Who's In the Race

Democrat Linda Sánchez faces Republican Mitch Clemmons in the Nov. 3 general election in California's 41st Congressional District. The district runs under California's new congressional map, approved by voters in 2025. California uses a top-two primary system, in which the two highest vote-getters advance to the general election regardless of party. ​

Sánchez has represented California in Congress since 2003, previously serving the 39th and 38th districts, and is a UCLA-trained labor lawyer who serves on the House Ways and Means Committee. In the June 2 top-two primary, she took about 38 percent of the vote, finishing ahead of Clemmons, who took about 36 percent; two other Democrats, Hector De La Torre and Shonique Williams, did not advance. Clemmons is a plumber and small-business owner.

What They Stand For

Sánchez has proposed raising wages and strengthening labor standards, including Davis-Bacon protections, according to her official House website. She has also supported:

  • Federal resources to expand homeownership and strengthen the housing market,
  • Lowering costs for working families; and
  • Fighting the Trump administration's immigration policies, saying in a campaign ad, "I pushed to remove Kristi Noem from office and stop" those policies.

Clemmons believes Congress needs more people who have built businesses, served customers, and fixed real-world problems, according to his campaign website.

Race Outlook: Ratings and Betting Markets

The Cook Political Report rated the race "Solid Democratic" as of Oct. 9; Sabato's Crystal Ball gave it the same rating as of Oct. 11; and Inside Elections also called it "Solid Democratic" as of Oct. 2. On Kalshi, traders gave Democrats, whose nominee is Sánchez, a 97.08 percent chance of winning as of Oct. 13.

The district's prior holder, Ken Calvert, won it with 52.3 percent of the vote in 2022 and 51.7 percent in 2024. Statewide, Democrats won 40 of California's 52 U.S. House seats in 2022 and 43 in 2024. In the 2024 presidential race, Democrat Kamala Harris carried California with about 58 percent of the vote.

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