U.S. House, California 12th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in California's 12th Congressional District?
Lateefah Simon has the strongest record in California's 12th Congressional District. Lateefah Simon scores 65 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Lateefah Simon's highest marks are courage and relevant experience. Jamie Joyce (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
Jamie Joyce
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 55
- Performance
- NR
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Lateefah Simon
65 / 100
Public evidence on 12 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 55
- Qualifications
- 70
- Performance
- 75
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.
Jamie Joyce
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Lateefah Simon
- On the record2026-01-21
Voted with Republicans on the Oversight Committee to recommend holding former President Bill Clinton in contempt for defying a subpoena; she opposed the separate Hillary Clinton recommendation.
- On the record2022-03
BART staff announced her removal from the board because her new home sat outside District 7; on March 23, 2022 BART leaders reversed it, said staff lacked authority, and apologized.
Sources: KTVU, March 10, 2022, Berkeleyside, March 23, 2022, BART statement, March 23, 2022
- Credit2003
Named a MacArthur Fellow for directing a program that helps girls move from delinquency and poverty to healthy adulthood.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Jamie Joyce. A House candidate financial disclosure was filed Sept. 18, 2026, and campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10075362, FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Lateefah Simon. Her 2025 annual financial disclosure was filed Aug. 12, 2026, after an extension request filed April 6, 2026; the Clerk index lists no periodic transaction reports. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10075192, House Committee on Ethics site search for Lateefah, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Jamie Joyce. No public record found.
Lateefah Simon. Joined Republicans and eight other Democrats on the Oversight Committee in January 2026 to recommend holding Bill Clinton in contempt, and voted Nay on the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 when Democratic Leader Jeffries voted Yea.
Sources: San Francisco Chronicle, Jan. 22, 2026, House Clerk Roll Call 45, 2026
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Jamie Joyce. No public record found.
Lateefah Simon. Her office reports hosting 11 town halls in her first year in Congress and runs a CA-12 town hall tour. No 2026 general election debate record found.
Source: Office site, home page
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Jamie Joyce. No public record found.
Lateefah Simon. Served on the BART Board of Directors from 2016 to 2024, including as board president, and in the House since January 2025. No censure or conduct finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Lateefah Simon, House Committee on Ethics site search for Lateefah
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Jamie Joyce. No public record found.
Lateefah Simon. Has held sworn office as a BART director (2016 to 2024) and a U.S. Representative (since January 2025), after the January 2021 electoral count. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Lateefah Simon, GovTrack, Lateefah Simon
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Jamie Joyce. Founding executive director of The Society Library, a nonprofit, per Ballotpedia and her campaign. Has not held public office.
Source: Ballotpedia, Jamie Joyce
Lateefah Simon. First-term U.S. Representative after eight years as an elected BART director; earlier led the Center for Young Women's Development and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Source: Ballotpedia, Lateefah Simon
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Jamie Joyce. Publishes the MAD Act, a detailed omnibus legislative proposal; she says its AI section alone runs more than 240 pages.
Source: Campaign site, home page
Lateefah Simon. Serves on the Oversight and Small Business committees and their subcommittees, and has introduced transit and voting access bills.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, Office site, home page
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Jamie Joyce. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey and publishes her legislative proposal on her campaign site.
Lateefah Simon. Offers an e-newsletter, holds town halls and publishes issue pages. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, Ballotpedia, Lateefah Simon
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Jamie Joyce. Says she lives in Berkeley, inside the district; her FEC filings list an Orlando, Fla. post office box, changed in May 2026 to a Berkeley private mailbox. About 45 percent of itemized individual contributions came from California.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Jamie Joyce, 2026 survey, Campaign site, home page, FEC contribution totals by state, FEC Form 2, Jamie Joyce, March 2, 2026 (electronic filing), FEC Form 1 amendment, Jamie Joyce for Congress, May 19, 2026 (electronic filing)
Lateefah Simon. Lives in Emeryville, per BART's 2022 statement, and represented the East Bay on the BART board from 2016. FEC by-state totals show about 85 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.
Sources: BART, Board President statement on District 7, 2022, Ballotpedia, Lateefah Simon, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Jamie Joyce. 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
Lateefah Simon. 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
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Jamie Joyce. No public record found.
Lateefah Simon. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Jamie Joyce. No public record found.
Lateefah Simon. Missed 12 of 676 roll call votes, 1.8 percent, from January 2025 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Jamie Joyce. No public record found.
Lateefah Simon. Keeps an Oakland district office (by appointment) and mobile office hours, and publishes casework totals: more than 1,362 cases completed and $10.7 million recovered for constituents.
Sources: Office site, home page, Office site, Office Locations
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Jamie Joyce. No public record found.
Lateefah Simon. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Jamie Joyce. No public record found.
Lateefah Simon. 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 12th Congressional District?
Lateefah Simon has the strongest record in California's 12th Congressional District. Lateefah Simon scores 65 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Lateefah Simon's highest marks are courage and relevant experience. Jamie Joyce (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 12th Congressional District in 2026?
Jamie Joyce (Democratic), Lateefah Simon (Democratic, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Jamie Joyce a good candidate for Congress?
Jamie Joyce 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.
Is Lateefah Simon a good candidate for Congress?
Lateefah Simon scores 65 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 12 of 15 criteria: character 55 of 100, qualifications 70 of 100, performance 75 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
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, and the California 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.