Who's In the Race

Democrat Jacqui Irwin faces Republican Sam Gallucci in the November 3 general election in California's 26th Congressional District, a top-two primary race in which the two highest vote-getters advance regardless of party. ​

The seat is open: Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA) announced in January 2026 that she would not seek reelection. The district's boundaries also changed following approval of California Proposition 50 in 2025.

Irwin has represented California's 42nd Assembly District since 2022 and previously served on the Thousand Oaks City Council, including two terms as mayor; before entering public office, she worked as an engineer at Teledyne Systems and Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory.

Gallucci is a former IBM executive and pastor who led Embrace Church in Oxnard and helped establish nonprofits including the Kingdom Center, which provides emergency housing for women and children, and Treasured Harvest, which supports farmworkers.

In the June 2 top-two primary, Irwin received about 41 percent of the vote, with Gallucci as the runner-up at about 21 percent, according to Ballotpedia.

What They Stand For

Irwin has called for expanding affordable housing and lowering household costs, including energy, prescription drugs, and child care, according to the Los Angeles Times. She has also supported:

  • Comprehensive immigration reform and border security, opposing what she described as "masked thugs terrorizing our communities," according to the Los Angeles Times;
  • Stronger gun-violence restraining orders and expanded background checks, according to the Ventura County Star;
  • Supreme Court term limits and openness to considering expansion of the court, according to the Ventura County Star; and
  • Greater congressional oversight over decisions to enter wars and opposition to expanding offshore oil drilling in California, according to a Southern California News Group questionnaire.

Gallucci has proposed lowering living costs by expanding energy production and streamlining permits, while making it easier to build homes by cutting regulatory delays, according to the Los Angeles Times. He also supports:

  • A "legal, fair, humane system" for immigration that removes violent offenders and creates a pathway to legal status for long-term undocumented residents who have worked peacefully in their communities, according to the Los Angeles Times;
  • Wildfire fuel reduction, forest management and resilient power infrastructure, with federal prevention funding tied to responsible resource management, according to the Los Angeles Times;
  • Voter ID requirements, provided verification methods remain accessible and do not disenfranchise citizens, according to a Southern California News Group questionnaire; and
  • Term limits for House and Senate members and a ban on lawmakers buying and selling individual stocks, according to a Southern California News Group questionnaire.

The Money Behind the Race

Through June 30, Irwin had raised about $822,000 and had about $295,000 in the bank, more than twice the roughly $377,000 Gallucci had raised; Gallucci had about $34,000 cash on hand and carried $125,000 in debt, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

Gallucci's debt is about a third of his total receipts, while Irwin carried no debt. Outside groups have spent about $369,000 supporting Irwin, with Protect Progress accounting for about $366,000 of that total, the largest outside spender in the race.

Race Outlook: Ratings and Betting Markets

Cook Political Report rated the race Solid Democratic as of Oct. 19; 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, whose nominee is Irwin, a 97.76 percent chance of winning as of Oct. 20; Republicans, whose nominee is Gallucci, stood at 2.24 percent.

The district has backed Democrats in each of the last two cycles: Brownley won with about 55 percent in 2022 and about 56 percent in 2024. Democrats took 43 of the 52 races, and Republicans took nine; in 2022, Democrats won 40, and Republicans won 12 of the state's 52 U.S. House seats. In the 2024 presidential race, Democrat Kamala Harris carried California with about 58 percent of the vote.

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