The Winner
If you live in California’s 52nd Congressional District, Rep. Juan Vargas (D-CA) will keep representing you after winning an eighth term. NBC News projected Vargas the winner after polls closed on Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to NBC 7 San Diego.
Vargas had 106,561 votes, or 69.7%, to 46,266 votes, or 30.3%, for Republican Jeff Belle, a margin of about 39 points, according to unofficial results from the California Secretary of State. Under the previous district lines in 2024, Vargas beat Republican Justin Lee 66.3% to 33.7%.
The Race
Belle finished second in the June 2 top-two primary with about 34%, behind Vargas’ roughly 57%. Before the election, Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rated the seat Solid Democratic, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball rated it Safe Democratic, according to Ballotpedia.
The district was redrawn for 2026 under Proposition 50, the congressional map California voters approved in November 2025. It runs along the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego County and includes Chula Vista, National City, Imperial Beach, part of the city of San Diego and East County communities such as Bonita, La Presa and Jamul, according to the California Senate Office of Demographics.
The district has about 757,500 residents, a median household income of $86,800 and a median age of 36. About 25.3% of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, unemployment is 7.6% and 12.6% of residents live below the poverty line. About 60.1% of residents are Hispanic.
What’s Next
Vargas’ new term begins Sunday, Jan. 3, in a House that Democrats won control of in the midterms. He has called cleaning up pollution in the Tijuana River Valley a top priority. In April, he led a request for $100 million for the U.S.-Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Program in next year’s federal spending bills, according to his office.
---
AllCiv makes it easy to stay politically informed and involved.
---
Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article