Federal · Statewide General Election
United States Representative, District 1
Draft candidate list — early preview until the state’s official list publishes on August 27, 2026.
This is one contest. Enter your address to see every race on your November ballot, and keep track of your picks.
On the ballot
- James Gallagher — Republican
- Mike McGuire — Democratic
This person holds your district's seat in the U.S. House of Representatives (2-year term).
The closest congressional contest on this ballot: Republican James Gallagher took 42.1% of the June 2 vote and Democrat Mike McGuire took 41.8%, a gap of 0.3 points. Gallagher already holds the seat — he won a special election in June to complete Doug LaMalfa's term — but he won it in the old district. Under Prop 50 the lines were redrawn, and per redistricting documents the new district is roughly 41% Democratic to 31% Republican. The district covers the far north of the state.
The winner holds one of 435 seats in the U.S. House for a two-year term. A member introduces bills, sits on committees that shape federal legislation, votes on the federal budget and on war powers, and handles casework between constituents and federal agencies. Unlike a state legislator, they have no role in California's budget — the trade is national reach for local control.
This is a rematch on changed ground. Gallagher won the special election in the district as it was; the November contest is in the district as Prop 50 redrew it, with a registration balance that runs the other way. Both candidates come from legislative leadership rather than the back benches, so this is a contest between two people who have run chambers. Weigh their state records against the fact that neither has a substantial federal one.
James Gallagher
Republican, and the sitting member for this district, seated in 2026 after winning the special election to complete his predecessor's term. He was previously the California Assembly's Minority Leader. He has sponsored 2 bills in the 119th Congress, none of which have become law.
Strengths
He has already won this seat once this year and arrives with the experience of leading a legislative caucus, with most of his money from individuals.
Trade-offs
His federal record is two sponsored bills and no laws, and he won the special election in a district whose lines no longer apply.
Keep in mind
He took 62.1% in the special election under the old map and 42.1% in the primary under the new one — the same candidate, two very different districts.
Mike McGuire
Democrat, a sitting State Senator and formerly the California Senate's President pro Tempore. He is lead author of 14 bills in the 2025–2026 state session, 3 of them signed into law — a modest count that reflects the leadership role, since presiding officers author far fewer bills than rank-and-file members. He raised $1,827,711, of which $1,527,505 came from individuals.
Strengths
He has led a legislative chamber, and his campaign is one of the more individually funded in this part of the ballot.
Trade-offs
He has no federal record at all, and his state bill count is low in raw terms even allowing for the leadership explanation.
Keep in mind
His state Senate record was made in Sacramento, not Washington; the chambers differ entirely in remit.
Record in office
James Gallagher (Republican) has served in the U.S. House since 2026 and has sponsored 3 bills in the 119th Congress; none of their bills have become law so far. Mike McGuire (Democratic) is a sitting State Senator and is lead author of 14 bills in the 2025–2026 session, 3 of them signed into law. Per the California Legislature's public bill data (leginfo bulk download) and Congress.gov and the public-domain congress-legislators roster, retrieved 2026-08-10.
Record details
Gallagher — Committees: Foreign Affairs; Science, Space, and Technology; Transportation and Infrastructure McGuire — SB 669 (2025): Rural hospitals: standby perinatal services. McGuire — SB 727 (2025): The Great Redwood Trail Agency. McGuire — SB 627 (2025): Law enforcement: masks. Committee assignments and the most recently signed-into-law bills each record-holder lead-authored, from the official legislative record.
Financial info
- Individuals
- PACs & committees
- Party
James Gallagher
$1,488,906 raised
- Individuals$959,75477%
- PACs & committees$275,86322%
- Party$7,0001%
Mike McGuire
$1,827,711 raised
- Individuals$1,527,50584%
- PACs & committees$300,07016%
1Total raised is all receipts for the 2026 cycle; the breakdown lists direct contributions, so the pieces can sum below the total. Figures are FEC filings through June 30, 2026, per the FEC bulk campaign-finance summaries, retrieved 2026-08-22.
June 2 primary — how they advanced
Source review: Very strong (99/100) · 7 cited sources
Official records anchor this contest, with several source types checked for context.
- sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)CA Secretary of State — Statement of Vote, June 2, 2026 primary (certified 2026-07-10)
- ballotpedia.org (opens in a new tab)Ballotpedia — June 2026 California primary
- pressdemocrat.com (opens in a new tab)The Press Democrat — Assembly District 12 runoff and independent-expenditure coverage
- unitedstates.github.io (opens in a new tab)congress-legislators — current members of Congress (unitedstates project)
- api.congress.gov (opens in a new tab)Congress.gov — member sponsored legislation (Library of Congress)
- downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Legislative Information — public bill data (bulk download)
- fec.gov (opens in a new tab)FEC — 2026 House & Senate current-campaign financial summaries (bulk data)
Last updated August 11, 2026.