Federal · Statewide General Election
United States Representative, District 25
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
- Raul Ruiz — Democratic
- Joe Males — Republican
This person holds your district's seat in the U.S. House of Representatives (2-year term).
Representative Raul Ruiz took 60.0% of the June 2 vote and Republican Joe Males took 18.9% to claim the second slot — though Males raised $936,496, an unusually large sum for a candidate finishing that far back. The district covers the Coachella Valley and eastern Riverside 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, so a longer-serving member carries influence a newcomer cannot.
The incumbent has one of the stronger enacted records in the delegation at 4 career laws. His challenger raised nearly a million dollars, almost entirely from individuals, and still finished 41 points back — a reminder that money and votes are separate measures. Weigh federal seniority against a well-funded but distant challenge.
Raul Ruiz
Democrat, the sitting Representative for this district since 2013. He has sponsored 35 bills in the 119th Congress, and 4 of his career bills have become law — among the stronger counts in the delegation. He raised $2,093,907, of which $1,107,924 came from individuals.
Strengths
Four career bills enacted is a solid House record, alongside more than a decade of committee seniority.
Trade-offs
About half of his funding came from PACs and committees.
Keep in mind
A 60% primary is a fact about this district's registration as much as about his record.
Joe Males
Republican, who advanced with 18.9% of the June vote. He raised $936,496, of which $880,028 came from individuals and $450 from PACs and committees. He has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress.
Strengths
Nearly a million dollars raised as a first-time candidate, 94% of it from named individuals rather than committees.
Trade-offs
All of that produced 18.9% of the vote, 41 points behind; and he has no record in office to be judged on.
Keep in mind
Coverage surfaced little detail about his platform; what we can document is the scale of his campaign and how it polled, not what he would do in office.
Record in office
Raul Ruiz (Democratic) has served in the U.S. House since 2013 and has sponsored 35 bills in the 119th Congress; 4 of their career bills have become law. Joe Males 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
Ruiz — Committees: Energy and Commerce Ruiz — HR 8641 (2025): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 401 Main Street in Brawley, California, as the "Walter Francis Ulloa Memorial Post Office Building". Ruiz — HR 897 (2023): Agua Caliente Land Exchange Fee to Trust Confirmation Act Ruiz — HR 7925 (2022): To designate the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic located in Palm Desert, California, as the "Sy Kaplan VA Clinic". 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
Raul Ruiz
$2,093,907 raised
- Individuals$1,107,92453%
- PACs & committees$969,25147%
Joe Males
$936,496 raised
- Individuals$880,028100%
- PACs & committees$450<1%
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.