U.S. House, California 39th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in California's 39th Congressional District?
Mark Takano has the strongest record in California's 39th Congressional District. Mark Takano scores 73 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Steve Manos at 50, as of October 9, 2026. Mark Takano's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Steve Manos's highest marks are relevant experience. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican
Steve Manos
50 / 100
Public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Mark Takano
73 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 60
- Qualifications
- 85
- Performance
- 75
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.
Steve Manos
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Mark Takano
- On the record2025-06-12
Voted Yea on final passage of the HALT Fentanyl Act in June 2025 when House Democratic Leader Jeffries voted Nay.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 166, 2025
- On the record2025-04-22
Held an in-person town hall in Riverside on April 22, 2025, attended by about 250 constituents.
- On the record2021-01-06
Voted Nay on both House objections to certified presidential electors from Arizona and Pennsylvania in January 2021.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
- Credit2025
Rated as exceeding expectations by the Center for Effective Lawmaking for the 118th Congress, with a Legislative Effectiveness Score of 1.134 against a benchmark of 0.543.
- Credit2022-08-10
Sponsored the Honoring our PACT Act, whose provisions on veterans' toxic exposure were enacted in S. 3373, signed Aug. 10, 2022.
- Credit2020-10
His office received a Congressional Management Foundation Democracy Award in 2020 for innovation and modernization in constituent service.
Source: Pacific Citizen, Oct. 9, 2020
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Steve Manos. No public record found.
Mark Takano. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 is on file with the House Clerk, filed May 12, 2026. No periodic transaction reports, House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10076332, House Committee on Ethics site search for Takano, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Steve Manos. No public record found.
Mark Takano. Voted against his party's three top House leaders on 16 roll calls in 2025 and 2026, including Yea on the HALT Fentanyl Act and Nay on tabling a June 2025 impeachment resolution.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 166, 2025, HALT Fentanyl Act, House Clerk Roll Call 175, 2025, motion to table H. Res. 537
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Steve Manos. Took part in a May 6, 2026 candidate town hall at Riverside City College. No record found of 2026 general election debates.
Mark Takano. Held an open in-person town hall in Riverside in April 2025 attended by about 250 constituents, and his office lists in-person town hall meetings. No record found of 2026 general election debates.
Sources: The Riverside Record, April 23, 2025, Office site, Town Hall
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Steve Manos. Has served on the Lake Elsinore City Council since 2012, including several terms as mayor. No censure or conduct finding found.
Source: Campaign site, home page
Mark Takano. In Congress since 2013 and previously a teacher. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Mark Takano, House Committee on Ethics site search for Takano
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Steve Manos. Has held sworn city office since 2012. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Source: Riverside University Health System, Health Coalition speaker bios, July 2024
Mark Takano. Voted Nay on both House objections to certified presidential electors from Arizona and Pennsylvania in January 2021. Not on the Texas v. Pennsylvania amicus list; 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.
Steve Manos. Lake Elsinore City Council member since 2012 and mayor in 2015, 2019, 2024 and 2026; business owner since 1996 and past president of the Inland Valleys Association of Realtors.
Source: Campaign site, home page
Mark Takano. In the U.S. House since January 2013, seeking an eighth term.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Steve Manos. Publishes positions in general terms on freeway repair, veterans, housing costs and regulation.
Source: Campaign site, home page
Mark Takano. Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs; also serves on three Education and Workforce subcommittees.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Steve Manos. Publishes issue statements on his campaign site and took part in a May 2026 candidate forum. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Mark Takano. Offers an e-newsletter, holds town halls and publishes issue pages. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, The Riverside Record, April 23, 2025, Ballotpedia, Mark Takano
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Steve Manos. Serves on the Lake Elsinore City Council for District 2, a seat that requires residence in the city; Lake Elsinore lies wholly in the new 40th District, not the 39th. He grew up in Lake Elsinore.
Sources: City of Lake Elsinore, City Council, City of Lake Elsinore, Election Information, Senate Office of Demographics, Congressional District 40 (2025), places in district
Mark Takano. Born in Riverside, where his district office is. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 71 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Mark Takano, Office site, Contact, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Steve Manos. Has owned a business since 1996 and was president of the Inland Valleys Association of Realtors. No FEC financial reports on file and no FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: Campaign site, home page, FEC administrative fines search
Mark Takano. 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.
Steve Manos. No public record found.
Mark Takano. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 1.134 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.543, exceeds expectations. Primary sponsor of 13 enacted bills, including the Honoring our PACT Act of 2022.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, enacted legislation, GovTrack, H.R. 3967 (117th Congress)
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Steve Manos. No public record found.
Mark Takano. Missed 76 of 7,608 roll call votes, 1.0 percent, from January 2013 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Steve Manos. No public record found.
Mark Takano. Runs a Riverside district office that handles casework, and his office received a 2020 Democracy Award from the Congressional Management Foundation for innovation and modernization in serving constituents.
Sources: Office site, home page, Office site, Contact, Pacific Citizen, Oct. 9, 2020
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Steve Manos. No public record found.
Mark Takano. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -1.16530 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 364 of 436, in the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Steve Manos. No public record found.
Mark Takano. 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 39th Congressional District?
Mark Takano has the strongest record in California's 39th Congressional District. Mark Takano scores 73 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Steve Manos at 50, as of October 9, 2026. Mark Takano's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Steve Manos'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 39th Congressional District in 2026?
Steve Manos (Republican), Mark Takano (Democratic, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Steve Manos a good candidate for Congress?
Steve Manos 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 Mark Takano a good candidate for Congress?
Mark Takano scores 73 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 60 of 100, qualifications 85 of 100, performance 75 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.