U.S. House, California 42nd Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in California's 42nd Congressional District?
Robert Garcia has the strongest record in California's 42nd Congressional District. Robert Garcia scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Robert Garcia's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Brian Burley (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.
Republican
Brian Burley
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 7 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 56
- Performance
- NR
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Robert Garcia
64 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 60
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 50
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.
Brian Burley
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Robert Garcia
- Unresolved2025-02
Interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin sent him a letter in February 2025 asking him to clarify a CNN remark about Elon Musk, and Rep. Nancy Mace introduced a censure resolution over the same remark.
Where it stands: No charge, Justice Department action beyond the letter, or House vote on the censure resolution found as of 2026-10-09. Update 2026-10-09: ProPublica reports the Martin inquiry fizzled out with no charges; H. Res. 132 was referred to the Ethics Committee and remains at the introduced stage with no floor vote.
Sources: FOX 11 Los Angeles, Feb. 2025, Spectrum News 1, Feb. 27, 2025, ProPublica, GovTrack, H. Res. 132 (119th Congress)
- On the record2026-01-22
Voted Nay on passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, when House Democratic leaders Jeffries, Clark and Aguilar voted Yea.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 45, 2026
- On the record2025-03
Held open in-person town halls in Long Beach in August 2023 and in Long Beach and Orange in March 2025, taking questions from residents.
Sources: Signal Tribune, Aug. 27, 2023, Spectrum News 1, March 30, 2025
- Credit2025
Rated as exceeding expectations by the Center for Effective Lawmaking for the 118th Congress, with a Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.863 against a benchmark of 0.522.
- Credit2024-12-23
His Eliminate Useless Reports Act of 2024, with two Republican cosponsors, was signed into law Dec. 23, 2024.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Brian Burley. Filed a House candidate financial disclosure on Sept. 16, 2026, and campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10082881, FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Robert Garcia. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 is on file with the House Clerk, filed Aug. 11, 2026 after an extension. No periodic transaction reports, House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10076607, House Committee on Ethics site search for Robert Garcia, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Brian Burley. No public record found.
Robert Garcia. Voted against his party's three top House leaders on 10 roll calls in 2025 and 2026, including Nay on the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 and on a 2026 Iran resolution they supported.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 45, 2026, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, House Clerk Roll Call 84, 2026, H. Res. 1099
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Brian Burley. No public record found.
Robert Garcia. Held open in-person town halls in Long Beach in August 2023 and in Long Beach and Orange in March 2025, per the Signal Tribune and Spectrum News. No record found of 2026 general election debates.
Sources: Signal Tribune, Aug. 27, 2023, Spectrum News 1, March 30, 2025
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Brian Burley. Elected a Huntington Beach City School District trustee in 2024 and has owned an information technology consulting company. No conduct finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Brian Burley
Robert Garcia. Has held elected office since 2009: Long Beach City Council, mayor from 2014 to 2022 and Congress since 2023. No censure or House Ethics Committee matter found; a 2025 censure resolution against him saw no House action found.
Sources: Office site, About, House Committee on Ethics site search for Robert Garcia
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Brian Burley. Has held sworn school board office since 2024. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Brian Burley
Robert Garcia. Has held sworn city and federal office since 2009. Took his House seat in January 2023, after the 2021 electoral count; no misuse-of-office finding found.
Source: Office site, About
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Brian Burley. Elected trustee of the Huntington Beach City School District in 2024; owns an information technology consulting company.
Source: Ballotpedia, Brian Burley
Robert Garcia. In the U.S. House since January 2023 and seeking a third term; mayor of Long Beach from 2014 to 2022 and a council member from 2009 to 2014.
Sources: GovTrack, missed votes, Office site, About
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Brian Burley. Publishes positions in general terms on tax relief, immigration, law enforcement and the military.
Source: Campaign site, home page
Robert Garcia. Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform since June 2025; also serves on two Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittees.
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Brian Burley. Publishes a statement of priorities on his campaign site and completed Ballotpedia's survey in an earlier race. Has not completed the 2026 survey.
Sources: Campaign site, home page, Ballotpedia, Brian Burley
Robert Garcia. Offers an e-newsletter, publishes issue pages and holds town halls. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, Offices, Office site, home page, Ballotpedia, Robert Garcia, Signal Tribune, Aug. 27, 2023
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Brian Burley. No public record found.
Robert Garcia. Served Long Beach as a council member and mayor from 2009 to 2022 and earned degrees at Cal State Long Beach; his district office is in Long Beach. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 62 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.
Sources: Office site, About, Office site, Offices, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Brian Burley. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, including $186,000 in loans from the candidate. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Robert Garcia. 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.
Brian Burley. No public record found.
Robert Garcia. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.863 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.522, exceeds expectations. Primary sponsor of two enacted bills, the Eliminate Useless Reports Act of 2024 and the GAO Inspector General Parity Act.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, enacted legislation
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Brian Burley. No public record found.
Robert Garcia. Missed 98 of 1,917 roll call votes, 5.1 percent, from January 2023 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Brian Burley. No public record found.
Robert Garcia. Lists a Long Beach district office and offers help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Sources: Office site, Offices, Office site, home page
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Brian Burley. No public record found.
Robert Garcia. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -1.02761 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 341 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.
Brian Burley. No public record found.
Robert Garcia. 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 42nd Congressional District?
Robert Garcia has the strongest record in California's 42nd Congressional District. Robert Garcia scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Robert Garcia's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Brian Burley (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 42nd Congressional District in 2026?
Brian Burley (Republican), Robert Garcia (Democratic, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Brian Burley a good candidate for Congress?
Brian Burley 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.
Is Robert Garcia a good candidate for Congress?
Robert Garcia scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 60 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 50 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.