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California's 6th Congressional District election, 2026 (June 2 top-two primary)

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← 2024
California's 6th Congressional District
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
Top-two primary
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: Likely 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
California's 6th Congressional District
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California elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

A top-two primary takes place on June 2, 2026, in California's 6th 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
March 6, 2026
June 2, 2026
November 3, 2026



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 page focuses on California's 6th 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 6

The following candidates are running in the primary for U.S. House California District 6 on June 2, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Lauren Babb Tomlinson
Lauren Babb Tomlinson (D)
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Thien Ho (D)
Image of Richard Pan
Richard Pan (D)
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Kindra Pring (D)
Image of Tyler Vandenberg
Tyler Vandenberg (D)
Image of Christine Bish
Christine Bish (R)  Candidate Connection
Image of Craig DeLuz
Craig DeLuz (R)
Image of Raymond Riehle
Raymond Riehle (R)
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Submit photo
Michael Stansfield (R)

There are no incumbents in this race.

Candidate Connection = 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.

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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.

Christine Bish

Image of Christine Bish

WebsiteFacebookXYouTube

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "My name is Christine Bish. I chose Sacramento County as the place to raise my family, build my business, and put down roots. As a mother and a small business owner in real estate, I understand the struggles families face every day. Rising costs are squeezing household budgets, crime is making our neighborhoods less safe, and too many of our schools are failing to prepare children for real careers and opportunities. I am running for Congress because Washington has forgotten who it serves. My own family has lived the consequences of failed policies. I lost my daughter to fentanyl, and I will never stop fighting to secure the border and protect other families from this crisis. My priorities are clear. I will work to restore safety in our communities, strengthen the economy for working families and small businesses, hold government accountable when it breaks the public trust, and give parents a stronger voice in their children’s education. I believe elected officials should be servants, not rulers, and that Sacramento deserves a representative who will fight for a safer, stronger future for everyone—Republicans, Democrats, and independents alike."

Key Messages

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

Public service, not politics. I am not running to be a ruler or a career politician. I am running to serve the people of Sacramento County, to listen, and to fight for the issues that matter most to our families.

Rebuilding our local economy. Sacramento has been hit hard by business closures, layoffs, and the loss of major employers like Intel. When jobs disappear, families struggle, and our community loses stability. I will work to bring back opportunity, support small businesses, and create the conditions for new industries to thrive here at home.

Community Safety Families in Sacramento deserve to feel safe in their homes, schools, and neighborhoods. Right now, too many people feel like prisoners in their own communities because of rising crime, open drug use, and the spread of homelessness. We cannot have strong schools, thriving businesses, or healthy families without safety as the foundation. I will fight to get control of crime, stop the flow of fentanyl and dangerous drugs, and support solutions that restore public order. Every family should have the freedom to work, learn, and live in a community where they feel secure.

Voting information

See also: Voting in California

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Lauren Babb Tomlinson Democratic Party $162,273 $22,510 $139,763 As of December 31, 2025
Thien Ho Democratic Party $377,199 $47,039 $330,161 As of December 31, 2025
Richard Pan Democratic Party $317,976 $189,279 $128,697 As of December 31, 2025
Kindra Pring Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Tyler Vandenberg Democratic Party $38,419 $26,539 $11,880 As of December 31, 2025
Christine Bish Republican Party $58,592 $19,919 $38,723 As of December 31, 2025
Craig DeLuz Republican Party $0 $47 $0 As of December 31, 2025
Raymond Riehle Republican Party $90,180 $75,019 $15,701 As of December 31, 2025
Michael Stansfield Republican Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***

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.

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

2023_01_03_ca_congressional_district_06.jpg

2026

2027_01_03_ca_congressional_district_06.jpg
See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2026
Information about competitiveness will be added here as it becomes available.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's 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+8. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 8 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made California's 6th the 143rd 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.

2024 presidential results in California's 6th Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic PartyDonald Trump Republican Party
52.6%44.2%

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in California, 2024

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
See also: Party control of California state government

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.

State executive officials in California, October 2025
OfficeOfficeholder
GovernorDemocratic Party Gavin Newsom
Lieutenant GovernorDemocratic Party Eleni Kounalakis
Secretary of StateDemocratic Party Shirley Weber
Attorney GeneralDemocratic Party 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

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ California Legislative Information, "California Constitution, Article II, Section 5," accessed October 29, 2025
  2. ↑ California Secretary of State, "Primary Elections in California," accessed October 29, 2025
  3. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025
  4. ↑ Progressive Party


California's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Alex Padilla (D)
Adam Schiff (D)
Representatives
District 1
Vacant
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
Ami Bera (D)
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
Adam Gray (D)
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
Ro Khanna (D)
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
Jim Costa (D)
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
Raul Ruiz (D)
District 26
District 27
District 28
Judy Chu (D)
District 29
Luz Rivas (D)
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
Ted Lieu (D)
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
Young Kim (R)
District 41
District 42
District 43
District 44
District 45
District 46
District 47
Dave Min (D)
District 48
District 49
District 50
District 51
District 52
Democratic Party (45)
Republican Party (8)
Vacancies (1)


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