Federal · Statewide General Election
United States Representative, District 24
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
- Salud Carbajal — Democratic
- Bob Smith — Republican
This person holds your district's seat in the U.S. House of Representatives (2-year term).
Representative Salud Carbajal took 54.4% of the June 2 vote and Republican Bob Smith took 35.9%. The district covers Santa Barbara and part of the Central Coast.
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 38 bills this Congress with 1 career bill enacted, and cleared a majority by under five points in his own primary. Both facts are worth weighing alongside a challenger running on about an eighth of the money.
Salud Carbajal
Democrat, the sitting Representative for this district since 2017. He has sponsored 38 bills in the 119th Congress — among the higher counts in the delegation — and 1 of his career bills has become law. He raised $1,650,355, of which $1,065,070 came from individuals.
Strengths
A high legislative workload and nearly a decade of committee seniority, with a majority of funding from named individuals.
Trade-offs
He cleared a majority by under five points in his own primary, and a substantial share of his money came from PACs and committees.
Keep in mind
Enacted-bill counts undercount House influence, which often runs through amendments and committee work rather than standalone bills.
Bob Smith
Republican, who took 35.9% of the June vote. He raised $203,264, mostly from individuals with $22,492 of his own money. He has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress.
Strengths
He took more than a third of the vote on about an eighth of the incumbent's money, with most funding from individuals.
Trade-offs
That resource gap is wide going into the general, and he has no record in office to be judged on.
Keep in mind
Coverage surfaced little detail about his platform. That gap is what was available to us on 2026-08-10, not a comment on his candidacy.
Record in office
Salud Carbajal (Democratic) has served in the U.S. House since 2017 and has sponsored 38 bills in the 119th Congress; 1 of their career bills have become law. Bob Smith 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 2026-08-10.
Record details
Carbajal — Committees: Agriculture; Armed Services; Transportation and Infrastructure Carbajal — HR 7158 (2025): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 201 East Battles Road in Santa Maria, California, as the "Larry Lavagnino 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
- Individuals
- PACs & committees
- Party
- Self-funding
Salud Carbajal
$1,650,355 raised
- Individuals$1,065,07065%
- PACs & committees$571,01635%
Bob Smith
$203,264 raised
- Individuals$169,88288%
- Party$1,2861%
- Self-funding$22,49212%
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 (95/100) · 5 cited sources
Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.
- 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
- 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)
- fec.gov (opens in a new tab)FEC — 2026 House & Senate current-campaign financial summaries (bulk data)
Last updated August 11, 2026.