U.S. House, California 18th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in California's 18th Congressional District?
Zoe Lofgren has the strongest record in California's 18th Congressional District. Zoe Lofgren scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Zoe Lofgren's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Shane Lewis (7 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.
Republican
Shane Lewis
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 7 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 65
- Performance
- NR
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Zoe Lofgren
67 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 56
- Qualifications
- 85
- Performance
- 56
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Shane Lewis. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through Sept. 30, 2026, and a House candidate financial disclosure was filed May 14, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10078304, FEC administrative fines search
Zoe Lofgren. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 filed with the House Clerk Aug. 10, 2026, after an extension. No House Ethics Committee matter naming her as respondent or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10074949, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Shane Lewis. No public record found.
Zoe Lofgren. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Shane Lewis. No public record found.
Zoe Lofgren. Held an in-person town hall in April 2025 and a telephone town hall in December 2025, and joined a county supervisor's community meeting in August 2025.
Source: Office site, Town Hall
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Shane Lewis. No public record found.
Zoe Lofgren. Served 14 years on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and in the House since 1995. No censure, reprimand or conduct finding found.
Source: Office site, About
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Shane Lewis. Served in the Marine Corps after high school, earning two meritorious promotions, per his own account. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Zoe Lofgren. Voted Nay on both January 2021 objections to state electors and did not vote on the January 2005 Ohio objection. Not among the January 2017 objectors. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 7, 2005
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Shane Lewis. Marine Corps veteran and R&D electrical test engineer at medical device companies who ran a music instruction business. Has not held public office.
Source: Campaign site, home page
Zoe Lofgren. In the House since 1995, now in her 16th term, after 14 years on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.
Sources: GovTrack, missed votes, Office site, About
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Shane Lewis. Publishes named federal proposals with stated conditions, such as tying Title I funds to at least 10 percent proficiency gains within a year.
Source: Campaign site, Issues
Zoe Lofgren. Ranking Member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and a member of Judiciary; she chaired the House Administration Committee in the 116th and 117th Congresses.
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Shane Lewis. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey, publishes issue pages and offers campaign e-mail updates.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Shane Lewis, Campaign site, Issues, Campaign site, home page
Zoe Lofgren. Offers an e-newsletter, holds in-person and telephone town halls and publishes issue pages. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, Office site, Town Hall, Ballotpedia, Zoe Lofgren
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Shane Lewis. Says San Jose has been his home for 28 years and he served as a worship leader and elder at a San Jose church. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 60 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.
Sources: Campaign site, home page, FEC contribution totals by state
Zoe Lofgren. Grew up in Santa Clara County and served on its Board of Supervisors for 14 years. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 75 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.
Sources: Office site, About, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Shane Lewis. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through Sept. 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Zoe Lofgren. 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.
Shane Lewis. No public record found.
Zoe Lofgren. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.666 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.581, meets expectations. Primary sponsor of nine enacted bills, most recently in the 116th Congress.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, Zoe Lofgren
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Shane Lewis. No public record found.
Zoe Lofgren. Missed 707 of 19,917 roll call votes, 3.5 percent, from January 1995 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Shane Lewis. No public record found.
Zoe Lofgren. Lists district offices in San Jose and Salinas. No published casework totals found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Shane Lewis. No public record found.
Zoe Lofgren. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.42453 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 205 of 436, negative but above the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Shane Lewis. No public record found.
Zoe Lofgren. 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 18th Congressional District?
Zoe Lofgren has the strongest record in California's 18th Congressional District. Zoe Lofgren scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Zoe Lofgren's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Shane Lewis (7 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 18th Congressional District in 2026?
Shane Lewis (Republican), Zoe Lofgren (Democratic, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Shane Lewis a good candidate for Congress?
Shane Lewis has public evidence on 7 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 Zoe Lofgren a good candidate for Congress?
Zoe Lofgren scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 56 of 100, qualifications 85 of 100, performance 56 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, 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.