Candidate · November 3, 2026
James Gallagher
On the ballot for U.S. House · California's 1st District
- raised through Oct 14, 2026
- $2.0M
- cash on hand
- $328K
§1On the ballot
Why this matters: This is exactly how the candidate appears on your ballot, from the state's official candidate list.
| Office | U.S. House · California's 1st District1 |
|---|---|
| Party on the ballot | Republican1 |
| Status | Incumbent — Currently represents California's 1st District in the U.S. House.2 |
| How it's 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, |
| Also on the ballot |
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§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.
James Gallagher was born in Yuba City in 1981 and earned a bachelor's degree at UC Berkeley and a law degree at UC Davis.4 He practices law representing small businesses and farmers and is a partner in his family's farming operation.4 He served six years on the Sutter County Board of Supervisors, represented California's 3rd Assembly District from 2014, and was the Assembly minority leader from 2022 to 2025.4 After the death of Rep. Doug LaMalfa, he won a special election to finish LaMalfa's term and took office in the U.S. House on June 11, 2026.4,
Why they say they're running
His campaign website says that in running to finish Rep. LaMalfa's term he pledged to continue LaMalfa's kind of representation: listening, putting people first, speaking up for rural communities and standing for faith, family and freedom.4 It lists his platform as lowering taxes, fees and regulations to make life more affordable, tougher laws against crime, more energy production, continued border security, parental rights, and protecting farms and businesses from excessive regulation.4
Service in Congress since 2023
- 2026–nowU.S. Representative, CA-12
Websites and accounts
- Official websitegallagher.house.gov2
- Campaign websiteelectjamesgallagher.com4,
5 - Facebookfacebook.com/JamesGallagherforCA4
- YouTubeyoutube.com/@JamesGallagherForCongress4
- X (Twitter)x.com/J_Gallagher4CA4
- Instagraminstagram.com/jamesgallagherca4
§3Popular bills that never got a vote
Why this matters: Many bills with wide support from both parties never reach a vote, so no member of Congress is ever on record for or against them. Signing on as a sponsor or cosponsor is the only public record of support.
While James Gallagher served, these bills had broad support from both parties but never reached a floor vote. No officeholder ever had to vote on them. James Gallagher sponsored or cosponsored 4 of the 26. How bills die without a vote.
See all 26
- Extends the parks maintenance fund and adds higher park fees for foreign visitors (H.R. 9250, 119th Congress · 263 cosponsors)6Cosponsored
- Expands Medicare telehealth coverage by removing location limits and other restrictions (H.R. 4206, 119th Congress · 248 cosponsors)7Cosponsored
- Expands Medicare coverage to all services chiropractors are licensed to provide (H.R. 539, 119th Congress · 174 cosponsors)8Cosponsored
- Doubles the amount of profit from selling a primary home that is exempt from tax (H.R. 1340, 119th Congress · 159 cosponsors)9Cosponsored
- Lets combat-disabled veterans get full military retirement pay plus disability pay (H.R. 2102, 119th Congress · 340 cosponsors)10Did not cosponsor
- Sets electronic prior-approval and reporting rules for Medicare Advantage plans (H.R. 3514, 119th Congress · 308 cosponsors)11Did not cosponsor
- Ends disability benefit and Medicare waiting periods for metastatic breast cancer (H.R. 2048, 119th Congress · 271 cosponsors)12Did not cosponsor
- Bans slaughtering horses and other equines for human food (H.R. 1661, 119th Congress · 238 cosponsors)13Did not cosponsor
- Targets crimes against postal workers; authorizes money for more secure mailboxes and keys (H.R. 1065, 119th Congress · 231 cosponsors)14Did not cosponsor
- Adds Medicare coverage of blood tests to screen for early Alzheimer's disease (H.R. 6130, 119th Congress · 231 cosponsors)15Did not cosponsor
- Requires health plans to cover birth defect care for the eyes, ears, teeth, mouth or jaw (H.R. 3277, 119th Congress · 214 cosponsors)16Did not cosponsor
- Keeps paying military members and support staff during a shutdown in fiscal 2026 (H.R. 5401, 119th Congress · 210 cosponsors)17Did not cosponsor
- Raises Medicare physician fee schedule payments by 6.62% for April through December 2025 (H.R. 879, 119th Congress · 198 cosponsors)18Did not cosponsor
- Lets surviving military and veteran spouses keep benefits after remarrying (H.R. 1004, 119th Congress · 183 cosponsors)19Did not cosponsor
- Raises the tax credit for maintaining short line railroad track (H.R. 516, 119th Congress · 183 cosponsors)20Did not cosponsor
- Expands U.S.-Israel military cooperation on counter-drone and emerging technology (H.R. 1229, 119th Congress · 178 cosponsors)21Did not cosponsor
- Authorizes CIA payments to former Air America employees and survivors for 1950-1976 work (H.R. 2192, 119th Congress · 178 cosponsors)22Did not cosponsor
- Requires employer health plans to offer exceptions to step therapy drug rules (H.R. 5509, 119th Congress · 169 cosponsors)23Did not cosponsor
- Expands and revises the low-income housing tax credit for affordable rentals (H.R. 2725, 119th Congress · 168 cosponsors)24Did not cosponsor
- Counts recovery from organ donation surgery as a serious health condition for family leave (H.R. 4582, 119th Congress · 168 cosponsors)25Did not cosponsor
- Bars insurers from discriminating against living organ donors (H.R. 4583, 119th Congress · 168 cosponsors)26Did not cosponsor
- Requires nursing homes and similar facilities to let essential caregivers see residents (H.R. 6766, 119th Congress · 160 cosponsors)27Did not cosponsor
- Requires VA clinicians to certify a veteran's death within 48 hours (H.R. 4398, 119th Congress · 158 cosponsors)28Did not cosponsor
- No-down-payment, federally insured mortgages for first responders and teachers (H.R. 2094, 119th Congress · 154 cosponsors)29Did not cosponsor
- Funds research on firefighter protective gear made without PFAS chemicals (H.R. 3184, 119th Congress · 150 cosponsors)30Did not cosponsor
- Bans betting on animal fights and allows private lawsuits over animal fighting (H.R. 3946, 119th Congress · 150 cosponsors)31Did not cosponsor
§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, 2026.32
| Raised | $1,995,260 |
|---|---|
| Spent | $1,667,531 |
| Cash on hand | $327,729 |
| Debts owed by the campaign | $24,837 |
Where the money came from
§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.
- Amended financial disclosure report33filed Sep 5, 2026
- Candidate financial disclosure report34filed May 5, 2026