U.S. House, California 33rd Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in California's 33rd Congressional District?
Pete Aguilar has the strongest record in California's 33rd Congressional District. Pete Aguilar scores 66 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Pete Aguilar's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Stephanie M. Vargas (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
Pete Aguilar
66 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 55
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 63
Republican
Stephanie M. Vargas
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 56
- 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.
Pete Aguilar
- On the record2025
As House Democratic Caucus Chair voted for the CLARITY Act and the Fix Our Forests Act in 2025 when Leader Jeffries and Whip Clark voted against both.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 199, 2025, CLARITY Act, House Clerk Roll Call 25, 2025, Fix Our Forests Act
- On the record2021
Appointed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, per the Los Angeles Times.
- Credit2023-11-13
Sponsored H.R. 1226, the Wounded Warrior Access Act, signed into law Nov. 13, 2023, with two Republican cosponsors.
- Credit2019-03-12
Sponsored H.R. 1067, the Santa Ana River Wash Plan Land Exchange Act, incorporated into the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act signed March 12, 2019.
- Credit2006
Chosen by the Redlands City Council in 2006 after three rounds of voting to fill a vacant seat, becoming the city's youngest councilman, per the Los Angeles Times.
Stephanie M. Vargas
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.
Pete Aguilar. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 is on file, filed Aug. 13, 2026 after an extension. The Clerk index lists no periodic transaction reports for him. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10076409, House Committee on Ethics site search for Aguilar, FEC administrative fines search
Stephanie M. Vargas. A House candidate financial disclosure was filed Jan. 31, 2026. No FEC administrative fine or official finding found.
Source: House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10073293
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Pete Aguilar. Voted against both Minority Leader Jeffries and Whip Clark on several significant 2025 roll calls, including the CLARITY Act, the Fix Our Forests Act and H.J. Res. 25 on an IRS rule.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 199, 2025, CLARITY Act, House Clerk Roll Call 25, 2025, Fix Our Forests Act, House Clerk Roll Call 71, 2025, H.J. Res. 25
Stephanie M. Vargas. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Pete Aguilar. Holds regular press conferences with reporters as House Democratic Caucus Chair. No 2026 general election debate or open in-person town hall record found.
Stephanie M. Vargas. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Pete Aguilar. Served on the Redlands City Council from 2006 to 2014, as mayor from 2010 to 2014, and in the House since 2015. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Pete Aguilar, House Committee on Ethics site search for Aguilar
Stephanie M. Vargas. Has worked in the Colton City Clerk's office, filling the city clerk's position in 2023 after the elected clerk's death and later serving as Chief Deputy City Clerk. No conduct finding found.
Sources: San Bernardino County Sentinel, 2023, Campaign site, home page
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Pete Aguilar. Voted Nay on both January 2021 objections to certified electors and raised no objection in January 2017. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 6, 2021
Stephanie M. Vargas. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Pete Aguilar. In the House since January 2015, in his sixth term, after serving as mayor of Redlands.
Stephanie M. Vargas. Municipal clerk and local elections official in Colton, including a period filling the city clerk's position in 2023. Has not held elected office.
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Pete Aguilar. Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, an elected leadership post (E5), and a member of the Appropriations Committee; five bills he sponsored were enacted.
Sources: Office site, home page, GovTrack, committee membership
Stephanie M. Vargas. Campaign site lists priorities on public safety, children and family, the economy and election integrity in general terms.
Source: Campaign site, home page
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Pete Aguilar. Offers a newsletter, publishes issue pages and holds regular press conferences. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, House Democratic Caucus, press releases, Ballotpedia, Pete Aguilar
Stephanie M. Vargas. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026 and publishes platform pages.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Stephanie Vargas, Campaign site, home page
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Pete Aguilar. Lives in Redlands, in the district, where his family has lived four generations, and served on its city council. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 44 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.
Sources: Office site, Biography, Ballotpedia, Pete Aguilar, FEC contribution totals by state
Stephanie M. Vargas. Works for the City of Colton, inside the district, and says she is a lifelong resident of the district. No FEC itemized contribution data is available.
Sources: San Bernardino County Sentinel, 2023, Campaign site, home page
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Pete Aguilar. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Stephanie M. Vargas. No public record found.
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Pete Aguilar. Center for Effective Lawmaking rated him Meets expectations in the 118th Congress (LES 2.0 0.584, benchmark 0.539). His Wounded Warrior Access Act was signed into law Nov. 13, 2023.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 1226 (118th Congress)
Stephanie M. Vargas. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Pete Aguilar. Missed 86 of 6,404 roll call votes, 1.3 percent, from January 2015 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Stephanie M. Vargas. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Pete Aguilar. Runs a district office in San Bernardino and offers help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Sources: Office site, Biography, Office site, home page
Stephanie M. Vargas. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Pete Aguilar. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.85431 in the 118th Congress (2023), ranked 302 of 436, a negative score above the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Stephanie M. Vargas. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Pete Aguilar. No public record found.
Stephanie M. Vargas. 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 33rd Congressional District?
Pete Aguilar has the strongest record in California's 33rd Congressional District. Pete Aguilar scores 66 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Pete Aguilar's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Stephanie M. Vargas (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 33rd Congressional District in 2026?
Pete Aguilar (Democratic, incumbent), Stephanie M. Vargas (Republican). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Pete Aguilar a good candidate for Congress?
Pete Aguilar scores 66 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 55 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 63 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Stephanie M. Vargas a good candidate for Congress?
Stephanie M. Vargas 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.