U.S. House, California 19th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in California's 19th Congressional District?
Jimmy Panetta has the strongest record in California's 19th Congressional District. Jimmy Panetta scores 75 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Jimmy Panetta's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Peter Coe Verbica (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
Jimmy Panetta
75 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 60
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 88
Republican
Peter Coe Verbica
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.
Jimmy Panetta
- On the record2025
Voted for H.R. 30 in January 2025 and other bills in 2025 and 2026 that Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries voted against.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 17, 2025
- Credit2026-09-18
Sponsored H.R. 5334, the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which was signed into law Sept. 18, 2026.
- Credit2025-03
Held an in-person town hall at the Cambria Veterans Hall in March 2025 that reached its 250-person capacity, with attendees watching through the windows.
Source: San Luis Obispo Tribune via Yahoo News, March 21, 2025
- Credit2024-12-23
Sponsored H.R. 9947, the LINK Act of 2024; its provisions were incorporated into the FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act, signed Dec. 23, 2024.
Peter Coe Verbica
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.
Jimmy Panetta. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 is on file with the House Clerk, filed Aug. 13, 2026. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found, and the Clerk index lists no periodic transaction reports for him.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10074944, House Committee on Ethics site search for Panetta, FEC administrative fines search
Peter Coe Verbica. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found. A House candidate financial disclosure was not found in the Clerk index (hand check).
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Jimmy Panetta. Voted Yea on at least 20 House measures in 2025 and 2026 that Democratic Leader Jeffries and the Democratic whip team opposed, including H.R. 30 in January 2025 and the Affordable HOMES Act in 2026.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 17, 2025, H.R. 30, House Clerk Roll Call 12, 2026, Affordable HOMES Act
Peter Coe Verbica. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Jimmy Panetta. Holds open in-person town halls, including a March 2025 town hall in Cambria that filled the 250-person Veterans Hall; his office reported eight public and five virtual town halls in early 2025.
Sources: San Luis Obispo Tribune via Yahoo News, March 21, 2025, Office site, press release
Peter Coe Verbica. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Jimmy Panetta. Prosecutor in Alameda and Monterey counties, Navy Reserve officer from 2003 to 2011 and House member since 2017. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Jimmy Panetta, House Committee on Ethics site search for Panetta
Peter Coe Verbica. 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.
Jimmy Panetta. Served in the Navy Reserve and has held sworn federal office since 2017. Voted Nay on both January 2021 objections to the Arizona and Pennsylvania electors; no misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, Arizona objection, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021, Pennsylvania objection, Ballotpedia, Jimmy Panetta
Peter Coe Verbica. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Jimmy Panetta. In the U.S. House since January 2017, now seeking a sixth term; earlier a deputy district attorney in Monterey County and a Navy Reserve intelligence officer.
Peter Coe Verbica. Managing director, principal and Certified Financial Planner at Silicon Private Wealth and a former adjunct professor of economics at San Jose State University. Has not held public office.
Source: Ballotpedia, Peter Verbica
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Jimmy Panetta. Sits on the Ways and Means Committee, including its Trade Subcommittee, and the Budget Committee. Holds no chair or ranking post.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Peter Coe Verbica. Lists priorities on affordability, gas taxes, water for farmers, insurance, housing and immigration, mostly in general terms.
Sources: Campaign site, home page, Ballotpedia, Peter Verbica
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Jimmy Panetta. Offers an email newsletter, publishes issue pages and holds town halls in person and by phone. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Peter Coe Verbica. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026 and publishes a priorities list on his campaign site.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Peter Verbica, Campaign site, home page
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Jimmy Panetta. Lives in Carmel Valley and graduated from Carmel High School. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 53 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.
Sources: Monterey County Weekly, Wikipedia, Jimmy Panetta, FEC contribution totals by state
Peter Coe Verbica. Described by Monterey County Weekly as a Santa Cruz County resident; his FEC filing lists a Felton address. FEC by-state totals show about 83 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.
Sources: Monterey County Weekly, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Jimmy Panetta. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine record found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Peter Coe Verbica. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine record found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Jimmy Panetta. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.553 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.535, meets expectations. GovTrack lists 11 enacted bills as sponsor, including H.R. 5334, signed Sept. 18, 2026.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, enacted legislation, GovTrack, H.R. 5334 (119th Congress)
Peter Coe Verbica. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Jimmy Panetta. Missed 10 of 5,079 roll call votes, 0.2 percent, from January 2017 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Peter Coe Verbica. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Jimmy Panetta. Keeps district offices in Monterey and Santa Cruz and offers casework. Monterey County Weekly reported 26 town hall meetings this term, mostly by phone.
Sources: Office site, Offices, Monterey County Weekly, Office site, press release
Peter Coe Verbica. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Jimmy Panetta. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of 1.60868 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 13 of 436, in the top quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Peter Coe Verbica. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Jimmy Panetta. No public record found.
Peter Coe Verbica. 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 19th Congressional District?
Jimmy Panetta has the strongest record in California's 19th Congressional District. Jimmy Panetta scores 75 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Jimmy Panetta's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Peter Coe Verbica (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 19th Congressional District in 2026?
Jimmy Panetta (Democratic, incumbent), Peter Coe Verbica (Republican). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Jimmy Panetta a good candidate for Congress?
Jimmy Panetta scores 75 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 60 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 88 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Peter Coe Verbica a good candidate for Congress?
Peter Coe Verbica 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.