Race · November 3, 2026

U.S. House · California's 24th District

2 candidates on the ballot.¹

How this race is decided: Under California's top-two system, only the two candidates who received the most votes in the June 2, 2026, primary, regardless of party preference, appear on this general-election ballot.^1,2

§1Candidates

Why this matters: Every candidate the state lists for this race on the November ballot, in the state's own order.

Salud Carbajal

Democratic · Incumbent

Currently represents California's 24th District in the U.S. House.

Bob Smith

Republican · Challenger

§2Side by side

Why this matters: The same facts for every candidate, in the same order. Where we found nothing for a candidate, the cell says so — that means we didn't find it in public sources, not that it doesn't exist.

Scroll sideways on small screens. Select a name for the full page.
Fact	Salud Carbajal	Bob Smith
Party on the ballot	Democratic¹	Republican^1,3
Status	Incumbent⁴	Challenger
Raised	$1,917,271 through October 14, 2026⁵	$346,742 through October 14, 2026⁶
Cash on hand	$3,343,463⁵	$57,208⁶
Offshore wind power	His campaign website says he is helping guide the first offshore wind project off the coast of Morro Bay and that more must be done to bring wind and biofuel projects to market.⁷	His campaign website says the federal offshore wind leases off Morro Bay should be cancelled, arguing that the area is the wrong place for the project and that the turbines would interfere with military, aviation and weather radar.⁸

Issues only one candidate has addressed

By candidate, in ballot order. We found nothing public from the other candidates in this race on these issues.

Salud Carbajal — 17 issues

Birth control and IVF
His campaign website says he introduced legislation to provide no-cost contraception to military members through TRICARE.^9,10
Government funding and abortion
Let Medicaid and other public programs cover abortion (ending the Hyde Amendment)
His campaign website says he cosponsors bills to repeal the Hyde Amendment so that all women can access abortion care.⁹
Who sets abortion law
A national law making abortion legal in every state, at least until viability, as under Roe v. Wade
His campaign website says he is a cosponsor of the Women's Health Protection Act, which would protect the right to an abortion nationwide.⁹
Federal minimum wage
Raise to $15 or more
His campaign website says he has backed bills in the House to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.¹¹
Student loan forgiveness
His campaign website says he urged President Biden to cancel student debt for struggling borrowers, and it supports lower interest rates on federal student loans and letting borrowers refinance.¹²
Tuition-free college
Free tuition at community colleges
His campaign website says he supports two years of tuition-free community college.¹²
Oil and gas drilling on federal land and offshore
His campaign website says he introduced and passed a bill to ban future offshore oil drilling off California's coast and that he will keep opposing new offshore drilling.⁷
Conservation and development on federal lands
Protect more land, such as with new national monuments or wilderness areas
His campaign website says he has worked to create a new marine sanctuary and to designate parts of the Los Padres National Forest and the Carrizo Plain National Monument as protected wilderness.⁷
AR-15-style rifles
His campaign website says he supports reinstating national restrictions on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.¹³
Background checks for gun sales
Require checks for all gun sales, including private sales (with exceptions such as gifts between family members)
His campaign website says he has backed and helped pass gun safety measures that would institute universal background checks.¹³
Red flag laws
His campaign website says a bill he championed to help states set up red flag laws became part of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, and that such laws save lives by temporarily removing guns from people who pose a danger while preserving due process.¹³
ACA premium tax credits
His campaign website says that through COVID-19 relief laws he helped expand Affordable Care Act tax cuts that lowered premiums for millions of families.^10,14
Health insurance system
His campaign website says he voted against repealing the Affordable Care Act and has fought for legislation to improve and expand the health care system.¹⁰
Medicare drug price negotiation
His campaign website says he has fought for bills that let Medicare negotiate directly with drug companies and cap out-of-pocket costs, and that the government should use its bargaining power to lower prescription prices.^10,15
Medicare payments to doctors
His campaign website says rural health care providers are shortchanged by Medicare reimbursements and that the government should look at incentives for doctors and hospitals to operate in rural areas.¹⁵
Social Security benefit levels
Increase benefits, for example with larger yearly cost-of-living raises
His campaign website says Social Security benefits should be increased and that he opposes privatizing Social Security.¹⁵
High-speed internet access
His campaign website says he fought for the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which it says is expanding high-speed internet to communities that lack broadband.^11,16

Bob Smith — 7 issues

Visas for farmworkers
His campaign website says agricultural and seasonal visa programs should be modernized.¹⁷
Stock trading by members of Congress
His campaign website says he supports a standalone ban on stock trading by members of Congress.¹⁸
Nuclear power
His campaign website says the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant should be kept open, with reliable baseload power put first.⁸
Wildfire prevention and forest management
Fund more thinning and controlled burns under current review rules
His campaign website says he backs a proposed Los Padres National Forest project to reduce wildfire risk through mechanical thinning and prescribed fire, with environmental review left in place.¹⁹
Immigration enforcement inside the country
His campaign website says violent offenders should be removed and that enforcement against violent crime and fentanyl trafficking should be handled competently and without cruelty.^17,20
Legal status for immigrants here without permission, including Dreamers
His campaign website calls for legal clarity for long-term residents who work and pay taxes in the country.¹⁷
Federal spending levels
His campaign website says he would audit and cut wasteful federal spending that it says fuels inflation, and would vote against spending that adds to inflation without a plan to pay for it.^17,21

Issue statements are drafted by AI from the public sources cited, and only cover what each candidate has said publicly.

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