The Ballot Brief
2026 U.S. House

California's 42nd Congressional District — 2026 Candidates

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U.S. House · CA-42
Primary: Tuesday, June 2, 2026 General: Tuesday, November 3, 2026

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2026 candidates we're tracking in CA-42

Robert Garcia

Robert Garcia

DemocraticIncumbent

Top priorities

From the campaign site

  • Defend our Democracy
  • Create New Jobs While Transitioning Away From Fossil Fuels
  • Real Opportunity for Everyone – Not Just the Wealthy
About Robert Garcia

Robert Garcia immigrated to the United States as a young child and became a U.S. citizen, per his campaign site. He served as Mayor of Long Beach for eight years, where he worked on tuition-free community college and a pandemic recovery package, per the campaign site. He was first elected to Congress in 2022 to represent California's 42nd District and now serves as the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, per the campaign site.

Brian Burley

Brian Burley

Republican

Top priorities

From the campaign site

  • Advocate for tax relief to families and business owners
  • Take a stand against illegal immigration
  • Fully support our law enforcement and our military
About Brian Burley

Burley has served as a school board member, where he says he worked to protect parents' voices, expand student opportunity and act as a steward of taxpayer dollars, per the campaign site.

About this race

California's 42nd Congressional District elects one member of the U.S. House of Representatives to a two-year term. Every House seat in the country is on the ballot in 2026. The California primary is Tuesday, June 2, 2026, and the general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

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