U.S. House, California 25th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in California's 25th Congressional District?
Raul Ruiz has the strongest record in California's 25th Congressional District. Raul Ruiz scores 75 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Joe Males at 50, as of October 9, 2026. Raul Ruiz's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Joe Males's highest marks are relevant experience. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican
Joe Males
50 / 100
Public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Raul Ruiz
75 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 60
- Qualifications
- 85
- 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.
Joe Males
- Credit
Elected commander of American Legion Post 53 and has led its help to veterans with housing, food and transportation, per his City of Hemet biography.
Raul Ruiz
- On the record2026
Voted Yea on H.Con.Res. 84, a war powers resolution, when Leader Jeffries, Whip Clark and Caucus Chair Aguilar voted Nay; it failed.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 201, 2026
- On the record2025-05-03
Held an in-person town hall at Rancho Mirage High School with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, part of a series of town halls since early 2025.
Source: NBC Palm Springs, May 4, 2025
- On the record2025
Voted Nay on tabling H.Res. 537, an impeachment resolution, when Leader Jeffries, Whip Clark and Caucus Chair Aguilar voted Yea.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 175, 2025
- On the record2021-01-06
Voted Nay on the objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's certified electors.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, 2021
- On the record2021-03-25
The FEC audited his campaign committee's 2017 to 2018 activity; on March 25, 2021 the Commission voted not to approve the audit staff's findings on misstatement and $5,899 in personal use.
Sources: FEC weekly digest, March 22 to 26, 2021, FEC Audit Division Recommendation Memorandum (A19-03)
- Credit2024
Rated 'exceeds expectations' by the Center for Effective Lawmaking in the 117th and 118th Congresses; GovTrack lists him as primary sponsor of 15 enacted bills.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, GovTrack, Raul Ruiz
- Credit2023-02-28
Received the American Legion's Distinguished Public Service Award for his leadership in passing the Honoring our PACT Act for veterans exposed to burn pits.
- Credit2023-02
Served as ranking member of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the 118th Congress, through its final hearings in late 2024.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Joe Males. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and House candidate financial disclosures were filed Aug. 4, 2025 and Aug. 13, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10077671, FEC administrative fines search
Raul Ruiz. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 is on file with the House Clerk, filed May 13, 2026. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10076447, House Committee on Ethics site search for Ruiz, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Joe Males. No public record found.
Raul Ruiz. Voted against his party's leaders several times in 2025 and 2026: against tabling an impeachment resolution, for the HALT Fentanyl Act, against a FISA extension and for a war powers resolution they opposed.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 175, 2025, motion to table H.Res. 537, House Clerk Roll Call 166, 2025, HALT Fentanyl Act, House Clerk Roll Call 155, 2026, FISA extension, House Clerk Roll Call 201, 2026, war powers resolution
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Joe Males. No public record found.
Raul Ruiz. Has held a series of open in-person town halls since 2025, including one at Rancho Mirage High School with a public Q&A, per NBC Palm Springs.
Source: NBC Palm Springs, May 4, 2025
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Joe Males. Marine Corps veteran discharged as a sergeant, business owner since 1996 and Hemet City Council member since 2020, now mayor pro tem. No censure or conduct finding found.
Sources: City of Hemet, Mayor Pro Tem Joe Males, City of Hemet press release, Dec. 11, 2025
Raul Ruiz. Emergency physician and former UC Riverside medical school associate dean, in Congress since 2013. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Raul Ruiz, House Committee on Ethics site search for Ruiz
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Joe Males. Served in the Marine Corps and holds sworn city office on the Hemet City Council. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: City of Hemet, Mayor Pro Tem Joe Males, City of Hemet press release, Dec. 11, 2025
Raul Ruiz. Voted Nay on both January 6, 2021 objections to certified electors. Not on the Texas v. Pennsylvania amicus list and did not object in January 2017. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Joe Males. Hemet City Council member for District 4 and mayor pro tem through December 2026; founded a computer networking business in 1996 with seven employees; Marine Corps veteran.
Sources: City of Hemet, Mayor Pro Tem Joe Males, City of Hemet press release, Dec. 11, 2025
Raul Ruiz. In the U.S. House since January 2013, now seeking an eighth term; earlier an emergency physician and medical school associate dean.
Sources: GovTrack, Raul Ruiz, Ballotpedia, Raul Ruiz
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Joe Males. Positions on cost of living and immigration are stated in general terms (lower gas taxes, fewer regulations, stronger border enforcement); the campaign site carries a biography but no issue pages.
Source: NBC Palm Springs, May 15, 2026
Raul Ruiz. Was ranking member of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic (2023 to 2024) and earlier of a Natural Resources subcommittee; sits on Energy and Commerce's Health subcommittee and publishes detailed health care positions.
Sources: House Oversight Democrats, Nov. 14, 2024, Ballotpedia, committee assignments, Office site, Health Care
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Joe Males. Explained positions to NBC Palm Springs for its race overview; no questionnaire answers or campaign issue pages found.
Source: NBC Palm Springs, May 15, 2026
Raul Ruiz. Offers an e-newsletter, holds in-person town halls and publishes issue pages. Has not completed Ballotpedia's survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, NBC Palm Springs, May 4, 2025, Office site, Health Care
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Joe Males. Serves on the Hemet City Council for District 4 and moved to Hemet in 2005; the enacted 2025 map places all of Hemet in the 48th District, not the 25th. About 22 percent of itemized individual contributions came from California (FEC).
Sources: City of Hemet, Mayor Pro Tem Joe Males, FEC contribution totals by state, AB 604 city splits report (UC Berkeley Statewide Database, linked by the Senate Elections Committee), Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee, 2025 Congressional Districts
Raul Ruiz. A Coachella Valley native, identified by NBC Palm Springs as D-Coachella. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 62 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.
Sources: NBC Palm Springs, May 15, 2026, NBC Palm Springs, June 3, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Joe Males. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, with no FEC administrative fine; ran his own computer networking business with seven employees.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search, City of Hemet, Mayor Pro Tem Joe Males
Raul Ruiz. 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.
Joe Males. No public record found.
Raul Ruiz. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.888 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.543, exceeds expectations (also exceeds in the 117th). Primary sponsor of 15 enacted bills per GovTrack.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, enacted legislation
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Joe Males. No public record found.
Raul Ruiz. Missed 122 of 7,608 roll call votes, 1.6 percent, from January 2013 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Joe Males. No public record found.
Raul Ruiz. Runs district offices in Palm Desert, Beaumont and El Centro and publishes casework totals (12,400 cases; 54,665 constituent contacts answered in 2024). NBC Palm Springs reports a series of open town halls.
Sources: Office site, home page, NBC Palm Springs, May 4, 2025
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Joe Males. No public record found.
Raul Ruiz. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.30849 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 190 of 436.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Joe Males. No public record found.
Raul Ruiz. 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 25th Congressional District?
Raul Ruiz has the strongest record in California's 25th Congressional District. Raul Ruiz scores 75 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Joe Males at 50, as of October 9, 2026. Raul Ruiz's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Joe Males's highest marks are relevant experience. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in California's 25th Congressional District in 2026?
Joe Males (Republican), Raul Ruiz (Democratic, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Joe Males a good candidate for Congress?
Joe Males 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.
Is Raul Ruiz a good candidate for Congress?
Raul Ruiz 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.
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.