# United States Representative, District 19

Compare records and positions simply between Jimmy Panetta or Peter Coe Verbica for United States Representative, District 19 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-19
- 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

- **Jimmy Panetta** — United States Representative · Democratic
- **Peter Coe Verbica** — Business Owner · Republican

Representative Jimmy Panetta took 58.4% of the June 2 vote and Republican Peter Coe Verbica took 20.5% to claim the second slot. The district covers the Central Coast from Santa Cruz to San Luis Obispo.

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, so a longer-serving member carries influence a newcomer cannot.

The incumbent has sponsored 54 bills this Congress — among the highest counts in the delegation — with 2 career bills enacted. High introduction with low enactment is common in the House and says more about how the chamber works than about any individual, but the gap is worth seeing. His funding is also majority-committee, unusual among coastal members here.

## Jimmy Panetta

Jimmy Panetta, a Democrat, grew up on the Central Coast and attended the same public schools his own daughters later attended. He worked "as a prosecutor in Monterey and Alameda Counties" before serving as a Navy Reserve intelligence officer. He volunteered for active duty in Afghanistan in 2007 and earned a Bronze Star for meritorious service (panetta.house.gov). Afterward he helped establish Monterey County's first Veterans Treatment Court and the Central Coast Veterans Cemetery (panetta.house.gov).

He says his purpose in Congress is "fighting to give people opportunities for a better life" (jimmypanetta.com). In September 2026 his Supporting Early-Childhood Educators' Deductions Act, known as the SEED Act, was signed into law. It gives early-childhood educators the same federal tax deductions available to K-12 teachers (panetta.house.gov).

He promises to "lower prices at grocery stores and gas stations," make housing affordable "with grants and tax credits," and "expand health care and lower the price of prescription drugs" (jimmypanetta.com). He also lists protecting "a woman's choice, equal rights, and everybody's right to vote" among his priorities (jimmypanetta.com).

**Strengths:** A documented record of prosecutorial and military service, plus a bill he authored on educator tax deductions that was signed into law this year.

**Trade-offs:** Nearly a decade in the House means voters are extending an existing seat rather than choosing something new.

**Keep in mind:** His platform leans on national issues like reproductive rights and gun policy as much as on district specific concerns for the Central Coast.

## Peter Coe Verbica

Peter Coe Verbica, a Republican, is a Certified Financial Planner and "Managing Director at Silicon Private Wealth," a Santa Cruz County investment firm (peterverbica.com). Verbica grew up on a cattle ranch, where they "used the proceeds to pay for school clothes," and later founded a Rotary program that "sent care packages to active U.S. service members who were deployed abroad" (peterverbica.com).

Verbica describes their campaign's mission as working to "Restore Affordability to California." They cite conversations with voters about "crime, education, inflation, over-regulation of business, neighborhood autonomy and more" (peterverbica.com). They have not held elected office, so there is no voting record, lawsuit or other documented conduct to weigh here, only their own campaign statements.

Verbica promises to "end the high taxes on gas," secure more "water for farmers," "fix the CA Insurance Crisis," and give neighborhoods "autonomy" over local housing decisions (peterverbica.com). They also call for easing rules they say burden independent contractors and small businesses.

**Strengths:** Verbica brings financial planning expertise and years of civic and nonprofit volunteer work outside elected office.

**Trade-offs:** No record in elected office to judge, and coverage of this race carries little beyond their own campaign materials.

**Keep in mind:** Their platform draws on statewide Republican themes like insurance and water policy more than issues unique to this district.

## Record in office

Jimmy Panetta (Democratic) has served in the U.S. House since 2017 and has sponsored 54 bills in the 119th Congress; 2 of their career bills have become law.

Peter Coe Verbica 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

Panetta — Committees: Ways and Means; Budget

Panetta — HR 5334 (2026): Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026

Panetta — HR 1097 (2024): Everett Alvarez, Jr. Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2023

Committee assignments and the most recently signed-into-law bills each record-holder lead-authored, from the official legislative record.

## Financial info

- **Jimmy Panetta** — $2,887,610 raised (Individuals: $1,297,933; PACs & committees: $1,559,107)
- **Peter Coe Verbica** — $76,324 raised (Individuals: $72,319; PACs & committees: $3,500; Self-funding: $505)

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

- Jimmy Panetta for Congress and Peter Coe Verbica 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. [Congressman Jimmy Panetta — About/Biography](https://panetta.house.gov/about)
4. [Congressman Jimmy Panetta — Press Releases (SEED Act signed into law and other 2026 legislation)](https://panetta.house.gov/media/press-releases)
5. [Jimmy Panetta for Congress — Home](https://www.jimmypanetta.com/)
6. [Peter Coe Verbica for Congress — Home and About](https://peterverbica.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 19 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 19 — November 3, 2026 California general election," https://voteorelse.com/2026/us-rep-19 (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.