Money and accusations have been flying for months, and control of the House of Representatives hangs in the balance as voters prepare to have their say in Tuesday’s election.
asserted
voters → fly → election
Here are eight key California races to watch.
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races → watch → ?
Connie Chan (D) vs. Scott Wiener (D)
Pelosi is backing Supervisor Connie Chan, a labor ally who stresses tenant protections and public housing.
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who → back → protections
Meanwhile, the state Democratic Party is backing Sen. Scott Wiener, who made his name in Sacramento pushing for more housing and LGBTQ+ protections.
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who → back → housing
At the epicenter of the tech revolution, San Francisco’s next congressional representative will have an important voice in shaping the conversation on how to regulate AI.
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representative → have → AI
An advocacy group backed by AI giant Anthropic has funneled $3.5 million into a super PAC supporting Wiener — though Anthropic says its donations were restricted to education and policy work, and the group says it used other donors’ money to back Wiener.
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it → back → Wiener
Rep. David Valadao (R) vs. Randy Villegas (D)
Republican Rep. David Valadao has repeatedly survived Democratic challenges by focusing on farm-country issues and keeping some distance from President Donald Trump.
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Valadao → survive → Trump
He voted to impeach the president after Jan. 6, but his vote for Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” gave progressive Democratic challenger Randy Villegas a potent opening.
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vote → vote → opening
Roughly six in 10 district residents rely on Medicaid, and the law cuts projected federal spending on the program.
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law → rely → program
Valadao is a dairy farmer, while Villegas teaches political science at College of the Sequoias, the same community college Valadao attended.
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Valadao → teach → Sequoias
Villegas, the son of Mexican immigrants, grew up relying on public assistance and now champions Medicare for All.
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Villegas → grow → All
The 22nd Congressional District was redrawn after voters passed Proposition 50 in 2025, giving Democrats another shot at a seat Valadao has repeatedly managed to retain.
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Valadao → redrawn → seat
Orange County–Inland Empire: Rep. Ken Calvert (R) vs. Rep. Young Kim (R)
The two incumbents are battling for the 40th District, spanning parts of Orange and Riverside counties.
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incumbents → battle → counties
Calvert was endorsed by Trump and has campaigned as the dependable conservative, defending the president’s immigration crackdown while pushing for federal policies to expand oil and gas production and lower costs.
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Calvert → endorse → costs
Kim, a South Korean-born former businesswoman and state assemblymember who entered Congress in 2021, offers a more moderate GOP brand.
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who → bear → brand
Immigration may be the deciding factor, as Kim backs the bipartisan Dignity Act, pairing stronger border enforcement with legal status for certain undocumented immigrants.
uncertain
Kim → decide → immigrants
Rep. Kevin Kiley (I) vs. Richard Pan (D)
Pan, a former Democratic state senator, is hoping the newly redrawn district — spanning parts of Sacramento, Placer and Yolo counties — tilts in his favor.
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district → hop → favor
Their governing philosophies collide most clearly on health care.
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philosophies → govern → care
Pan authored California’s strict school vaccination laws.
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Pan → author → laws
Kiley has opposed mandates, arguing pandemic restrictions damaged public trust.
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restrictions → oppose → trust
Pan also supported expanding Medi-Cal to undocumented immigrants.
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Pan → support → immigrants
Rep. Mike Thompson (D) vs. Eric Jones (D)
Rep. Mike Thompson is facing a fellow Democrat in Eric Jones who wants Washington to stop rewarding longevity.
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Washington → face → longevity
Jones, 35, is a former venture capitalist selling sweeping change across a district stretching from wine country into the Sacramento Valley.
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Jones → sell → Valley
Jones proposes eliminating federal income tax on the first $150,000 earned and imposing 12-year congressional term limits.
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Jones → propose → limits
He has rejected corporate PAC donations, although his campaign relies heavily on family wealth.
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campaign → reject → wealth
The race may hinge on whether voters are ready for change or prioritize someone with more institutional knowledge.
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voters → hinge → knowledge
Rep. Doris Matsui (D) vs. Mai Vang (D)
Doris Matsui is a moderate Democrat and one of the oldest members of Congress at age 82, while her far-left challenger Mai Vang has focused on fighting Trump on all fronts, particularly immigration.
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challenger → focus → fronts
Matsui succeeded her late husband, Robert, in 2005 and points to semiconductor legislation and more than $4 billion in flood-prevention funding as proof of her effectiveness.
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Matsui → succeed → effectiveness
She was accused of propping up a GOP candidate in the primary to coast to reelection.
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She → accuse → reelection
Vang, a Sacramento councilmember and daughter of Hmong refugees, grew up the eldest of 16 children.
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Vang → grow → children
Her platform includes Medicare for All, stronger assistance for working families and a more confrontational approach to entrenched power.
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platform → include → power
Vang has made headlines for turning her back on the flag during the Pledge of Allegiance at Sacramento City Council meetings, and her recent events with streamer Hasan Piker are evidence of the generational divide between the two Democrats.
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events → make → Democrats
Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D) vs. Angela Gonzales-Torres (D)
The House Ethics Committee is investigating allegations of sexual misconduct, including inappropriate sexual contact with a House staffer.
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Committee → investigate → staffer
Gomez denies wrongdoing, saying his actions were consensual and violated neither the law nor House rules.
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actions → deny → law
Angela Gonzales-Torres, a former Highland Park Neighborhood Council member backed by Justice Democrats and the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, is campaigning on Medicare for All, free child care and abolishing ICE.
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Torres → back → ICE
Their differences include U.S. support for Israel and Gomez’s acceptance of pro-Israel political backing.
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differences → include → backing
But he faces a tough challenge from former Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln, a Republican and Marine veteran who is trying to send Gray home after just one term.
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who → face → term
Republican-aligned groups have poured millions into the contest despite redistricting that improved the Democrat’s position.
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that → align → position
Lincoln, who was endorsed by Trump, has focused on Gray’s support for California’s 2017 gas-tax increase while also promising lower costs, stronger border security and greater support for law enforcement.
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who → endorse → enforcement
Gray has emphasized bipartisan work on water, agriculture and health care, with an endorsement from the California Farm Bureau bolstering his pitch.
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endorsement → emphasize → pitch
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