U.S. House, California 24th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in California's 24th Congressional District?
Salud Carbajal has the strongest record in California's 24th Congressional District. Salud Carbajal scores 75 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Bob Smith at 50, as of October 9, 2026. Salud Carbajal's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Salud Carbajal
75 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 60
- Qualifications
- 85
- Performance
- 81
Republican
Bob Smith
50 / 100
Public evidence on 8 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.
Salud Carbajal
- Mark against2015-04-16
The FPPC on April 16, 2015 approved a $7,500 penalty against him and his 2012 supervisor committee for three unfiled late contribution reports and a $15,000 cashier's check not drawn on the donor's account.
- On the record2025-07
In July 2025 the Department of Homeland Security said he showed an ICE staffer's business card to protesters during a Glass House Farms raid; he called DHS and ICE accounts inaccurate and misleading. No proceeding found.
Sources: Fox News, July 2025, Santa Maria Sun, Political Watch, July 24, 2025
- On the record2024-08-30
Declined to take part in KEYT's 2024 televised debate with Republican opponent Thomas Cole, KEYT reported Aug. 30, 2024.
Source: KEYT, Aug. 30, 2024
- Credit2025-02-08
Spoke at a Feb. 8, 2025 public town hall at the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara attended by more than a thousand people.
Bob Smith
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.
Salud Carbajal. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 is on file with the House Clerk, filed July 23, 2026. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC fine found; a 2015 state FPPC penalty on his supervisor committee is over 10 years old (E1).
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10077955, House Committee on Ethics site search for Carbajal, FEC administrative fines search
Bob Smith. House candidate financial disclosures were filed in 2025 and on Sept. 25, 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 10082950, FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Salud Carbajal. Voted Yea on seven House measures in 2025 and 2026 that Democratic Leader Jeffries and the Democratic whip team opposed, including the DUMP Red Tape Act and the Affordable HOMES Act.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 311, 2025, DUMP Red Tape Act, House Clerk Roll Call 12, 2026, Affordable HOMES Act
Bob Smith. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Salud Carbajal. Has held open in-person town halls across the district, in Santa Maria in 2019 and in Santa Barbara in February 2025, plus telephone town halls. Declined a 2024 KEYT debate; no 2026 debate record found.
Sources: KSBY, Aug. 2019, Santa Barbara Independent, Feb. 10, 2025, Office site, Town Halls
Bob Smith. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Salud Carbajal. Marine Corps Reserve member, county supervisor from 2004 to 2016 and House member since 2017. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Salud Carbajal, House Committee on Ethics site search for Carbajal
Bob Smith. Served 26 years in the Navy, rising from enlisted technician to officer with combat deployments, and works as a senior engineering fellow for a defense contractor. No conduct finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Bob Smith, KEYT, June 2, 2026
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Salud Carbajal. Served in the Marine Corps Reserve and has held sworn county and federal office since 2004. Voted Nay on both January 2021 objections to the Arizona and Pennsylvania electors; no misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Salud Carbajal, House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, Arizona objection, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021, Pennsylvania objection
Bob Smith. Served in the U.S. Navy from 1998 to 2024 and retired as a commander. No misuse-of-office finding found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Salud Carbajal. In the U.S. House since January 2017, after 12 years on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors.
Bob Smith. Navy career of 26 years, including as a surface warfare and engineering duty officer, and now a senior engineering fellow at a defense contractor. Has not held public office; no command billet documented.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Bob Smith, KEYT, April 14, 2025, San Luis Obispo Tribune via The Daily Gazette
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Salud Carbajal. Ranking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation; also on Agriculture and Armed Services. Publishes issue pages.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, Office site, Town Halls
Bob Smith. Lists goals on easing partisan division, middle-class decline, home ownership and national security, in general terms.
Source: Ballotpedia, Bob Smith
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Salud Carbajal. Offers an e-newsletter, in-person and telephone town halls and issue pages. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, Office site, Town Halls, Ballotpedia, Salud Carbajal
Bob Smith. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. No other published channel was opened (his campaign site blocked automated access).
Source: Ballotpedia, Bob Smith
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Salud Carbajal. Lives in Santa Barbara and served as a Santa Barbara County supervisor from 2004 to 2016. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 90 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Salud Carbajal, FEC contribution totals by state
Bob Smith. Has lived in Carpinteria with his family for more than a decade, per KEYT. FEC by-state totals show about 84 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.
Sources: KEYT, April 14, 2025, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Salud Carbajal. 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
Bob Smith. 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.
Salud Carbajal. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.437 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.535, meets expectations. His one enacted bill as sponsor is a post office naming, which does not count toward a 3.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, enacted legislation
Bob Smith. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Salud Carbajal. Missed 45 of 5,079 roll call votes, 0.9 percent, from January 2017 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Bob Smith. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Salud Carbajal. His office reports 3,587 constituent cases closed and keeps offices in Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo; holds town halls.
Bob Smith. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Salud Carbajal. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of 0.48445 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 58 of 436, in the top quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Bob Smith. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Salud Carbajal. No public record found.
Bob Smith. 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 24th Congressional District?
Salud Carbajal has the strongest record in California's 24th Congressional District. Salud Carbajal scores 75 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Bob Smith at 50, as of October 9, 2026. Salud Carbajal's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in California's 24th Congressional District in 2026?
Salud Carbajal (Democratic, incumbent), Bob Smith (Republican). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Salud Carbajal a good candidate for Congress?
Salud Carbajal scores 75 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 60 of 100, qualifications 85 of 100, performance 81 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Bob Smith a good candidate for Congress?
Bob Smith scores 50 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 50 of 100, performance no record. 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.