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Federal · Statewide General Election

United States Representative, District 28

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

This person holds your district's seat in the U.S. House of Representatives (2-year term).

Representative Judy Chu took 62.2% of the June 2 vote and Republican April A. Verlato took 32.1%. The district covers Pasadena and the western San Gabriel Valley.

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 long-serving member carries influence a newcomer cannot.

The resource gap here is close to total: $930,123 against $250. That shapes how much either candidate has been able to say publicly. The practical question is what this district gets from a safe seat.

Judy Chu

Democrat, the sitting Representative for this district since 2009. She has sponsored 38 bills in the 119th Congress — among the higher counts in the delegation — and 1 of her career bills has become law. She raised $930,123, of which $550,348 came from individuals.

Strengths

Seventeen years of federal seniority, a high legislative workload, and a majority of funding from named individuals.

Trade-offs

One career bill enacted is a thin return even by House standards, and a substantial share of her money came from PACs and committees.

Keep in mind

A 62% primary is a fact about this district's registration as much as about her record.

April A. Verlato

Republican, who took 32.1% of the June vote. She raised $250. She has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress.

Strengths

She took nearly a third of the vote on a campaign of $250 — the widest vote-to-money gap in any congressional race on this ballot.

Trade-offs

That is effectively no campaign at all in resource terms, and she has no record in office to be judged on.

Keep in mind

Coverage surfaced little detail about her platform. That gap is what was available to us on 2026-08-10, not a comment on her candidacy.

Record in office

Judy Chu (Democratic) has served in the U.S. House since 2009 and has sponsored 39 bills in the 119th Congress; 1 of their career bills have become law. April A. Verlato 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

Chu — Committees: Ways and Means; Budget Chu — HR 4761 (2016): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 61 South Baldwin Avenue in Sierra Madre, California, as the "Louis Van Iersel Post Office". Committee assignments and the most recently signed-into-law bills each record-holder lead-authored, from the official legislative record.

Financial info

Judy Chu

$930,123raised
  • Individuals$550,34859%
  • PACs & committees$379,77541%

April A. Verlato

$250raised
  • Individuals$250100%

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 2026-08-22.

June 2 primary — how they advanced

Judy Chu (Democratic)62.2% · 116,321 votes
April A. Verlato (Republican)32.1% · 60,020 votes
Peter Roybal (Democratic)5.7% · 10,584 votes
Source review: Very strong (95/100) · 5 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.

Last updated August 11, 2026.