U.S. House, California 10th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in California's 10th Congressional District?
Mark DeSaulnier has the strongest record in California's 10th Congressional District. Mark DeSaulnier scores 71 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Mark DeSaulnier's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Jeff Frese (6 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Mark DeSaulnier
71 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 60
- Qualifications
- 85
- Performance
- 69
Republican
Jeff Frese
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Mark DeSaulnier
- On the record2026-01
Voted Nay on final passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, which Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries supported; it passed 341 to 88.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 45, 2026
- On the record2025
Serves as ranking member of the House Ethics Committee in the 119th Congress.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
- Credit2023
His office won the Congressional Management Foundation's Democracy Award for constituent accountability and accessibility in 2023, after a 2019 award for transparency and accountability.
Source: Congressional Management Foundation, past Democracy Award winners
- Credit2022-12-23
Sponsored the 21st Century Assistive Technology Act (H.R. 9028), reauthorizing the Assistive Technology Act of 1998; its provisions were enacted in the fiscal 2023 defense authorization law.
Jeff Frese
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Mark DeSaulnier. His 2025 annual financial disclosure was filed May 14, 2026; the Clerk index lists no periodic transaction reports for him. No FEC administrative fine found, and House Ethics Committee documents name him only as the committee's ranking member.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10078110, FEC administrative fines search
Jeff Frese. His committee has filed FEC statements that it stayed under the $5,000 reporting threshold through Sept. 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC Form 99, Frese for Congress, Oct. 5, 2026, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Mark DeSaulnier. Voted Nay on the GENIUS Act in 2025 and on the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 when Democratic Leader Jeffries voted Yea.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 200, 2025, House Clerk Roll Call 45, 2026
Jeff Frese. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Mark DeSaulnier. Holds regular open in-person town halls: his office reports 278 held, the 200th in December 2023 and an in-person refinery safety town hall in Martinez on Oct. 8, 2026. No 2026 debate record found.
Sources: Office site, home page, Office site, press release, Nov. 27, 2023
Jeff Frese. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Mark DeSaulnier. Has served in the House since January 2015 after county, Assembly and state Senate service, and is ranking member of the House Ethics Committee. No conduct finding found.
Source: GovTrack, Mark DeSaulnier
Jeff Frese. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Mark DeSaulnier. Voted Nay on the objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's certified electors in January 2021 and did not object in January 2017. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
Jeff Frese. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Mark DeSaulnier. In the U.S. House since January 2015; earlier a Contra Costa County supervisor (1994 to 2006), Assembly member and state senator.
Sources: GovTrack, Mark DeSaulnier, Wikipedia, Mark DeSaulnier (officeholder infobox)
Jeff Frese. Founded the Fat Snax snack brand and sold it, now runs a skincare company, and earlier worked in product leadership at CNN, Nickelodeon and MTV, per his own survey answers. Has not held public office.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Jeff Frese, 2026 survey, FoodNavigator-USA, Nov. 14, 2018
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Mark DeSaulnier. Ranking Member of the House Ethics Committee and of the Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions; primary sponsor of five enacted bills.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Jeff Frese. Publishes positions on congressional term limits, a stock trading ban, housing costs, crime, elections, schools and Social Security, mostly in general terms.
Source: Campaign site, home page
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Mark DeSaulnier. Publishes the DeSaulnier Digest newsletter, holds town halls and posts issue pages. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, Campaign site, home page, Ballotpedia, Mark DeSaulnier
Jeff Frese. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey and publishes issue positions on his campaign site.
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Mark DeSaulnier. Lives in Concord and served on the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors from 1994. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 88 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Mark DeSaulnier, Wikipedia, Mark DeSaulnier (officeholder infobox), FEC contribution totals by state
Jeff Frese. Says he lives in Moraga; his FEC committee lists a Moraga address. No itemized contributions are reported.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Jeff Frese, 2026 survey, FEC Form 99, Frese for Congress
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Mark DeSaulnier. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Jeff Frese. Filed the required FEC statements in lieu of quarterly reports in July and October 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC Form 99, Frese for Congress, Oct. 5, 2026, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Mark DeSaulnier. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.320 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.539, meeting expectations. Primary sponsor of five enacted bills, including the 21st Century Assistive Technology Act, enacted in the fiscal 2023 defense law.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, enacted legislation, GovTrack, H.R. 9028 (117th Congress)
Jeff Frese. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Mark DeSaulnier. Missed 86 of 6,404 roll call votes, 1.3 percent, from January 2015 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Jeff Frese. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Mark DeSaulnier. Keeps district offices in Antioch and Walnut Creek, publishes casework totals (15,733 constituents helped) and won Congressional Management Foundation Democracy Awards in 2019 and 2023.
Sources: Office site, Offices, Office site, home page, Congressional Management Foundation, past Democracy Award winners
Jeff Frese. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Mark DeSaulnier. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.98563 in the latest posted House scores (2023), ranked 330 of 436, in the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Jeff Frese. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Mark DeSaulnier. No public record found.
Jeff Frese. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in California's 10th Congressional District?
Mark DeSaulnier has the strongest record in California's 10th Congressional District. Mark DeSaulnier scores 71 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Mark DeSaulnier's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Jeff Frese (6 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in California's 10th Congressional District in 2026?
Mark DeSaulnier (Democratic, incumbent), Jeff Frese (Republican). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Mark DeSaulnier a good candidate for Congress?
Mark DeSaulnier scores 71 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 60 of 100, qualifications 85 of 100, performance 69 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Jeff Frese a good candidate for Congress?
Jeff Frese has public evidence on 6 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every California race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the California 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.