The Winner
If you live in California's 19th U.S. House District, you will continue to be represented in Congress by Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), who was declared the winner of the 2026 congressional race, according to the Associated Press. The AP called the race on Nov. 3, and Panetta took about 73.0% of the vote to about 27.0% for his Republican opponent, a margin of about 46 points, according to unofficial results as of Nov. 11.
Panetta won by about 116,916 votes, with about 185,353 to about 68,437. The vote figures are preliminary and may change until the state certifies the totals.
The Race
Republican Peter Verbica reached the general election ballot by finishing in the top two in the June 2 primary. Cook Political Report rated the seat Solid Democratic before Election Day.
The district has about 745,200 residents, according to geographic data for the district. About 51.8% are white, about 25.0% Hispanic, about 19.5% Asian, and about 2.0% Black. The median household income is about $126,600, the median age is about 41.5, and about 47.9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. The unemployment rate is about 5.3%, and about 8.6% of residents live below the poverty line.
The district covers Santa Cruz, Seaside, Monterey, Salinas, and Watsonville, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
What's Next
Panetta is set to take office on Jan. 3, 2027, under the 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. He said he would make lowering the cost of living and investigating alleged misdeeds by the administration priorities in the 120th Congress, according to a Nov. 4 press release from U.S. Representative Jimmy Panetta.
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