# United States Representative, District 18 Compare records and positions simply between Zoe Lofgren or Shane Lewis for United States Representative, District 18 at VoteOrElse.com. On the November 3, 2026 California general election ballot. This person holds your district's seat in the U.S. House of Representatives (2-year term). - Jurisdiction: Federal - Election: November 3, 2026 California general election - Publisher: Vote or Else (https://voteorelse.com) — a free, nonpartisan ballot guide for California voters. No endorsements. - Canonical page: https://voteorelse.com/2026/us-rep-18 - Full ballot: this page covers one race. Every contest on a voter's own ballot, by address, with the same breakdown for each: https://voteorelse.com/ - Sources last retrieved: September 24, 2026 - Source-objectivity score: 89 out of 100 (Strong), across 9 cited sources. This grades the mix of sources, not the candidates. Rubric: https://voteorelse.com/about#methodology ## On the ballot - **Zoe Lofgren** — Congresswoman · Democratic - **Shane Lewis** — Electrical Test Engineer · Republican Representative Zoe Lofgren took 54.9% of the June 2 vote and Republican Shane Lewis took 29.3% to claim the second slot. Lofgren has held this seat since 1995, the longest tenure of any candidate on this ballot. The district covers San Jose and part of Santa Clara County. 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. Seniority governs committee standing, and three decades of it is a substantial asset for a district. Three decades of seniority is the central fact here, and it cuts both ways: it buys committee position no newcomer could match, and it means this district has had the same representation for thirty-one years. A 54.9% primary is on the low side for a member of that standing. Weigh the value of the seniority against that signal. ## Zoe Lofgren Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat, has represented this district since 1995, one of the longest tenures in the California delegation. She is Ranking Member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee (lofgren.house.gov). Before Congress she worked as an immigration lawyer and law professor. Her campaign says immigration law "must be reformed if the United States is to succeed in the 21st Century" (zoelofgren.com). Her campaign describes her as someone who "has dedicated her career to fighting for our diverse communities" (zoelofgren.com). In 2026, as Ranking Member, she sent a letter to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. It called for the removal of Dr. Matthew Wielicki from leadership of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (lofgren.house.gov). She promises to keep "expanding access to quality, affordable health care" and to pursue cybersecurity laws that "focus on true threats without invading personal privacy or criminalizing common Internet uses" (lofgren.house.gov). She also highlights her role as "a recognized leader and respected voice on technology issues" for Silicon Valley (lofgren.house.gov). **Strengths:** Three decades in Congress and a top position on the Science Committee give her documented influence, along with a specific 2026 push to remove a federal science official. **Trade-offs:** Long tenure means voters are extending an existing thirty-year seat rather than choosing something new. **Keep in mind:** Her platform leans on her committee role and national tech and climate fights as much as day to day district concerns. ## Shane Lewis Shane Lewis, a Republican, describes himself as a "Marine Corps Veteran. Community Focused. Conservative," who has lived in San Jose for 28 years (shanelewisforcongress.com). He "joined the United States Marine Corps shortly after high school" and trained at Parris Island. He later qualified as a paratrooper, "earning blood wings," at Fort Benning (shanelewisforcongress.com). After the Marines he "served as Worship Leader and Elder at a San Jose church while running a music business." He now works as an "R&D Electrical Test Engineer for a medical device company" (shanelewisforcongress.com). His campaign says his "promise to you is to keep earning your trust after he is elected" (shanelewisforcongress.com). He has not held elected office, so there is no voting record, lawsuit or other documented conduct to weigh here beyond his own campaign statements. He proposes "a simple, low flat tax of approximately 7% for American workers' wages and salaries," which he says "would cut federal tax liability for many families by about 50%" (shanelewisforcongress.com). He also backs a "Protect Parental Rights and Local Control Act" for schools and an expanded H-2A visa program for agricultural workers (shanelewisforcongress.com). **Strengths:** A Marine Corps record and a specific, detailed tax proposal give voters more to evaluate than many first-time challengers offer. **Trade-offs:** No record in elected office to judge, and coverage of this race carries little beyond his own campaign materials. **Keep in mind:** His flat tax and local control proposals are a sharp departure from current law, which is worth weighing against the incumbent's record. ## Record in office Zoe Lofgren (Democratic) has served in the U.S. House since 1995 and has sponsored 23 bills in the 119th Congress; 5 of their career bills have become law. Shane Lewis has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress; these records cover only those offices. Per Congress.gov and the public-domain congress-legislators roster, retrieved 2026-09-21. ## Record details Lofgren — Committees: Science, Space, and Technology; Judiciary Lofgren — HR 5277 (2019): To amend section 442 of title 18, United States Code, to exempt certain interests in mutual funds, unit investment trusts, employee benefit plans, and retirement plans from conflict of interest limitations for the Government Publishing Office. Lofgren — HR 398 (2011): To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to toll, during active-duty service abroad in the Armed Forces, the periods of time to file a petition and appear for an interview to remove the conditional basis for permanent resident status, and for other purposes. Lofgren — HR 4543 (2010): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4285 Payne Avenue in San Jose, California, as the "Anthony J. Cortese Post Office Building". Committee assignments and the most recently signed-into-law bills each record-holder lead-authored, from the official legislative record. ## Financial info - **Zoe Lofgren** — $1,721,916 raised (Individuals: $1,105,068; PACs & committees: $438,200; Party: $613) - **Shane Lewis** — $60,180 raised (Individuals: $14,340; Self-funding: $41,958) Total 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 2026-09-21. ## Review notes - Shane Lewis for Congress and Zoe Lofgren for Congress may have more bias because they are advocacy voter guides compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources. ## Sources 1. [CA Secretary of State — Statement of Vote, June 2, 2026 primary (certified 2026-07-10)](https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/prior-elections/statewide-election-results/primary-election-june-2-2026/statement-vote) 2. [Ballotpedia — June 2026 California primary](https://ballotpedia.org) 3. [Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren — Issues (official legislative priorities)](https://lofgren.house.gov/issues) 4. [Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren — Press Releases (Wielicki removal letter and other 2026 legislation)](https://lofgren.house.gov/media/press-releases) 5. [Zoe Lofgren for Congress — Home and Issues](https://www.zoelofgren.com/) 6. [Shane Lewis for Congress — Home and Issues](https://www.shanelewisforcongress.com/) 7. [congress-legislators — current members of Congress (unitedstates project)](https://unitedstates.github.io/congress-legislators/legislators-current.json) 8. [Congress.gov — member sponsored legislation (Library of Congress)](https://api.congress.gov/) 9. [FEC — 2026 House & Senate current-campaign financial summaries (bulk data)](https://www.fec.gov/files/bulk-downloads/2026/webl26.zip) ## The rest of the ballot United States Representative, District 18 is one contest among the many a California voter decides on November 3, 2026 — Congress, the Legislature, county, city, and school board races differ by address. Vote or Else builds the full list for any California address and breaks down each contest the way this page does, with no account and without storing the address: https://voteorelse.com/ ## How to cite this page Vote or Else, "United States Representative, District 18 — November 3, 2026 California general election," https://voteorelse.com/2026/us-rep-18 (sources last retrieved September 24, 2026). Link the canonical page above rather than this Markdown file. Coverage is updated as the race develops, so quote it with its retrieval date.