Watch these 5 California congressional races on Election Day

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All eyes are on the other two in California competitive home races as voters choose which candidates will run later this fall.

The outcome of the state’s open primary election, which narrows each race to two top vote-getters regardless of party, sets the stage for a tight race in November as Democrats across the country push to regain control of Congress. The victories in California are all the more important after a series of court decisions gave Republicans the upper hand in the national arms race.

Still, Democrats are optimistic about their chances in California after voters last year approved new congressional maps that significantly reduced the number of competitive races in the state. With a majority in the House of Representatives, Democrats could block President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda, impeach his cabinet and launch investigations into his administration.

Only two truly competitive races remain—one in the Central Valley and the other in San Diego—while other contested seats pit Democrats against each other.

22nd District: San Joaquin Valley

To the state marquee competition is in the Bakersfield-based 22nd District. There are two Democrats fighting for the chance to face Rep. David Valladão, the vulnerable Republican incumbent whose only election loss came in 2018 during Trump’s first term. As the only Republican in the race, Valadao will almost certainly continue into November.

Member of Assembly Jasmeet Bainsa doctor who has spent most of his career in hospitals and clinics that rely on Medi-Cal, is positioning himself as a moderate Democrat willing to defy his party. She faces stiff competition from Randy Villegas, a college professor and school board trustee, who is running as a progressive Democrat with the backing of the Working Families Party, the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Sen. Bernie Sanders.

The Dem-on-Dem battle for that second spot epitomizes a larger tug-of-war within the party over how Democrats can win back voters they lost in 2024. They could play against the middle-of-the-road Baines, a so-called “Valleycrat” who is backed by national Democrats and a slate of incumbents in Congress. Or they could take a leap of faith and embrace Villegas more a progressive brand of economic populismwhich in particular fueled Zohran Mamdani’s rise to the mayoral post of New York.

48th District: San Diego

In San Diegomultiple Democrats are vying for the chance to face Republican Jim Desmond, a San Diego County supervisor backed by retiring incumbent Congressman Darrell Issa.

Two Democrats have emerged as front-runners: San Diego City Councilwoman Marnie Von Wilpert and Amar Campa-Najjar, a former aide to President Obama at the Labor Department who has lost to Issa twice before. Palm Springs businessman Brandon Riker is also running for the seat after redistricting after Prop. 50.

By Wilpert and Campa-Najjar have exchanged sharp criticisms. She called him anti-LGBTQ for questioning whether he could win votes outside of gay-friendly Palm Springs; he accused her of racism for questioning his name and residence changes.

Elsewhere in the state, Democrats are fighting a battle for the ages with younger candidates looking to oust or succeed in replacing aging incumbents.

11th District: Nancy Pelosi’s seat

In San Franciscothe race to succeed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has turned into a second-place battle between San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan, who Pelosi endorsed just two weeks before Election Dayand billionaire tech entrepreneur Saikat Chakrabarty. Both are monitoring the status Senator Scott Wiener by double digits in the public poll. Wiener is expected to last until November.

7th District: Sacramento

In Sacramentolongtime Democratic incumbent Doris Matsui is facing the first serious challenge of her 20-year congressional career from Mai Wang, a progressive Sacramento City Council member almost half her age. Wang is one of several candidates in the state who are runs on a generational change platform.

6th District: Suburbs of Sacramento

Incumbent Rep. Ami Bera, a Democrat, redistricted to run for the 3rd District, which was dramatically changed by Prop. 50. The incumbent, Representative Kevin Kiley, subsequently left the Republican Party and switched districts to run as an independent in Sacramento’s suburban 6th Ward.

A Democratic Party-sponsored poll shows Kylie in the lead, with former state Sen. Dr. Richard Pan ahead of the rest of the crowded Democratic field.

Other candidates in the race include Sacramento County District Attorney Tien Ho, Planned Parenthood Executive Director of Public Affairs Lauren Babb-Tomlinson and West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero, all Democrats.

4th District: The Country of Wine

Democrat Mike Thompson, 75, faces an intra-party challenge from Eric Jones, 36, in his bid for a 15th term. A former venture capitalist, Jones’ platform focused on affordability, including a proposed $10,000 tax credit for the middle class and expanding access to zero-down mortgages.

Thompson is drawing on his experience fighting the Trump administration and securing funding for projects in the district. He is the senior member of the Ways and Means Committee, which manages tax policy.

The two Republican candidates, John McKenzie and Ray Riehle, have been heavily outspent and are unlikely to be top votes.

32nd District: Los Angeles

Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman, 71, has represented some of Los Angeles’ wealthiest northwest suburbs for nearly 30 years. His primary opponent, Jake Levine, 42, says Sherman’s long tenure has made him out of touch with his constituents.

Levin, a former climate aide to Presidents Obama and Biden, is running on a progressive policy platform that includes universal child care, a new federal tax credit for renters and tuition-free college.

Both are expected to progress by November.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and is republished under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives license.