Candidate · November 3, 2026
Tessa Lynn Hodge
On the ballot for U.S. House · California's 23rd District
- raised through Oct 14, 2026
- $127K
- cash on hand
- $12K
- issues with public statements
- 8
§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 23rd District1 |
|---|---|
| Party on the ballot | Democratic1, |
| Status | Challenger |
| 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.
Tessa Lynn Hodge is a lifelong resident of the High Desert in California's 23rd District.4 She is a licensed clinical social worker with almost a decade of experience working with children in foster care and with students who need mental health services in school districts, and she has worked as a medical social worker in hospitals in the district.4,
Why they say they're running
Her campaign website says that after years as a social worker she is running to address the root causes of inequality, injustice, addiction, poor mental health and poverty through policy, and to be a voice for her community.4
Websites and accounts
- Campaign websitetessaforca.com1,
2 - Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=615747901056136
- Instagraminstagram.com/tessaforca6
- X (Twitter)x.com/tessaforca6
§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.
Health Care
Her campaign website says she will fight for a single-payer health care system so that everyone gets the care they need.5
- One government plan for everyone (Medicare for All)
- Add a government plan that anyone can choose to buy
- Keep the current mix of private and public coverage, including the ACA
- Fewer federal insurance rules and more private plan choices, with aid paid to individuals
Immigration
Her campaign website says she supports creating a clear pathway to legal status for long-term residents, along with protecting workers from exploitation and keeping families together.7
Her campaign website says current deportation efforts target workers, families and long-term residents rather than violent criminals, and that this tears communities apart.7
Environment and Public Lands
Her campaign website says she will fight for stronger emission standards, pointing to higher asthma rates and poorer air quality it links to industrial expansion and heavy freight traffic in the district.8
- Strengthen limits, such as tighter standards for soot and for pollution from trucks and factories
- Keep current limits
- Ease limits and give states more leeway, such as for pollution from wildfires or other countries
Her campaign website says she will stand up for public lands such as Joshua Tree.8
Education
Her campaign website says the U.S. Department of Education cannot be eliminated, citing its programs for rural schools such as the Rural and Low-Income School Program and the Small, Rural School Achievement Program.9
- Close the department and move or end its programs
- Shrink it and give states more control over federal school money
- Keep the department and its programs, or expand it
Foreign Policy and Defense
Her campaign website says she will call in Congress for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and for ending U.S. funding to Israel.10
- Increase military aid to Israel
- Keep military aid at current levels, without new conditions
- Attach conditions, such as limits on how US weapons are used and requirements to let humanitarian aid into Gaza
- Reduce or end military aid to Israel
Veterans
Her campaign website says cuts at the Department of Veterans Affairs that eliminated tens of thousands of jobs will increase wait times and lower the quality of care for veterans.11
§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, 2026.12
| Raised | $126,772 |
|---|---|
| Spent | $114,337 |
| Cash on hand | $12,434 |
| Debts owed by the campaign | $3,770 |
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.
- Candidate financial disclosure report13filed Oct 5, 2026