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California's 51st U.S. House District

California · Next election 2026 · 2 active candidates · $1.6M raisedFederal
About This Office

U.S. House seat for California's 51st congressional district. Representatives serve two-year terms.

Total Seats
435
Term Length
2 years
Salary
$174,000
Current Officeholders
Rep. Sara Jacobs
Rep. Sara JacobsD
U.S. Representative · CA-51
Tenure
5y
Bills Spon.
30
Votes Missed
0%
Cross-party
31
Committees
Ranking MemberAfrica Subcommittee
Foreign Affairs Committee
Armed Services Committee
+3 more
The 2026 Race

6 candidates filed, 2 active for the 2026 House election in California District 51. General election on Nov 3, 2026.

Primary
—
General
Nov 3, 2026
Total Raised
$1.6M
Candidates
2 active / 6 filed
Incumbent
Sara Jacobs (D-CA-51)D
Cash on Hand
$269K
Election History
YearWinnerResultRunner-UpTotal Votes
2024Sara Jacobs D60.7%Bill Wells R 39.3%327,584
2022Sara Jacobs D61.9%Stan Caplan R 38.1%233,072
2020Juan Vargas D68.3%Juan M Hidalgo Jr R 31.7%242,437
2018Juan Vargas D71.2%Juan M Hidalgo Jr R 28.8%153,828
2016Juan Vargas D72.8%Juan M Hidalgo Jr R 27.2%199,524
2014Juan Vargas D68.8%Stephen Meade R 31.2%81,950
2012Juan Vargas D71.5%Michael Crimmins R 28.5%159,398
2010Bob Filner D60.1%Nick Popaditch R 39.9%143,911
2008Bob Filner D72.7%David Lee Joy R 24.2%203,825
2006Bob Filner D67.4%Blake L Miles R 30.2%115,835
2004Bob Filner D61.6%Michael Giorgino R 35.1%180,879
2002Bob Filner D57.9%Maria Guadalupe Garcia R 39.3%102,787
2000Randy \"Duke\" Cunningham R64.3%George \"Jorge\" Barraza D 30.4%267,799
1998Randy \"Duke\" Cunningham R61.0%Dan Kripke D 34.7%206,878
1996Randy \"Duke\" Cunningham R65.1%Rita Tamerius D 28.9%229,024
District
Population
759,191
Median HH Income
$105K
Unemployment
6.4%
Bachelor's+
46.6%
Veterans
7.6%
Median Age
36.5
Mean HH Income
$134K
Poverty Rate
10.8%
HS or Higher
91.9%
Median Home Value
$854K
Median Rent
$2,309/mo
Owner-Occupied
52.2%
Under 18 / 65+
20.2% / 14.7%