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Elections · U.S. House · California

2026 California House race, District 16

Sam Liccardo (Democrat) and Peter Sundin Soulé (Republican), who advanced from California's all-party primary, are on the November 3, 2026 ballot for U.S. House in California District 16, as recorded September 21, 2026 from the California Secretary of State.

The November ballot

Liccardo
$3.5M

Raised so far, filed with the FEC

Also in this race: Peter Sundin Soulé (Republican).

Certified list: California Secretary of State. Faces and bars are the campaigns that hold the seat or have $25,000 raised or outside spending on file; being outside that group is a filing fact, not a mark. Not a prediction.

The seat

Sam Liccardo

Democrat · Holds the seat now

First took office 2025 · Age 56

1
Trades disclosed
$33K
Estimated volume
Cosponsored a bill that would ban it

From the member's own disclosures and congress.gov. Not cosponsoring is not a vote against a ban.

See their record

How to vote in California

  • General electionNovember 3, 2026 

Register 15 days before, or same-day through Election Day at your county office or polling place.

All dates and rules
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How they won the primary

Nonpartisan primaryTop two advance

The primary · 184,366 votes

  • Sam Liccardo Advanced: 75.6% 139,399
  • Peter Sundin Soulé Advanced: 10.8% 19,841
  • Kevin Johnson: 10.2% 18,807
  • Jotham Stein: 3.4% 6,319

Every candidate runs on one ballot and the top two advance to November, whatever their party. Primary results as recorded September 19, 2026, ordered by votes. Source: California Secretary of State certified Statement of Vote. A primary result is a recorded fact about a past contest, not a prediction of November.

The money on this race

Raised by candidates
$3.6M
Outside money
$10

Outside money, for and against

Supporting Liccardo$10
Opposing Liccardo-

Independent expenditures; direction is each filer's own declared filing. No outside money is on file for or against the other name on this ballot.

Where each candidate's money comes from

<1%$16KSmall donors--
43%$1.5MLarge donors$30075%
19%$663KPACs--
--Self-funding$10025%
38%$1.3MOther--

Small donors give $200 or less; PACs are political action committees. Shares of each candidate's own receipts on file with the FEC. Outside money is not part of these figures.

Other includes money transferred in from committees the candidate authorized, such as a joint fundraising committee, which reports its own donors to the FEC: Sam Liccardo $1.3M.

Who is spending on this race

The largest group spending independently here, ranked; open a row for whose race the money went into.

Independent expenditures reported to the FEC; direction is each group's own declared filing.

Not on the November ballot

3 filed

Primary candidates who did not advance, committees still on file, and candidacies that ended. Being here is a filing fact, not a mark against anyone.

How this seat voted last time

D+16 in 2024

  • Sam Liccardo Won: 58.2%
  • Evan Low: 41.8%

308,476 votes for candidates. The district's lines have changed since this result. A past result is a filed fact, not a prediction of November.

Certified returns via MIT Election Data and Science Lab, from the House Clerk's election statistics and state canvasses.

The district

Census context
People
746K
Median household income
$175K
Unemployment
4.6%
Living below the poverty line
6.5%
Without health insurance
3.2%

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year estimates. Context about the district, not a statement about any candidate. These figures describe the district as drawn before its lines changed for 2026; estimates for the new lines are not yet published.

More on the California ballot52 House races statewideWhere to see your full ballot Find your races by ZIP →

Candidates and financing from the FEC, public domain. Candidate totals are each campaign's latest FEC report, ending between June 30, 2026 and September 24, 2026. Outside money is the FEC's processed total of independent expenditures plus the 24- and 48-hour reports filed since each group's latest regular report. It covers this two-year cycle, the same as the candidate totals. Dataset built 2026-10-12. Nothing here is a forecast, a grade, or a ranking of candidates.