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Elections · U.S. House · California

2026 California House race, District 21

Jim Costa (Democrat) and Kyle Kirkland (Republican), who advanced from California's all-party primary, are on the November 3, 2026 ballot for U.S. House in California District 21, as recorded September 21, 2026 from the California Secretary of State.

The November ballot

Costa
$1.3M
Kirkland
$339K

Raised so far, filed with the FEC

Certified list: California Secretary of State. Not a prediction.

The seat

Jim Costa

Democrat · Holds the seat now

First took office 2005 · Age 74

Discloses no individual stock trades.

Has not 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 · 102,921 votes

  • Jim Costa Advanced: 42.2% 43,461
  • Kyle Kirkland Advanced: 26.3% 27,076
  • Lorenzo Rios: 14.9% 15,362
  • Lourin Hubbard: 10.3% 10,577
  • Eric Garcia: 5.1% 5,232

1 more candidate in the full results at the source named below.

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
$2.1M
Outside money
$5K

Outside money, for and against

Supporting Costa-
Opposing Costa$4.6K
Supporting Kirkland$200
Opposing Kirkland-

Independent expenditures; direction is each filer's own declared filing.

Where each candidate's money comes from

<1%$11KSmall donors$39K11%
39%$517KLarge donors$173K51%
59%$797KPACs--
--Self-funding$127K38%
1%$14KOther--

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.

Who is spending on this race

The largest groups 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

4 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.

The district

Census context
People
758K
Median household income
$65K
Unemployment
10.1%
Living below the poverty line
21.9%
Without health insurance
7.7%

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.

How this seat voted last time

D+5 in 2024

  • Jim Costa Won: 52.6%
  • Michael Maher: 47.4%

195,531 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.

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 March 31, 2026 and June 30, 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.