U.S. House, California 16th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in California's 16th Congressional District?
Sam Liccardo has the strongest record in California's 16th Congressional District. Sam Liccardo scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Sam Liccardo's highest marks are roots in the constituency and accountability. Peter Sundin Soulé (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
Sam Liccardo
63 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 75
- Performance
- 63
Republican
Peter Sundin Soulé
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 60
- 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.
Sam Liccardo
- Mark against2023-08-29
On Aug. 29, 2023 a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge ruled that Liccardo and San Jose violated the Public Records Act by not showing an adequate search of his private texts and emails.
Sources: Courthouse News Service, Aug. 30, 2023, San Jose Spotlight via Local News Matters, Aug. 31, 2023, San Jose Spotlight, Nov. 29, 2023
- Mark against2020-12-01
On Dec. 1, 2020, as San Jose mayor, he apologized for attending a Thanksgiving meal with eight people from five households, exceeding the state's three-household limit on gatherings.
- Credit2026-07-11
His BUILD Housing Act, setting an environmental review procedure for certain HUD assistance, was enacted on July 11, 2026 as part of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.
Source: GovTrack, H.R. 4810
Peter Sundin Soulé
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.
Sam Liccardo. A 2023 Santa Clara County Superior Court order found he and San Jose violated the Public Records Act by not showing an adequate search of his private accounts; the city paid $500,000 in fees. No House Ethics matter or FEC fine found.
Sources: Courthouse News Service, Aug. 30, 2023, San Jose Spotlight, Nov. 29, 2023, House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10078554, House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20034736, House Committee on Ethics site search, FEC administrative fines search
Peter Sundin Soulé. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, showing $400 in receipts. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Sam Liccardo. No public record found.
Peter Sundin Soulé. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Sam Liccardo. Holds open in-person town halls, including one in Portola Valley in August 2025 drawing over 200 people and one at Mountain View High School.
Peter Sundin Soulé. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Sam Liccardo. Served as a prosecutor, San Jose council member and two-term mayor (2015 to 2022) and in Congress since 2025. No censure, reprimand or conduct finding found. He apologized in December 2020 for a Thanksgiving gathering that broke state rules.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Sam Liccardo, House Committee on Ethics site search, NBC News, Dec. 1, 2020
Peter Sundin Soulé. 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.
Sam Liccardo. Has held sworn office as a county and federal prosecutor and in city and federal office since 2006. Took his House seat in January 2025; no misuse-of-office finding found.
Peter Sundin Soulé. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Sam Liccardo. Two-term mayor of San Jose (2015 to 2022), earlier a city council member and prosecutor, and in the House since January 2025.
Peter Sundin Soulé. Worked in his family's steel business in property management, finance and architectural products, and served on the San Jose Civil Service Commission from 2007 to 2011.
Source: Campaign site, About
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Sam Liccardo. Sits on the House Financial Services Committee and three subcommittees, and sponsored the BUILD Housing Act, whose provisions were enacted in 2026.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, GovTrack, H.R. 4810
Peter Sundin Soulé. Publishes an issues page with some specific proposals, such as withholding federal funds from sanctuary cities and restricting Chinese purchases of farmland near military bases.
Source: Campaign site, Issues
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Sam Liccardo. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey, offers an e-newsletter and text updates, publishes issue pages and holds town halls.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Sam Liccardo, Office site, About, The Almanac, Aug. 27, 2025
Peter Sundin Soulé. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey, publishes an issues page and offers a campaign newsletter.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Peter Soule, Campaign site, Issues, Campaign site, About
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Sam Liccardo. Born in Saratoga and served San Jose as council member and mayor; both are in the district. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 87 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.
Sources: Wikipedia, Sam Liccardo, Office site, About, FEC contribution totals by state
Peter Sundin Soulé. Served on the San Jose Civil Service Commission (2007 to 2011) and has volunteered for Santa Clara County Republicans since 2004, per his campaign. FEC shows $300 in itemized contributions, all from California.
Sources: Campaign site, About, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Sam Liccardo. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Peter Sundin Soulé. Campaign 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.
Sam Liccardo. No Legislative Effectiveness Score yet for his House term. His BUILD Housing Act (H.R. 4810) was enacted through the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act on July 11, 2026.
Sources: GovTrack, H.R. 4810, GovTrack, Sam Liccardo
Peter Sundin Soulé. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Sam Liccardo. Missed 9 of 676 roll call votes, 1.3 percent, from January 2025 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Peter Sundin Soulé. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Sam Liccardo. Lists three district offices (San Jose, Los Altos and Half Moon Bay) and offers help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Sources: Office site, home page, Office site, About
Peter Sundin Soulé. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Sam Liccardo. No Lugar Center score yet for his House term. His enacted BUILD Housing Act had two Democratic and two Republican cosponsors.
Source: GovTrack, H.R. 4810
Peter Sundin Soulé. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Sam Liccardo. No public record found.
Peter Sundin Soulé. 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 16th Congressional District?
Sam Liccardo has the strongest record in California's 16th Congressional District. Sam Liccardo scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Sam Liccardo's highest marks are roots in the constituency and accountability. Peter Sundin Soulé (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 16th Congressional District in 2026?
Sam Liccardo (Democratic, incumbent), Peter Sundin Soulé (Republican). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Sam Liccardo a good candidate for Congress?
Sam Liccardo scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 75 of 100, performance 63 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Peter Sundin Soulé a good candidate for Congress?
Peter Sundin Soulé 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.