Federal · Statewide General Election
United States Representative, District 52
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
- Jeff Belle — Republican
- Juan Vargas — Democratic
This person holds your district's seat in the U.S. House of Representatives (2-year term).
Representative Juan Vargas took 56.5% of the June 2 vote and Republican Jeff Belle took 33.2%. The district covers south San Diego County and the border communities.
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 lowest bill counts in the delegation at 13 sponsored with none enacted, and his funding is 76% committee-based. His opponent raised about $25,000 and took a third of the vote. Weigh thirteen years of seniority against that legislative record.
Juan Vargas
Democrat, the sitting Representative for this district since 2013. He has sponsored 13 bills in the 119th Congress, none of which have become law so far. He raised $568,520, of which $431,200 came from PACs and committees and $136,003 from individuals.
Strengths
Thirteen years of seniority and the committee standing that comes with it.
Trade-offs
Thirteen bills sponsored with none becoming law is among the thinnest legislative records in the delegation.
Keep in mind
A 56.5% primary is on the lower end for a member of his tenure.
Jeff Belle
Republican, who took 33.2% of the June vote. He raised $25,498, effectively all from individuals. He has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress.
Strengths
He took a third of the vote on about $25,000, funded entirely by individuals.
Trade-offs
That total is under five percent of the incumbent's, 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
Juan Vargas (Democratic) has served in the U.S. House since 2013 and has sponsored 13 bills in the 119th Congress; none of their bills have become law so far. Jeff Belle 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
Vargas — Committees: Financial Services 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
Jeff Belle
$25,498 raised
- Individuals$18,498100%
Juan Vargas
$568,520 raised
- Individuals$136,00324%
- PACs & committees$431,20076%
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.