U.S. House, California 46th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated October 9, 2026

Who should I vote for in California's 46th Congressional District?

Lou Correa has the strongest record in California's 46th Congressional District. Lou Correa scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Lou Correa's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. David Pan (5 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

Lou Correa

67 / 100

Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria

Character: 56
Qualifications: 80
Performance: 63

Campaign site Official office FEC filings

Republican

David Pan

Not enough public record for a score

Public evidence on 5 of 15 criteria

Character: 50
Qualifications: 56
Performance: NR

Campaign site FEC filings

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.

Lou Correa

On the record2025-05-01
Voted Yea, against Minority Leader Jeffries, on H.J.Res. 88 disapproving the EPA rule on California's vehicle emissions waiver; 35 Democrats voted Yea.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 114, May 1, 2025 (H.J.Res. 88)
On the record2017-05-30
His open immigration town hall in Santa Ana on May 30, 2017 was disrupted by protesters, who were escorted out by police, AP reported.
Source: NBC Los Angeles (Associated Press), May 31, 2017
Credit2026
GovTrack lists eight bills he sponsored that were enacted since 2017, most recently post office namings.
Source: GovTrack, Luis Correa
Credit2023-07-12
Co-led a 2023 bill on cross-border human trafficking with Republican Rep. Clay Higgins, chair of the border security subcommittee where Correa is ranking member; Roll Call called it a rare bipartisan effort.
Source: Roll Call, July 12, 2023

David Pan

Credit2020-08
Served on the State Department Commission on Unalienable Rights, appointed in July 2019, and signed its August 2020 report.
Sources: Report of the Commission on Unalienable Rights, U.S. Department of State, 2020, Wikipedia, Commission on Unalienable Rights (member list)

Who they are

Character

Integrity

Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.

2 / 4

Lou Correa. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 filed May 15, 2026; no periodic transaction reports in the 2019 to 2026 Clerk indexes. No House Ethics matter or FEC administrative fine found.

Sources: House Clerk annual disclosure, Filing ID 10077252, House Ethics Committee site search, FEC administrative fines search

2 / 4

David Pan. Candidate financial disclosure filed May 25, 2026, and campaign reports on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.

Sources: House Clerk candidate disclosure, Filing ID 10079847, FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search

Courage

Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.

3 / 4

Lou Correa. Voted against Minority Leader Jeffries on many 2025 and 2026 bills, including Yea on the CLARITY Act and Yea on H.J.Res. 88 disapproving the EPA rule on California's vehicle emissions waiver.

Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 199, July 17, 2025 (CLARITY Act), House Clerk Roll Call 114, May 1, 2025 (H.J.Res. 88)

David Pan. No public record found.

Accountability

Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.

Lou Correa. No public record found.

David Pan. No public record found.

Temperament and judgment

Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.

2 / 4

Lou Correa. Has held state, county and federal office since 1998 with no formal censure, reprimand or conduct finding found.

Source: Correa House office, Biography

David Pan. No public record found.

Fidelity to the oath

Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.

2 / 4

Lou Correa. Took the House oath in 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. 7, 2021

David Pan. No public record found.

What they bring

Qualifications

Relevant experience

Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.

4 / 4

Lou Correa. In his fifth U.S. House term since 2017, after the California Assembly, the Orange County Board of Supervisors and the State Senate.

Sources: GovTrack, Luis Correa, Correa House office, Biography

2 / 4

David Pan. Professor of German at UC Irvine since 2006 and a former McKinsey management consultant. Has not held elected office.

Source: Ballotpedia, David Pan

Command of the job

Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.

4 / 4

Lou Correa. Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Committee's Border Security and Enforcement subcommittee; also serves on Judiciary.

Sources: GovTrack, Luis Correa, Roll Call, July 12, 2023

3 / 4

David Pan. Publishes a detailed plan to replace federal welfare and entitlement programs with a $16,000 universal basic income, with stated costs and savings, plus health care and Social Security proposals.

Sources: Campaign site, Issues, Daily Titan, Oct. 28, 2024

Communication

Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.

2 / 4

Lou Correa. Publishes an email newsletter and issue pages; has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey. No 2026 debate found.

Sources: Correa House office, Contact, Ballotpedia, Lou Correa

2 / 4

David Pan. Publishes plain-language issue pages and a campaign newsletter; did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 survey and has not completed the 2026 one.

Sources: Campaign site, Issues, Ballotpedia, David Pan

Roots in the constituency

Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.

4 / 4

Lou Correa. Lives in Santa Ana, in the district, and has represented central Orange County since 1998. FEC by-state totals show about 68 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.

Sources: Correa House office, Biography, Daily Titan, Oct. 28, 2024, FEC contribution totals by state

David Pan. No public record found.

Management

Can build and run an organization.

2 / 4

Lou Correa. 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

2 / 4

David Pan. 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

What they deliver

Performance

Results

Turns ideas into outcomes.

3 / 4

Lou Correa. Center for Effective Lawmaking rates his LES 2.0 of 0.62 in the 118th Congress as meeting expectations, with one bill he sponsored enacted (a post office naming); GovTrack lists 8 enacted bills he sponsored since 2017.

Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking, House data file 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, Luis Correa

David Pan. No public record found.

Showing up

Does the basic work of the job.

3 / 4

Lou Correa. Missed 104 of 5,079 roll call votes, 2.0 percent, from January 2017 to September 2026.

Source: GovTrack, Luis Correa

David Pan. No public record found.

Constituent service

Solves problems for the people they represent.

2 / 4

Lou Correa. Runs a district office in Santa Ana and offers help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.

Sources: Correa House office, home page, Correa House office, Contact

David Pan. No public record found.

Coalition building

Wins support beyond their own faction.

2 / 4

Lou Correa. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.34721 for the 118th Congress (2023), ranked 198 of 436 (negative score). Co-led a 2023 border trafficking bill with Republican subcommittee chair Clay Higgins.

Sources: Lugar Center Bipartisan Index, House, 118th Congress, Roll Call, July 12, 2023

David Pan. No public record found.

Stewardship of public money

Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.

Lou Correa. No public record found.

David Pan. 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 46th Congressional District?

Who is running in California's 46th Congressional District in 2026?

Lou Correa (Democratic, incumbent), David Pan (Republican). The general election is November 3, 2026.

Is Lou Correa a good candidate for Congress?

Lou Correa scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 56 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 63 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.

Is David Pan a good candidate for Congress?

David Pan has public evidence on 5 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.