Federal · Statewide General Election
United States Representative, District 46
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
- Lou Correa — Democratic
- David Pan — Republican
This person holds your district's seat in the U.S. House of Representatives (2-year term).
This is an open seat. Democrat Lou Correa led the June 2 primary with an outright majority at 51.9% and Republican David Pan took 32.9%. The district covers Santa Ana and part of central Orange 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. Because this seat is open, whoever wins starts at the bottom of the seniority ladder.
The leading candidate took a majority outright in June, which in an open seat usually means the party's coalition consolidated early. His funding is majority-committee, the less common balance in this part of the ballot. Weigh that against an opponent running on about six percent of the money.
Lou Correa
Democrat, who led the June primary with an outright majority at 51.9%. He raised $1,226,104, of which $666,283 came from PACs and committees and $417,355 from individuals. He does not currently hold this seat.
Strengths
A majority in a multi-candidate open-seat primary, 19 points clear of his nearest rival.
Trade-offs
A majority of his funding came from PACs and committees rather than individuals.
Keep in mind
Winning an open-seat primary outright usually signals early institutional consolidation rather than a contested field.
David Pan
Republican, who advanced with 32.9% of the June vote. He raised $80,726, mostly from individuals with $9,000 of his own money. He has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress.
Strengths
A third of the vote on about six percent of his opponent's money, with a campaign funded almost entirely by 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
This is an open seat: no candidate on the November ballot currently serves in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress, so there is no legislative record to compare here. These records cover only those offices.
Financial info
- Individuals
- PACs & committees
- Self-funding
Lou Correa
$1,226,104 raised
- Individuals$417,35539%
- PACs & committees$666,28361%
David Pan
$80,726 raised
- Individuals$70,66788%
- PACs & committees$250<1%
- Self-funding$9,00011%
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 (94/100) · 4 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)
- fec.gov (opens in a new tab)FEC — 2026 House & Senate current-campaign financial summaries (bulk data)
Last updated August 11, 2026.