California's 20th Congressional District election, 2026 (June 2 top-two primary)

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← 2024
California's 20th Congressional District
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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

A top-two primary takes place on June 2, 2026, in California's 20th 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 20th 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 of candidates is unofficial. The filing deadline for this election has passed, and Ballotpedia is working to update this page with the official candidate list. This note will be removed once the official candidate list has been added.

Nonpartisan primary

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

The following candidates are running in the primary for U.S. House California District 20 on June 2, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Vince Fong
Vince Fong (R)
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
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Patrick Robb (D)
Image of Carol Kristina Roper
Carol Kristina Roper (D)
Image of Sandra Van Scotter
Sandra Van Scotter (D)  Candidate Connection
Image of Ben Dewell
Ben Dewell (No Party Affiliation)  Candidate Connection
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Jeremy Fox (No party preference)

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

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.

Ben Dewell

Image of Ben Dewell

WebsiteFacebookXYouTube

Party: No Party Affiliation

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "I have called both the north and south of the 20th home, having been raised in Fresno and now living rurally in Kern County. I hold a Bachelors in Biology from Fresno State, and a Masters in Atmospheric Science from the University of California, Davis. My company, WEATHERx, was the first professional meteorologist staffed company to offer targeted forecasting directly to San Joaquin Valley agriculture. I am currently serving my second 4 year term as Director with the Stallion Springs Community Service District where I have been making and shaping policy within that semi-rural community since 2018 for police, roads, water, sewer, solid waste, parks and rec – in short, being responsible for all the basic infrastructure required of any modern community. Stallion Springs is one of only 5 Community Service Districts out of 2000 within California with its own Police Department. In August of last year, we successfully sought a $275 per year property tax raise from the 80% conservative residents of Stallion Springs to maintain our Police Department with an unheard-of landslide approval of 85%. I was until recently also a Hearing Director with the Eastern Kern Air Pollution Control District, where I adjudicated variance air pollution violations from entities such as US Borax, National Cement and Edwards Air Force Base."

Key Messages

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

I am a third time candidate for the 20th Congressional District, having placed third in my first primary in 2022 running as a lifelong Democrat against Kevin McCarthy, after concluding that he could no longer represent me in Congress. That nascent experience, and my understanding of the overwhelmingly conservative nature of the 20th’s electorate, convinced me that the only way to win the 20th as any kind of progressive is as a No Party Preference candidate. At only 24% of voters in the 20th with 27% Independent, and Republicans at an overwhelming 46%, Democrats in the 20th just do not have the numbers to win. Quite simply, running as an Independent, No Party Preference, candidate allows me to appeal to the widest array of possible voters.

A vote for Ben Dewell is a vote to re-establish the balance of powers necessary to the preservation and operation of representative democracy – the voice of the people. Independent, experienced leadership responsible not to party partisanship, but to the voice of the people, is necessary to the restore the fundamentals of democracy envisioned by the Founders. I am the only candidate for California's 20th qualified to to represent the entirety of the the 20th's constituency in rebalancing power abrogated by Congress at the federal level and to push back against an unrestrained executive branch. Please join me on the Independent Bridge – a bridge for compromise and to the future.

Democratic candidates have not ever succeeded, and cannot succeed, in California's most conservative, largely rural, 20th Congressional District. It is quite simply, and inarguably, mathematically impossible given the voter makeup. What is that definition of insanity again? Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. The 20th is NOT in play for the Democratic Party. I am asking that moderates and progressives declare their independence from party dogma and vote for a candidate who is aligned with their priorities – the survival of democracy, affordable housing, the cost of living, common sense gun laws, comprehensive immigration reform, the increasing inequity of those very few at the top of the economy.

Sandra Van Scotter

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

Election information in California: June 2, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: June 2, 2026
  • By mail: Postmarked by May 18, 2026
  • Online: May 18, 2026

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: N/A
  • By mail: N/A by N/A
  • Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: N/A
  • By mail: N/A by N/A

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

May 23, 2026 to June 1, 2026

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (PT)

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Vince Fong Republican Party $1,207,536 $949,852 $296,915 As of December 31, 2025
Patrick Robb Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Carol Kristina Roper Democratic Party $104,400 $10,609 $93,791 As of December 31, 2025
Sandra Van Scotter Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Ben Dewell No Party Affiliation $704 $222 $1,185 As of December 31, 2025
Jeremy Fox No party preference $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_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.[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 20th Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic PartyDonald 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[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 (7)
Independent (1)
Vacancies (1)


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