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California's 9th Congressional District election, 2026 (June 2 top-two primary)

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← 2024
California's 9th 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: 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
California's 9th 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 9th 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 9th 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


Nonpartisan primary

Nonpartisan primary election for U.S. House California District 9

Incumbent Josh Harder (D), Khalid Jeffrey Jafri (R), John McBride (R), Parminder Singh (R), and Martin Veprauskas (R) are running in the primary for U.S. House California District 9 on June 2, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Josh Harder
Josh Harder (D)
Image of Khalid Jeffrey Jafri
Khalid Jeffrey Jafri (R)
Image of John McBride
John McBride (R)  Candidate Connection
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Parminder Singh (R)
Image of Martin Veprauskas
Martin Veprauskas (R)

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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

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.

John McBride

Image of John McBride

WebsiteFacebookXYouTube

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "John McBride is a dedicated, coach, and family man running for CA’s 9th Congressional District. With more than 4 decades of experience mentoring young athletes and building stronger communities, McBride brings a legacy of leadership, integrity, and service to the political arena. Born in Meriden, CT, McBride earned his bachelor’s from Central Connecticut State University. His deep American roots trace back to the 1600s in Wallingford, CT, and he is a proud ancestor of Lyman Hall, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. In 1989, McBride moved to CA to become the first-ever Strength & Conditioning Coach at the University of the Pacific. Over the course of 12 years, he trained and developed collegiate athletes, many of whom went on to play professionally. McBride also served 13 years shaping young lives at St. Mary’s High School in Stockton. Across both institutions and beyond, his passion for building champions, has impacted countless students and families. McBride has spent over 40 years working with youth, emphasizing character, resilience, and personal growth. Known for his tough-but-caring approach, he’s inspired generations to work hard, stay disciplined, and lead with purpose. John and his wife Nicole have been married since 1994. Together, they’ve raised 5 children, prioritizing a faith-filled life centered on family values and community service. McBride is taking his dedication, honesty, and grit that made him a respected coach and mentor to the national stage"

Key Messages

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

Energy independence must be restored. America has the largest natural resources in the world for us to achieve energy independence and it is not being used. To ensure our freedom, these resources need to be utilized so that the American people and this nation or not at the mercy of foreign oil producing nations. America needs to be an energy exporting nation which will have a tremendous boost the out economy and improve affordability across the board. The advances in the safety of nuclear power dictates that a substantial investment should be made in the necessary infrastructure to boost this source of energy.

The livelihood of the American farmers, and the integrity of our food supply must be protected. Oppressive rules and regulations placed on American farmers jeopardizes, their livelihood and the quality of our food. The health of the American people is threatened by cheap, low quality food imports, as well as toxic ingredients, all destructive to the health of We The People. America must end the manipulation and control of Big Ag maintains over our food supply.

The rights of parents must be protected in order for them to raise their children in ways they feel is best. Educational, indoctrination, and government oppression on the family must end. The rights of the family must be protected. Government intrusions on the family need to be minimized. The state is not the parent of our children. This would include parents right to medical freedom in raising their children.

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
Josh Harder Democratic Party $2,749,905 $670,779 $3,767,958 As of December 31, 2025
Khalid Jeffrey Jafri Republican Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
John McBride Republican Party $3,993 $2,856 $768 As of December 31, 2025
Parminder Singh Republican Party $0 $0 $0 As of December 31, 2025
Martin Veprauskas 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_09.jpg

2026

2027_01_03_ca_congressional_district_09.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+1. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 1 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made California's 9th the 205th most Democratic district nationally.[3]

2024 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 9th Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic PartyDonald Trump Republican Party
54.2%42.7%

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 March 2026.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from California
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 2 43 45
Republican 0 7 7
Independent 0 1 1
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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