U.S. House, California 34th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in California's 34th Congressional District?
Jimmy Gomez has the strongest record in California's 34th Congressional District. Jimmy Gomez scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Jimmy Gomez's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Angela Gonzales-Torres (7 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
Jimmy Gomez
63 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 56
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 50
Democratic
Angela Gonzales-Torres
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 7 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 55
- 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.
Jimmy Gomez
- Unresolved2026-08-17
On Aug. 17, 2026 the House Ethics Committee said it is reviewing sexual misconduct allegations against him, including inappropriate sexual contact with a House staffer; he says his conduct was consensual and broke no rule.
Where it stands: Under review by the House Ethics Committee as of Oct. 9, 2026; no finding.
Sources: House Committee on Ethics statement, Aug. 17, 2026, The Washington Post via Anchorage Daily News, Aug. 17, 2026, Courthouse News, NPR, Aug. 17, 2026
- Unresolved2026-08-19
On Aug. 19, 2026 attorneys for an unnamed woman said she told the House Ethics Committee that he sexually harassed and assaulted her; he has said his conduct was consensual.
Where it stands: Allegation made to the committee through attorneys; part of the Ethics review, no finding as of Oct. 9, 2026.
Sources: CBS News, Aug. 19, 2026, CNN, Aug. 19, 2026
- Credit2022-08-16
Sponsored H.R. 5187, the Home Energy Savings Act, whose provisions were incorporated into the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, signed Aug. 16, 2022.
- Credit2019-09-27
Sponsored H.R. 3421, the Fair Choices for Medicare Beneficiaries Act of 2019, incorporated into the continuing appropriations and health extenders law signed Sept. 27, 2019, with a Republican cosponsor.
- Credit2016-04-11
As an Assembly member, authored AB 908, expanding California's Paid Family Leave wage replacement; signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on April 11, 2016.
Angela Gonzales-Torres
- Creditbefore 2026
Served as president of the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council and worked in the Los Angeles mayor's office, per The LA Local and NBC Los Angeles.
Sources: The LA Local, Oct. 1, 2026, NBC Los Angeles, Oct. 8, 2026
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Jimmy Gomez. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 is on file, filed Aug. 13, 2026 after an extension; the Clerk index lists no periodic transaction reports. No FEC fine. A House Ethics Committee review opened Aug. 17, 2026 is unresolved and is not a finding.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10076526, House Committee on Ethics statement, Aug. 17, 2026, FEC administrative fines search
Angela Gonzales-Torres. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine or official finding found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Jimmy Gomez. Voted against both Minority Leader Jeffries and Whip Clark on several significant 2025 to 2026 roll calls, including the CLARITY Act, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 and a 2026 FISA Section 702 extension.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 199, 2025, CLARITY Act, House Clerk Roll Call 45, 2026, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, House Clerk Roll Call 155, 2026, FISA Amendments Act extension
Angela Gonzales-Torres. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Jimmy Gomez. No public record found.
Angela Gonzales-Torres. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Jimmy Gomez. Served in the California State Assembly from 2012 to 2017 and in the House since 2017. No censure, reprimand or conduct finding found; a House Ethics Committee review of sexual misconduct allegations opened in August 2026 is unresolved.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Jimmy Gomez, House Committee on Ethics statement, Aug. 17, 2026
Angela Gonzales-Torres. Served as president of the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council. No conduct finding found.
Source: The Eastsider
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Jimmy Gomez. Took his House seat in July 2017 and voted Nay on both January 2021 objections to certified electors. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 6, 2021
Angela Gonzales-Torres. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Jimmy Gomez. In the House since July 2017 after five years in the California State Assembly.
Angela Gonzales-Torres. Former president of the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council; her campaign says she works in reentry education and affordable housing and worked in the Los Angeles Mayor's Office. Has not held elected public office.
Sources: The Eastsider, Campaign site, About, NBC Los Angeles, Oct. 8, 2026
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Jimmy Gomez. Ranking Member of the Intelligence Committee's Central Intelligence Agency Subcommittee and a member of Ways and Means; serves as a Deputy Whip. Five bills he sponsored were enacted.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, Office site, home page
Angela Gonzales-Torres. Campaign site lists positions on campaign finance, housing, health care, taxes, climate and foreign policy, mostly in general terms.
Source: Campaign site, Issues
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Jimmy Gomez. Publishes newsletters and issue pages and offers telephone town halls. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Angela Gonzales-Torres. Publishes issue pages on her campaign site and answered The LA Local's 2026 candidate questions. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Campaign site, Issues, Ballotpedia, Angela Gonzales-Torres, The LA Local, Oct. 1, 2026 (candidate answers)
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Jimmy Gomez. An Eagle Rock resident, inside the district, who represented the area in the State Assembly. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 67 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.
Angela Gonzales-Torres. A Northeast Los Angeles resident who led the Highland Park neighborhood council and says she was born and raised in Highland Park. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 72 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.
Sources: The Eastsider, Campaign site, About, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Jimmy Gomez. 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
Angela Gonzales-Torres. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Jimmy Gomez. Center for Effective Lawmaking rated him Meets expectations in the 118th Congress (LES 2.0 0.315, benchmark 0.535). His Home Energy Savings Act was incorporated into the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 5187 (117th Congress)
Angela Gonzales-Torres. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Jimmy Gomez. Missed 139 of 4,734 roll call votes, 2.9 percent, from July 2017 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Angela Gonzales-Torres. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Jimmy Gomez. Runs a district office in downtown Los Angeles and offers casework help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Sources: Office site, Office Information, Office site, home page
Angela Gonzales-Torres. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Jimmy Gomez. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -1.17070 in the 118th Congress (2023), ranked 365 of 436, in the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Angela Gonzales-Torres. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Jimmy Gomez. No public record found.
Angela Gonzales-Torres. 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 34th Congressional District?
Jimmy Gomez has the strongest record in California's 34th Congressional District. Jimmy Gomez scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Jimmy Gomez's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Angela Gonzales-Torres (7 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 34th Congressional District in 2026?
Jimmy Gomez (Democratic, incumbent), Angela Gonzales-Torres (Democratic). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Jimmy Gomez a good candidate for Congress?
Jimmy Gomez scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 56 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 50 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Angela Gonzales-Torres a good candidate for Congress?
Angela Gonzales-Torres has public evidence on 7 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, and the California 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.