For the third straight election, Democratic Rep. John Garamendi faces Republican Rudy Recile. According to the Vallejo Sun, Garamendi won the last two matchups 74% to 26% in 2024 and 75.7% to 24.3% in 2022. The 2026 race runs on a different map. After Proposition 50, the 8th District includes Vallejo, Richmond, Fairfield, Dixon, Rio Vista and parts of Lodi. The Sun cites a Los Angeles Times analysis finding that the new district leans slightly more to the right.

The challenger

Recile ("Business Owner/Consultant" on the ballot) is a retired U.S. Army major who once worked as a USDA data manager. He now runs a small web design and internet business. "We lost Valero, we lost Anheuser-Busch, we lost Bio-Rad in Benicia, we lost the [Coast Guard] contract with Mare Island," he told the Sun. He opposes California Forever's planned city and Proposition 40, the billionaire tax. He also supports more oil exploration and nuclear power. On immigration he said the House's role is to make sure "the law is being enforced as it's written."

The incumbent

Garamendi is seeking a ninth term. He is the top Democrat on the House Armed Services readiness subcommittee and a longtime member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He hosted a maritime summit at Cal Poly Maritime Academy on Sept. 10 and earmarked $1.09 million for Mare Island sewer repairs. He said he was "outraged" when the Coast Guard gave a repair contract to a Portland company instead of Mare Island Dry Docks. He warned he would not support any project that harms Travis Air Force Base. Recile argues the sewer grant is barely enough to cover labor. Garamendi has also been pressing federal officials over Mare Island's training ship. See our earlier story.

The numbers

  • June 2 primary (Ballotpedia): Garamendi 54.4%, Recile 27.8%, Democrats Nicolas Carjuzaa 12.6% and Aaron Rowden 5.2%.
  • Money as of June 30 (Vallejo Sun): Garamendi $489,134.65 raised; Recile $8,576.

How to vote

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls and vote centers close at 8 p.m., and mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and arrive within seven days. You can check your registration and ballot status at sos.ca.gov/elections. California lets you register and vote the same day at a vote center.

More races and measures: our 2026 election hub.