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California's 20th Congressional District election, 2026

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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.
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2024
California's 20th 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 Republican
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending
Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
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 20th Congressional District
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California elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

All U.S. House districts, including the 20th 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 20

Incumbent Vince Fong, Patrick Robb, Carol Kristina Roper, and Sandra Van Scotter are running in the general election for U.S. House California District 20 on November 3, 2026.


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.

Image of Sandra Van Scotter

WebsiteFacebook

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No


Key Messages

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


My whole career has been advocating for people in spaces and places where they cannot speak for themselves. The House of Representatives is the next logical space for me to speak up for all of us! I promise to bring true Representation to you from Congress by including you in everything about the process of what you voted me in to do! I promise to Represent the people living in the Congressional District to Congress by introducing and co-sponsoring legislation that benefits the needs of the people in the District, and utilizing tools available to all Representatives to bring money and support into the Congressional District, and not use those tools as "political favors".


There are many layers to how the Federal Government and the States work together to support agriculture, resolve water concerns and improve our nationwide housing crisis and affordability concerns. I promise to collaborate with my State, County and local peers to bring all I can from the Federal Level into our Congressional District to support the efforts of the State, County and local officials to stabilize our current and ongoing crises.


Unrestricted access to basic Health Care is a Human Right. The US Commercial Health Insurance System has treated our health as a "bottomless cup" of profit by taking billions in premiums and not actually paying out the premiums collected to pay for doctor-ordered medical care. Medicare For All is the answer to getting our Health Care System on track. The first thing I thought when the ACA was passed was, "that's not going to work. Our Commercial Insurance system is still For Profit". Medicare For All as described in S 1560, introduced in April 2025, will give us a smooth transition out of the current layers of Commercial and government provided plans into a Single Payer option that all populations will benefit from, over 4 years of time.

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

My whole career has been advocating for people in spaces and places where they cannot speak for themselves. The House of Representatives is the next logical space for me to speak up for all of us! I promise to bring true Representation to you from Congress by including you in everything about the process of what you voted me in to do! I promise to Represent the people living in the Congressional District to Congress by introducing and co-sponsoring legislation that benefits the needs of the people in the District, and utilizing tools available to all Representatives to bring money and support into the Congressional District, and not use those tools as "political favors".

There are many layers to how the Federal Government and the States work together to support agriculture, resolve water concerns and improve our nationwide housing crisis and affordability concerns. I promise to collaborate with my State, County and local peers to bring all I can from the Federal Level into our Congressional District to support the efforts of the State, County and local officials to stabilize our current and ongoing crises.

Unrestricted access to basic Health Care is a Human Right. The US Commercial Health Insurance System has treated our health as a "bottomless cup" of profit by taking billions in premiums and not actually paying out the premiums collected to pay for doctor-ordered medical care. Medicare For All is the answer to getting our Health Care System on track. The first thing I thought when the ACA was passed was, "that's not going to work. Our Commercial Insurance system is still For Profit". Medicare For All as described in S 1560, introduced in April 2025, will give us a smooth transition out of the current layers of Commercial and government provided plans into a Single Payer option that all populations will benefit from, over 4 years of time.
Streamlining access to Veterans Disability Benefits and Social Security Disability Benefits and improving Developmental Disability benefits on a National Level. Right now, BILLIONS of TAXPAYER dollars PER YEAR are being spent SPECIFICALLY to DENY benefits to people who absolutely need them and deserve them.


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
Vince Fong Republican Party $963,578 $668,695 $334,114 As of September 30, 2025
Patrick Robb Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Carol Kristina Roper Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Sandra Van Scotter Democratic 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.

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 20th Congressional District election, 2026
Race trackerRace ratings
1/13/20261/6/202612/23/202512/16/2025
The Cook Political Report with Amy WalterSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Decision Desk HQ and The HillPendingPendingPendingPending
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe Republican
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.

Special election

General election

Special general election for U.S. House California District 20

Vince Fong (R) defeated Mike Boudreaux (R) in the special general election for U.S. House California District 20 on May 21, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Vince Fong
Vince Fong (R)
 
60.6
 
50,643
Image of Mike Boudreaux
Mike Boudreaux (R)
 
39.4
 
32,952

Total votes: 83,595
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.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary

Special Nonpartisan primary election for U.S. House California District 20

The following candidates ran in the special primary for U.S. House California District 20 on March 19, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Vince Fong
Vince Fong (R)
 
42.3
 
51,194
Image of Mike Boudreaux
Mike Boudreaux (R)
 
25.8
 
31,202
Image of Marisa Wood
Marisa Wood (D)
 
22.6
 
27,337
Image of Kyle Kirkland
Kyle Kirkland (R)
 
