U.S. House, California 31st Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in California's 31st Congressional District?
Gil Cisneros has the strongest record in California's 31st Congressional District. Gil Cisneros scores 71 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Eric Ching at 56, as of October 9, 2026. Gil Cisneros's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Eric Ching's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican
Eric Ching
56 / 100
Public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 60
- Performance
- NR
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Gil Cisneros
71 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 60
- Qualifications
- 75
- 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.
Eric Ching
- Credit2021-07-14
Chosen unanimously by the Walnut City Council as mayor on July 14, 2021, after serving as mayor in 2016.
Source: Patch, July 20, 2021
Gil Cisneros
- Mark against2026-09
House Clerk filings show periodic transaction reports filed more than 45 days after trades, including July 2026 trades reported Sept. 4, 2026; NOTUS reported more than 50 late trades.
Sources: House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20035190, NOTUS, Sept. 8, 2026
- On the record2018-11-02
PolitiFact rated Mostly False his 2018 campaign's spoof-website claim that opponent Young Kim was a tax cheat (single fact-check outlet, E15).
Source: PolitiFact, Nov. 2, 2018
- Credit2025-03-18
Held an in-person town hall in El Monte on March 18, 2025 that ran nearly 90 minutes, taking pointed questions from constituents, per the LA Daily News.
Source: LA Daily News, March 24, 2025 (reprinted on office site)
- Credit2021-01-05
Sponsored H.R. 8415, the Restoring Education Access for Student Veterans Act, incorporated into the veterans health care and benefits law signed Jan. 5, 2021.
- Credit2021
Confirmed unanimously by the Senate in 2021 as under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness; he left the post in September 2023, per Stars and Stripes.
Source: Stars and Stripes, July 31, 2023
- Credit2020-07-02
Sponsored H.R. 6528 on pay limits for senior Department of Veterans Affairs officials; it was enacted through the identical S. 3084, signed July 2, 2020.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Eric Ching. A House candidate financial disclosure was filed March 17, 2026, and campaign reports are on file with the FEC through Sept. 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10074535, FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Gil Cisneros. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 is on file, filed Aug. 13, 2026 after an extension. The Clerk record shows late periodic transaction reports in 2025 and 2026, reported by NOTUS; no House Ethics Committee matter or FEC fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10074952, House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20035190, NOTUS, Sept. 8, 2026, House Committee on Ethics site search for Cisneros
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Eric Ching. No public record found.
Gil Cisneros. Voted against both Minority Leader Jeffries and Whip Clark on several significant 2025 to 2026 roll calls, including the GENIUS Act, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 and the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 200, 2025, GENIUS Act, House Clerk Roll Call 45, 2026, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, House Clerk Roll Call 7, 2025, Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Eric Ching. No public record found.
Gil Cisneros. Held an open in-person town hall in El Monte on March 18, 2025 that ran nearly 90 minutes, per the LA Daily News; his office reports six town halls held. No 2026 general election debate record found.
Sources: LA Daily News, March 24, 2025 (reprinted on office site), Office site, home page
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Eric Ching. Elected to the Walnut City Council in 2012 and chosen mayor in 2016 and 2021. No censure or conduct finding found.
Source: Patch, July 20, 2021
Gil Cisneros. Served 10 years as a Navy officer, as Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness from 2021 to 2023 and in the House. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Gil Cisneros, Office site, About, House Committee on Ethics site search for Cisneros
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Eric Ching. Held sworn city office on the Walnut City Council from 2012. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Source: Patch, July 20, 2021
Gil Cisneros. Served as a Navy officer and has held sworn federal office. He was out of Congress for the January 2021 electoral count and was not in the House for the 2017 count; no misuse-of-office finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Gil Cisneros
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Eric Ching. Walnut City Council member since 2012 and twice mayor (2016 and 2021), after running an information technology business.
Sources: Patch, July 20, 2021, Ballotpedia, Eric Ching
Gil Cisneros. Represented California's 39th District from 2019 to 2021 and the 31st since January 2025, and was Senate-confirmed Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.
Sources: GovTrack, Gil Cisneros, Office site, About
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Eric Ching. His 2026 Ballotpedia survey lists priorities on community safety, the economy, parental rights and cutting government waste, in general terms.
Source: Ballotpedia, Eric Ching
Gil Cisneros. Ranking Member of the Small Business Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure and a member of the Armed Services Committee; two bills he sponsored on veterans affairs were enacted in 2020 and 2021.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Eric Ching. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026 and in 2022; no other channel found in pages opened.
Source: Ballotpedia, Eric Ching
Gil Cisneros. Offers a newsletter, holds town halls, publishes issue pages, and completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Has not completed the 2026 survey.
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Eric Ching. Has served on the Walnut City Council since 2012. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 90 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.
Sources: Patch, July 20, 2021, FEC contribution totals by state, California Department of Technology GIS, AB 604 congressional districts as enacted by Prop 50, point query at Walnut City Hall, U.S. Census Bureau geocoder, Walnut City Hall
Gil Cisneros. Identified by the LA Daily News as from Covina, inside the district. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 61 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.
Sources: LA Daily News, March 24, 2025 (reprinted on office site), FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Eric Ching. 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
Gil Cisneros. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine names his committee; the matching results are other Cisneros campaigns.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Eric Ching. No public record found.
Gil Cisneros. Center for Effective Lawmaking rated him Meets expectations in the 116th Congress (his latest scored), when two bills he sponsored on veterans affairs were enacted through other measures.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 6528 (116th Congress), GovTrack, H.R. 8415 (116th Congress)
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Eric Ching. No public record found.
Gil Cisneros. Missed 7 of 1,630 roll call votes, 0.4 percent, from January 2019 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Eric Ching. No public record found.
Gil Cisneros. Office reports 989 cases solved and six town halls as of October 2026, and offers casework help with federal agencies.
Source: Office site, home page
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Eric Ching. No public record found.
Gil Cisneros. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of 0.58577 in the 116th Congress (his latest scored), ranked 111 of 437, a positive score just outside the top quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores, 116th Congress
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Eric Ching. No public record found.
Gil Cisneros. 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 31st Congressional District?
Gil Cisneros has the strongest record in California's 31st Congressional District. Gil Cisneros scores 71 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Eric Ching at 56, as of October 9, 2026. Gil Cisneros's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Eric Ching's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in California's 31st Congressional District in 2026?
Eric Ching (Republican), Gil Cisneros (Democratic, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Eric Ching a good candidate for Congress?
Eric Ching scores 56 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 60 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Gil Cisneros a good candidate for Congress?
Gil Cisneros scores 71 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 60 of 100, qualifications 75 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.