements where they can focus on their interests or grandchildren instead of working until they die.
I'm here to fight for our kids and make sure they have a safe future to grow up in.
The status quo has not been working and it's time for a change.
As an Army officer, I swore to defend the Constitution against all enemies. Right now, the President is violating people’s rights and bragging about it.
Congress is supposed to check the power of the executive branch yet they have abdicated all responsibility. Republicans refuse to go against Trump and most Democrats serve the same wealthy donors that profit from the chaos.
The result is voiceless, powerless minorities like immigrants and trans people getting scapegoated for things only the ruling class could do while our corrupt politicians help the wealthy steal from the poor and destroy the middle class.
Unlike our current reps who stop at writing letters, I will do my job and use every resource to fight back for a better future.
Our system works great if you’re a billionaire or corrupt politician but it’s broken for everyone else. It’s time we get money out of politics and make the government work for all of us.
That means public funding of elections, ending legalized bribery, banning members of Congress from abusing their positions of trust to insider trade on individual stocks like Nancy Pelosi or Tommy Tuberville, banning lobbying from foreign governments, and overturning the idea that money is speech which has been a complete disaster for our democracy.
Whoever has the most money should not get the biggest say.
It’s time we hold our politicians to the highest standard and make them work for all of us, not wealthy private interests, or foreign governments.
Chris Bennett (D)
I believe government has three main jobs: keep people safe, guarantee a minimum standard of living, and ensure competition.
Right now, we're falling short on all fronts thanks to unscrupulous moneyed interests having too much power in politics.
My goal is to make a rising tide that lifts all boats by fighting for things that benefit all Americans like affordable housing & childcare, free higher education at public institutions, universal healthcare, livable wages, de-privatization of the military, and a stronger labor movement.
Chris Bennett (D)
Representatives who don't show up or who refuse to talk to their constituents should be removed from office.
If they refuse to do their jobs, they should get out of the way for someone who will.
Chris Bennett (D)
Most members of Congress throughout our history have been complicit in undemocratic behavior which has led to the erosion of the American dream.
I want to make things better for everyday people, our children, their children and so on.
It's time we hold oligarchs, profiteers, and corrupt politicians accountable.
No more funneling wealth from the poorest people into the hands of the richest.
No more draft dodging warmongers sending the poor off to die in pointless endless wars.
Chris Bennett (D)
It's also deeply concerning how we're making friends with authoritarians like Putin, bombing countries illegally on behalf of foreign countries, and alienating ourselves from our allies and bullying them into "making deals".
Our foreign policy has been showing the world that we can't be trusted and every person we kill just creates more "terrorists" who want to destroy us - and for justifiable reasons.
We need to drastically reduce our spending on defense contractor profiteering and increase our investments in higher education and helping our youth like free school lunches and after school programs.
In the longer term, the impacts of climate change and unprecedented income & wealth inequality need to be addressed as well.
If we don't reorient our society to prioritize the needs of the many over the wants of the few, it's only a matter of time before we have our own French Revolution and that's something I'd like to prevent if possible.
Chris Bennett (D)
Chris Bennett (D)
Chris Bennett (D)
However, compromise is off the table when parties are acting in bad faith, are seeking to destroy people's rights, or are trying to enrich themselves or their friends at the expense of others.
The way I like to describe it comes from a story in the bible when two women approached King Solomon claiming that a baby was theirs.
When Solomon offered to cut the baby in half and let each woman have part, he knew the real mother was the one who gave up the child and not the one who said "that sounds fair". I don't believe in splitting the baby.
But when it comes to things that have shades of gray, compromise can make sense but only if we all agree that our goal is the well-being of the American people and not the profits of billionaires or wealthy private interests.
Chris Bennett (D)
Armed Services Veterans' Affairs Homeland Security Science, Space, and Technology Intelligence Education and Workforce
Foreign Affairs
Chris Bennett (D)
Anyone who is unwilling to follow the rules they themselves set or demand others to follow should be stripped of all authority and kicked to the curb.
