The Winner

If you live in California’s 18th Congressional District, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) will keep representing you after winning a 17th term. The Associated Press called the race for Lofgren at 8:57 p.m. Pacific time on election night, Tuesday, Nov. 3. ​

Lofgren has 118,251 votes (72.7%) to 44,409 (27.3%) for Republican Shane Lewis, a margin of about 45 points, with an estimated 80% of votes counted. That’s far wider than her 29-point win over Republican Peter Hernandez in 2024.

The Race

Lewis, a Marine Corps veteran and engineer, advanced from California’s June 2 top-two primary, where all candidates share one ballot and the two leaders move on regardless of party. Lofgren led that primary with 54.9% to Lewis’ 29.3%, and Democrat Luis Acevedo-Arreguin finished third with 12.9%, according to Ballotpedia’s race page. Ballotpedia also shows Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rating the race Solid Democratic, while Sabato’s Crystal Ball rated it Safe Democratic.

The race used the new district lines California voters approved through Proposition 50 in November 2025. The redrawn district takes in all of San Benito County and parts of Monterey, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Fresno and Kings counties, according to the California Senate Office of Demographics. Its communities include Salinas, Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Watsonville, Hollister and part of San Jose.

About 753,800 people live in the district, and 65.5% of residents are Hispanic. The median household income is $103,600, and the median age is 35. Of adults, 24.4% hold at least a bachelor’s degree, unemployment is 5.3% and 11.5% of residents live below the poverty line.

What’s Next

Lofgren’s new term begins Sunday, Jan. 3, and she will serve in the new Democratic House majority. California has until Friday, Dec. 11, to certify its results.

The day after the election, Lofgren said she will seek to chair the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, where she is now the top Democrat, according to a statement from her office. Her priorities include stopping what she called the administration’s politicization of science, restoring support for federal research institutions and setting AI rules that still encourage innovation.

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