The countdown to the March 5 primary is on and in the San Fernando Valley and neighboring areas of L.A. County there are scores of candidates jockeying for five seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Some of the races lean in favor of well-known incumbents such as Brad Sherman in the 32nd District and Julia Brownley in the 26th. Others are a wild card, such as the 30th District seat that has attracted a staggering 15 candidates as incumbent Adam Schiff stages a run for U.S. Senate.
Tony Cardenas’ 29th District is also an open race, but with the retiring politician endorsing state Assemblymember Luz Maria Rivas as his successor, only two additional candidates have chosen to enter the race. Meanwhile, in the 27th District, Republican Mike Garcia is facing a democratic challenge from George Whitesides, who had $1.7 million cash on hand compared to Garcia’s $1.5 million in the latest round of campaign finance filings.
If a candidate receives a majority of the votes in the primary they can claim their seat then and there. Otherwise, the top two vote-getters will proceed to a runoff election in November.
Here is a list of all candidates running for U.S. Congress in the 26th, 27th, 29th, 30th and 32nd districts:
26th District: Thousand Oaks, Calabasas, Simi Valley, Agoura Hills, Oxnard, Ventura County
Incumbent Julia Brownley (D): Representative for California’s 26th Congressional District. Former state assemblymember.
Chris Anstead (D): City Councilmember for Agoura Hills. Former mayor, planning commissioner and veteran.
Michael Koslow (R): Businessman and healthcare investigator. Former Air Force officer, criminal investigator and professor.
Bruce Boyer (R): Businessman and professional dancer, former veteran.
27th District: Porter Ranch, Granada Hills, Santa Clarita, Lancaster, Palmdale
Incumbent Mike Garcia (R): Representative for California’s 27th Congressional District. Former U.S. Navy fighter pilot and business executive at Raytheon Intelligence & Space.
George Whitesides (D): American businessman and public official. Former NASA chief of staff and CEO of Virgin Galactic, a firm developing commercial space vehicles.
Steve Hill (D): Small business owner. Former U.S. Marine Corps member and prison guard.
29th District: San Fernando, Van Nuys, Pacoima, Arleta, Panorama City, Sylmar
Luz Maria Rivas (D): State assemblymember representing the 43rd Assembly District. Endorsed by incumbent Congressman Tony Cardenas.
Angélica María Dueñas (D): Community organizer. Former president of Sun Valley Area Neighborhood Council.
Benito Benny Bernal (R): Former LAUSD bus driver and vice president for labor union SEIU Local 99.
30th District: Burbank, Glendale, Sunland, West Hollywood
Anthony Portantino (D): State senator for California’s 25th Senate District. Former member of the California State Assembly and La Cañada Flintridge City Council.
Laura Friedman (D): State Assemblymember representing the 44th Assembly District. Former mayor of Glendale.
Mike Feuer (D): Former Los Angeles City Attorney, State Assemblymember and Los Angeles City Councilmember.
Nick Melvoin (D): Member of the LAUSD Board of Education and attorney. Former teacher and adjunct professor.
Sepi Shyne (D): Mayor of West Hollywood, attorney, civil rights advocate.
Ben Savage (D): American actor known for playing Cory Matthews in the sitcom “Boy Meets World”.
Francesco Arreaga (D): Legislative advisor in the U.S. House of Representatives and attorney.
G “Maebe” Pudlo (D): Silver Lake Neighborhood Councilmember and transgender activist.
Jirair Ratevosian (D): Public health advocate and former legislative director for Congresswoman Barbara Lee.
Sal Genovese (D): Community services director.
Steve Andraé Dunwoody (D): Director of Government Affairs at Climate Nexus, an environmental advocacy group.
Courtney Simone Najera (D): UCLA student and former esthetician.
Alex Balekian (R): Intensive care unit physician.
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