Candidate · November 3, 2026

David Pan

On the ballot for U.S. House · California's 46th District

RepublicanChallenger
raised through Oct 14, 2026
$104K
cash on hand
$1,856
issues with public statements
6

§1On the ballot

Why this matters: This is exactly how the candidate appears on your ballot, from the state's official candidate list.

OfficeU.S. House · California's 46th District1
Party on the ballotRepublican1,2
StatusChallenger
How it's decidedUnder 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.1,3
Also on the ballot

§2Who they are

Why this matters: Background and experience help you judge how someone might do the job. These come from public records and the candidate's own materials.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

David Pan was born to parents who immigrated from Taiwan and was raised in the Chicago area, where he attended public schools in Chicago and Mount Prospect, Illinois.4 He attended Stanford University and did graduate work at Columbia University, worked at Washington University in St. Louis, Stanford and Penn State, and has been a professor of German at UC Irvine since 2006.4,5 He has also worked as a management consultant at McKinsey and Company, edits the journal Telos, and served on the State Department's Commission on Unalienable Rights from 2019 to 2020.4

Why they say they're running

His campaign website says he is running to address the serious issues facing the state and nation with clarity and responsibility for the future, and that his years in academia, where he says the education establishment has moved away from merit and equal opportunity, led him to seek office.4 It also says he wants to change the way people relate to their government by phasing out current welfare and entitlement programs and returning that money to the American people.6

Websites and accounts

§3What they've said on the issues

Why this matters: These are positions the candidate has stated publicly — on their campaign website or in public statements — summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Issues they haven't spoken about publicly are left out.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Each issue has its own range of views. A position is marked on that range only when the candidate's own statement clearly matches one option; there is no overall left–right score.

Education

Vouchers and education savings accounts

His campaign website says he supports charter schools and school vouchers so that all parents can choose the best education for their children.6

  1. Make them available to every family
  2. Offer them only to some students, such as those from low-income families or with disabilities
  3. No public money for private school or homeschooling costs
Marked: the option their statement matches.

Crime, Policing and Prisons

Police funding

His campaign website says more police need to be recruited and laws enforced to address rising crime.6

  1. Increase police funding, for example to hire more officers
  2. Keep funding near current levels
  3. Shift some police funding to mental health, housing or other services
Marked: the option their statement matches.

Taxes and Budget

Federal spending levels

His campaign website says the national debt is rising mainly because of the growing costs of welfare and entitlement programs, and that his plan to replace them would cut the federal deficit by more than $1 trillion a year over the long term.6

Health Care

Health insurance system

His campaign website proposes replacing current programs with a $4,000 yearly payment into each adult citizen's health savings account to buy private insurance, privatizing Medicare and Medicaid as options alongside private plans, requiring insurers to offer high-deductible catastrophic plans paired with health savings accounts, and requiring providers to post their prices.6

  1. One government plan for everyone (Medicare for All)
  2. Add a government plan that anyone can choose to buy
  3. Keep the current mix of private and public coverage, including the ACA
  4. Fewer federal insurance rules and more private plan choices, with aid paid to individuals
Marked: the option their statement matches.

Social Security and Medicare

Social Security benefit levels

His campaign website says his plan would guarantee existing Social Security and Medicare benefits for everyone 37 and older, while younger people would instead receive $16,000 a year right away under a new system.6

Family and Social Policy

Food assistance (SNAP)

His campaign website says that under his plan, programs such as SNAP and housing vouchers would be closed to new applicants, and current recipients could choose to stay in them or receive the new $16,000 yearly payment instead.6

§4Money

Why this matters: Campaigns report where their money comes from and how much they have left. Outside groups that spend on their own, without coordinating with the campaign, report that too.

Reported to the Federal Election Commission for the 2025–2026 election cycle, through October 14, 2026.8

Raised$104,145
Spent$105,168
Cash on hand$1,856
Debts owed by the campaign$33,477

Where the money came from

Individual donors$92K · 88%
PACs and other political committees$2,250 · 2%
The candidate's own money (gifts and loans)$9,000 · 9%
Other receipts (other loans, refunds, interest)$809 · 1%

§5Financial disclosures

Why this matters: Federal candidates and members of Congress must report their assets, income, debts and outside jobs, and members must report stock trades. These filings show possible conflicts of interest.