Race · November 3, 2026

U.S. House · California's 8th 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.

John Garamendi
Democratic · Incumbent
Currently represents California's 8th District in the U.S. House.
Rudy Recile
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.
John GaramendiRudy Recile
Party on the ballotDemocratic1,3Republican1,3
StatusIncumbent4Challenger
Raised$582,746 through October 14, 20265$20,073 through September 30, 20266
Cash on hand$1,231,6435$2356

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.

John Garamendi — 14 issues
  • Discrimination protections for sexual orientation and gender identity
    Pass broad protections such as the Equality Act
    His campaign website says he supports the Equality Act, which it says would bar discrimination against LGBT Americans in the workplace, housing and public accommodations.7
  • Voting Rights Act protections
    Restore and widen protections by law, such as federal approval of voting changes in places with a history of discrimination (for example, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act)
    His campaign website says that after the Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act, he called on Congress to restore it.7
  • Federal minimum wage
    His campaign website says he supports a package of bills that would, among other things, raise the minimum wage.7
  • Student loan forgiveness
    Add targeted relief, such as more forgiveness for public service workers or through income-based repayment
    His campaign website says he supports faster student loan forgiveness for primary care doctors who work in community clinics and underserved areas, and that his Student Loan Refinancing and Recalculating Act would lower student loan interest rates for all borrowers.7
  • Clean energy tax credits
    His campaign website lists among his accomplishments passing a five-year extension of the wind and solar tax credits.7
  • Child tax credit
    His campaign website says he supports a package of bills that would expand the child and earned income tax credits.7
  • Same-sex marriage
    Keep same-sex marriage legal in every state
    His campaign website says he supports full equality for LGBT people, including marriage equality.7
  • Foreign aid
    His campaign website says diplomacy should come first in foreign relations, that U.S. aid can help regions suffering from hunger and disease, and that he supports expanding the Peace Corps.7
  • AR-15-style rifles
    His official House biography says he introduced the state legislation that became California's assault weapons ban and that he remains an advocate for gun control.8
  • Federal Medicaid funding
    His campaign website says he opposes all efforts to privatize Social Security, dismantle Medicare or defund Medicaid and Medi-Cal.7
  • Health insurance system
    Add a government plan that anyone can choose to buy
    His campaign website says the Affordable Care Act can be improved and that he supports a national public option to increase competition and expand insurance choices in every community.7
  • Highway and transit funding
    His campaign website says he supports more federal investment in roads, bridges, ports, levees and public transit, and in bicycle lanes and walkways, and that he is working to get California a larger return on the gas tax it sends to Washington.7
  • Medicare dental, vision and hearing coverage
    His campaign website says he is urging Congress to expand Medicare to cover dental and vision care.7
  • Medicare drug price negotiation
    His campaign website says he supports letting Medicare negotiate drug prices directly and allowing imports of prescription drugs from Canada and other countries with strong safety standards.7
Rudy Recile — 5 issues
  • Vouchers and education savings accounts
    Make them available to every family
    His campaign website says education money should follow the child and that parents should be able to choose where their children are taught.9
  • Nuclear power
    His campaign website calls nuclear energy the cleanest and safest form of energy and suggests considering reopening closed California nuclear plants and building small modular reactors.10
  • Federal spending levels
    His campaign website says government spending is out of control, that Congress needs to control its spending, and that the federal government should do a better job of tracking how money is spent against the budget.11
  • Targeted tax breaks for individuals and families
    Add or expand breaks for costs such as education savings, adoption and selling a home
    His campaign website says parents who pay for private school, homeschooling or higher education for their children should get a tax credit for those costs nationwide.9
  • Veterans' disability and survivor benefits
    His campaign website says many veterans have trouble getting the benefits they are owed, and that two veterans' bills referred to the House subcommittee on disability assistance, H.R. 303 and H.R. 333, have stalled for years while lawmakers take too long to do what is right.12,13

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