There are so many skeletons in so many closets of our elected officials that it's almost too scary to look, but that's exactly why we must.
Members of Congress should not be allowed to trade stocks or cash in on legislation they're passing. It's a ridiculous conflict of interest and shows a complete and utter lack of respect for the American people.
It's time we end legalized bribery and stop letting our lawmakers sell us out to unscrupulous private interests.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ami Bera | Democratic Party | $241,785 | $252,271 | $1,862,885 | As of June 30, 2025 |
| Chris Bennett | Democratic Party | $33,685 | $6,900 | $26,785 | As of June 30, 2025 |
| Kindra Pring | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Christine Bish | Republican Party | $5,612 | $3,559 | $2,103 | As of June 30, 2025 |
| Craig DeLuz | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $47 | As of June 30, 2025 |
| Raymond Riehle | Republican Party | $19,635 | $13,992 | $6,183 | As of June 30, 2025 |
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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 6th Congressional District election, 2026 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| 9/2/2025 | 8/26/2025 | 8/19/2025 | 8/12/2025 | ||||||
| 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
This section will contain information on ballot access related to this state's elections when it is available.
District history
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.
2024
See also: California's 6th Congressional District election, 2024
California's 6th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 top-two primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House California District 6
Incumbent Ami Bera defeated Christine Bish in the general election for U.S. House California District 6 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ami Bera (D) | 57.6 | 165,408 |
| Christine Bish (R) | 42.4 | 121,664 | |
| Total votes: 287,072 | |||
| = 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 6
The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House California District 6 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ami Bera (D) | 51.8 | 76,605 |
| ✔ | | Christine Bish (R) | 20.1 | 29,628 |
| Raymond Riehle (R) | 10.7 | 15,779 | |
| Craig DeLuz (R) | 9.7 | 14,361 | |
 | Adam Barajas (D) | 5.9 | 8,711 | |
 | Chris Richardson (G) | 1.8 | 2,661 | |
| Total votes: 147,745 | |||
| = 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
- Omba Kipuke (D)
- Bret Daniels (R)
- Marshall Martin (R)
2022
General election
General election for U.S. House California District 6
Incumbent Ami Bera defeated Tamika Hamilton in the general election for U.S. House California District 6 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ami Bera (D) | 55.9 | 121,058 |
 | Tamika Hamilton (R) | 44.1 | 95,325 | |
| Total votes: 216,383 | |||
| = 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 6
The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House California District 6 on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ami Bera (D) | 52.6 | 76,317 |
| ✔ | | Tamika Hamilton (R) | 18.8 | 27,339 |
 | Bret Daniels (R) | 11.5 | 16,612 | |
| Christine Bish (R) | 7.9 | 11,421 | |
 | Mark Gorman (D) | 5.2 | 7,528 | |
 | Karla Black (R) | 2.4 | 3,553 | |
 | David Keith Langford (R) | 1.6 | 2,272 | |
| Chris Richardson (G) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 15 | |
| Total votes: 145,057 | |||
| = 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
- Mathew Ray Jedeikin (Independent)
- Jim Scott (R)
2020
General election
General election for U.S. House California District 6
Incumbent Doris Matsui defeated Christine Bish in the general election for U.S. House California District 6 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Doris Matsui (D) | 73.3 | 229,648 |
| Christine Bish (R) | 26.7 | 83,466 | |
| Total votes: 313,114 | |||
| = 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 6
Incumbent Doris Matsui and Christine Bish defeated Benjamin Emard and Sherwood Ellsworth Haisty Jr. in the primary for U.S. House California District 6 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Doris Matsui (D) | 70.2 | 119,408 |
| ✔ | | Christine Bish (R) | 14.3 | 24,321 |
 | Benjamin Emard (D) | 7.8 | 13,253 | |
 | Sherwood Ellsworth Haisty Jr. (R) | 7.7 | 13,137 | |
| Total votes: 170,119 | |||
| = 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
- Kie'Marr Saleh (Communist Party)
- Ronald Muwereza Lutalo Sr. (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
