U.S. House, California 23rd Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in California's 23rd Congressional District?
Jay Obernolte has the strongest record in California's 23rd Congressional District. Jay Obernolte scores 71 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Jay Obernolte's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Tessa Lynn Hodge (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
Tessa Lynn Hodge
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 60
- Performance
- NR
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Jay Obernolte
71 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 81
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.
Tessa Lynn Hodge
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Jay Obernolte
- Mark against2021-01-06
Voted Yea on Jan. 6 and 7, 2021 on the objections to the certified electoral votes of Arizona and Pennsylvania; both objections failed.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021, Ballotpedia, Jay Obernolte
- Credit2026
Voted Yea in 2026 to override two presidential vetoes when Majority Leader Scalise and Whip Emmer voted Nay.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 8, 2026, House Clerk Roll Call 9, 2026
- Credit2024-12-17
Co-chaired, with Rep. Ted Lieu, the bipartisan House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence, whose report with 89 recommendations was delivered Dec. 17, 2024.
Sources: Office of Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Dec. 17, 2024, The Register, Dec. 19, 2024
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Tessa Lynn Hodge. A House candidate financial disclosure is on file (filed Oct. 5, 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 10083021, FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Jay Obernolte. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 is on file with the House Clerk, filed Aug. 9, 2026. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found; the Clerk index lists no periodic transaction reports for him.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10075438, House Committee on Ethics site search for Obernolte, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Tessa Lynn Hodge. No public record found.
Jay Obernolte. Voted in 2026 to override two presidential vetoes when Majority Leader Scalise and Whip Emmer voted to sustain them, and voted against the 2025 Save SBA from Sanctuary Cities Act, which leadership backed.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 8, 2026, veto override, House Clerk Roll Call 9, 2026, veto override
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Tessa Lynn Hodge. No public record found.
Jay Obernolte. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Tessa Lynn Hodge. No public record found.
Jay Obernolte. Big Bear Lake council member and mayor, Assembly member from 2014 to 2020 and in the House since 2021. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Jay Obernolte, House Committee on Ethics site search for Obernolte
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Tessa Lynn Hodge. No public record found.
Jay Obernolte. Voted Yea on the January 2021 objections to the certified electors of Arizona and Pennsylvania (E2).
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, Arizona objection, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021, Pennsylvania objection, Ballotpedia, Jay Obernolte
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Tessa Lynn Hodge. Licensed clinical social worker with about a decade of work in hospitals, school mental health services and San Bernardino County crisis response and policy. Has not held public office.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Tessa Lynn Hodge, Community Forward Redlands candidate questionnaire
Jay Obernolte. In the U.S. House since 2021, after three terms in the California Assembly (2014 to 2020) and service as mayor of Big Bear Lake.
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Tessa Lynn Hodge. Lists priorities on health care access, wages, housing costs and the environment, with a proposal to expand medical education programs, mostly in general terms.
Sources: Campaign site, home page, Community Forward Redlands candidate questionnaire
Jay Obernolte. Chairs the House Republican Policy Committee, an elected conference post, and the Science Subcommittee on Research and Technology; co-chaired the bipartisan House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence in 2024.
Sources: House Clerk, Leadership, GovTrack, committee membership, Office of Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Dec. 17, 2024
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Tessa Lynn Hodge. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey and a Community Forward Redlands candidate questionnaire, and publishes priorities on her campaign site.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Tessa Lynn Hodge, Community Forward Redlands candidate questionnaire, Campaign site, home page
Jay Obernolte. Offers an email newsletter, virtual town halls, an issues survey and issue pages. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Tessa Lynn Hodge. Says she was born and raised in the district; her FEC filing lists an Apple Valley address. FEC by-state totals show about 87 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.
Sources: Community Forward Redlands candidate questionnaire, FEC contribution totals by state
Jay Obernolte. Served on the Big Bear Lake city council and as its mayor; his FEC filing lists a Big Bear Lake address. FEC by-state totals show about 49 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Jay Obernolte, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Tessa Lynn Hodge. 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
Jay Obernolte. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and he owns video game developer FarSight Studios. No FEC administrative fine record found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search, Ballotpedia, Jay Obernolte
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Tessa Lynn Hodge. No public record found.
Jay Obernolte. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 1.079 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 1.460, meets expectations (117th: exceeds). GovTrack lists four enacted bills as sponsor, including the Honor Our Living Donors Act in 2026.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, enacted legislation, GovTrack, H.R. 628 (119th Congress)
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Tessa Lynn Hodge. No public record found.
Jay Obernolte. Missed 36 of 2,915 roll call votes, 1.2 percent, from January 2021 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Tessa Lynn Hodge. No public record found.
Jay Obernolte. Keeps a Hesperia district office and runs scheduled staff mobile office hours in towns across the district, monthly in several, and offers help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Sources: Office site, Hesperia District Office, Office site, Mobile Office Hours
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Tessa Lynn Hodge. No public record found.
Jay Obernolte. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of 0.86006 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 34 of 436, in the top quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Tessa Lynn Hodge. No public record found.
Jay Obernolte. 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 23rd Congressional District?
Jay Obernolte has the strongest record in California's 23rd Congressional District. Jay Obernolte scores 71 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Jay Obernolte's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Tessa Lynn Hodge (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 23rd Congressional District in 2026?
Tessa Lynn Hodge (Democratic), Jay Obernolte (Republican, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Tessa Lynn Hodge a good candidate for Congress?
Tessa Lynn Hodge 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 Jay Obernolte a good candidate for Congress?
Jay Obernolte scores 71 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 81 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.