Who's In the Race

Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) faces Republican Peter Verbica in the November 3 general election in California's 19th District. California's voter-nominated system sends the two highest vote-getters in the primary to the general election regardless of party, so the two nominees advanced from a field of 7 candidates. ​

Panetta has represented the district since 2017, serves on the House Ways and Means and Budget committees, and previously worked as a prosecutor in Monterey and Alameda Counties before serving as a U.S. Navy Reserve intelligence officer. He won the June 2, 2026 top-two primary with about 58% of the vote; Verbica was the runner-up with about 21%, a gap of nearly 38 percentage points.

Verbica is a certified financial planner and managing director at Silicon Private Wealth, an investment adviser, and previously ran for California's Board of Equalization. Verbica advanced from the same June 2 primary with about 21% of the vote, with Panetta as the top finisher.

What They Stand For

Panetta has proposed investing in clean-energy technology and blocking offshore oil drilling to address climate change, according to his campaign website. He's also supported expanding affordable housing through federal tax credits for middle-income buyers and renters, universal health care, protecting the Affordable Care Act and lowering prescription-drug prices for seniors, easing inflation by backing the district's agriculture, tourism and small-business sectors and investing in infrastructure; and strengthening democratic institutions and protecting voting from illicit interference.

Verbica has proposed ending high gas taxes and reducing food costs by delivering more water to farmers to restore affordability in California, according to his campaign website. He's also supported neighborhood control over housing, reducing regulations he says have restricted supply, fixing California's insurance crisis, immigration reform to help technology and agriculture, and ending what he calls an assault on independent contractors and California businesses through the Private Attorneys General Act.

The Money Behind the Race

Through June 30, Jimmy Panetta had raised about $2.9 million and carried about $5.1 million in cash on hand, compared with the cash on hand of Republican challenger Peter Verbica, who had raised about $76,000 and held about $24,700 over the same period. Panetta reported $5.11 million in cash on hand against $2.89 million in total receipts as of June 30, 2026.

Outside groups have spent about $599,548 supporting Panetta, with no recorded spending opposing him or supporting Verbica; Think Big accounted for about $599,280 of that total, nearly all of the outside money in the race.

Race Outlook: Ratings and Betting Markets

Cook Political Report rated the race Solid Democratic as of Oct. 9; Sabato's Crystal Ball rated it Solid Democratic as of Oct. 11; and Inside Elections rated it Solid Democratic as of Oct. 2. On Kalshi, traders gave Democrats a 97.61% chance of winning as of Oct. 16; Republicans stood at 2.39%.

Panetta won about 69% of the vote in both 2022 and 2024, and his share rose just 0.645 points between the two races. Democrats have dominated California's congressional delegation, winning 40 of the state'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% of the vote.

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