4.9
 
5,941
Image of Harmesh Kumar
Harmesh Kumar (D)
 
2.4
 
2,885
Image of Ben Dewell
Ben Dewell (No party preference)
 
0.9
 
1,074
David Fluhart (No party preference)
 
0.7
 
878
Image of James Cardoza
James Cardoza (No party preference)  Candidate Connection
 
0.2
 
298
Image of Anna Zoë Cohen
Anna Zoë Cohen (R)
 
0.2
 
289

Total votes: 121,098
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.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Regular election

General election

General election for U.S. House California District 20

Incumbent Vince Fong (R) defeated Mike Boudreaux (R) (Withdrew, appeared on ballot) in the general election for U.S. House California District 20 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Vince Fong
Vince Fong (R)
 
65.1
 
187,862
Image of Mike Boudreaux
Mike Boudreaux (R) (Withdrew, appeared on ballot)
 
34.9
 
100,926

Total votes: 288,788
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.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary

Nonpartisan primary election for U.S. House California District 20

The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House California District 20 on March 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Vince Fong
Vince Fong (R)
 
41.9
 
66,160
Image of Mike Boudreaux
Mike Boudreaux (R)
 
24.0
 
37,883
Image of Marisa Wood
Marisa Wood (D)
 
21.2
 
33,509
Image of Kyle Kirkland
Kyle Kirkland (R)  Candidate Connection
 
4.1
 
6,429
Image of Andy Morales
Andy Morales (D)
 
2.8
 
4,381
Image of Stan Ellis
Stan Ellis (R)
 
2.1
 
3,252
Image of David Giglio
David Giglio (R) (Withdrew, appeared on ballot)
 
1.4
 
2,224
Image of Ben Dewell
Ben Dewell (No party preference)
 
1.0
 
1,509
Image of Matt Stoll
Matt Stoll (R)
 
0.7
 
1,131
Kelly Kulikoff (R)
 
0.5
 
724
Image of T.J. Esposito
T.J. Esposito (No party preference)
 
0.3
 
541
Image of James Cardoza
James Cardoza (No party preference) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
9

Total votes: 157,752
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.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

General election

General election for U.S. House California District 20

Incumbent Kevin McCarthy (R) defeated Marisa Wood (D) in the general election for U.S. House California District 20 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy (R)
 
67.2
 
153,847
Image of Marisa Wood
Marisa Wood (D)
 
32.8
 
74,934

Total votes: 228,781
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.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary

Nonpartisan primary election for U.S. House California District 20

Incumbent Kevin McCarthy (R) and Marisa Wood (D) defeated Ben Dewell (D), James Davis (R), and James Macauley (R) in the primary for U.S. House California District 20 on June 7, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy (R)
 
61.3
 
85,748
Image of Marisa Wood
Marisa Wood (D)
 
24.0
 
33,511
Image of Ben Dewell
Ben Dewell (D)  Candidate Connection
 
6.3
 
8,757
James Davis (R)
 
4.6
 
6,382
Image of James Macauley
James Macauley (R)  Candidate Connection
 
3.9
 
5,488

Total votes: 139,886
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.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

General election

General election for U.S. House California District 20

Incumbent Jimmy Panetta (D) defeated Jeff Gorman (R) in the general election for U.S. House California District 20 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jimmy Panetta
Jimmy Panetta (D)
 
76.8
 
236,896
Image of Jeff Gorman
Jeff Gorman (R)  Candidate Connection
 
23.2
 
71,658

Total votes: 308,554
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.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary

Nonpartisan primary election for U.S. House California District 20

Incumbent Jimmy Panetta (D) and Jeff Gorman (R) defeated Adam Bolaños Scow (D) in the primary for U.S. House California District 20 on March 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jimmy Panetta
Jimmy Panetta (D)
 
66.2
 
123,615
Image of Jeff Gorman
Jeff Gorman (R)  Candidate Connection
 
20.3
 
38,001
Image of Adam Bolaños Scow
Adam Bolaños Scow (D)  Candidate Connection
 
13.5
 
25,172

Total votes: 186,788
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.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

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_020.jpg

2026

2027_01_03_ca_congressional_district_20.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 R+15. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 15 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made California's 20th the 76th most Republican district nationally.[5]

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 20th Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
32.8% 64.9%

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[6] 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 October 2025.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from California
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 2 43 45
Republican 0 9 9
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
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
Office Officeholder
Governor Democratic Party Gavin Newsom
Lieutenant Governor Democratic Party Eleni Kounalakis
Secretary of State Democratic Party Shirley Weber
Attorney General Democratic 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

See also

California 2026 primaries 2026 U.S. Congress elections
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Ballot access

External links

Footnotes

  1. Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  2. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  3. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  4. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  5. Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025
  6. Progressive Party


Senators
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)