U.S. House, California 49th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in California's 49th Congressional District?
Mike Levin has the strongest record in California's 49th Congressional District. Mike Levin scores 75 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Armen Kurdian at 50, as of October 9, 2026. Mike Levin's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican
Armen Kurdian
50 / 100
Public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Mike Levin
75 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 60
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 88
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.
Armen Kurdian
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Mike Levin
- On the record2025-01-07
Voted Yea on passage of the Laken Riley Act on Jan. 7, 2025, when Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and most House Democrats voted Nay.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 6, 2025
- Credit2024-03-06
Received the Veterans of Foreign Wars 2024 Congressional Award for his legislative work for veterans, service members, their families and survivors.
Sources: VFW release, March 6, 2024, Times of San Diego, March 8, 2024
- Credit2022
Primary sponsor of H.R. 7939, the Veterans Auto and Education Improvement Act of 2022, enacted into law.
- Credit2021-01-05
Primary sponsor of H.R. 7105, the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020, enacted into law.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Armen Kurdian. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and a House candidate financial disclosure was filed Sept. 22, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10082912, FEC administrative fines search
Mike Levin. His 2025 annual financial disclosure was filed with the House Clerk on April 16, 2026. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine naming him or his committee found; no periodic transaction reports are indexed for him.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10075542, House Committee on Ethics site search, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Armen Kurdian. No public record found.
Mike Levin. Voted Yea on the Laken Riley Act (January 2025) and the HALT Fentanyl Act (February 2025) when the Democratic leader and whip voted Nay, and Nay on an April 2026 FISA extension that his leadership supported.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 6, 2025, Laken Riley Act, House Clerk Roll Call 33, 2025, HALT Fentanyl Act, House Clerk Roll Call 155, 2026, FISA extension
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Armen Kurdian. No public record found.
Mike Levin. His office reports an in-person town hall at San Juan Hills High School in March 2025, his 121st town hall since 2019, in several formats. No 2026 general election debate record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Armen Kurdian. Served in the U.S. Navy from 1993 to 2018. No formal conduct finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Armen Kurdian
Mike Levin. In the U.S. House since January 2019 after a career as an environmental attorney. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee finding found.
Sources: Office site, About, House Committee on Ethics site search
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Armen Kurdian. Served 25 years in the U.S. Navy (1993 to 2018). No official finding of misuse of office found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Armen Kurdian
Mike Levin. Took the House oath in 2019 and voted Nay on both January 6, 2021 objections to certified electors (Arizona and Pennsylvania). No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, 2021
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Armen Kurdian. Retired Navy captain after 25 years of service, with graduate degrees from the Naval Postgraduate School and Cornell, and later an engineering manager. Has not held elected office.
Source: Ballotpedia, Armen Kurdian
Mike Levin. In his fourth term in the U.S. House, representing the 49th District since January 2019.
Sources: Office site, About, GovTrack, Mike Levin
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Armen Kurdian. His Ballotpedia survey states positions on education, public safety, manufacturing and the labor market, mostly in general terms.
Source: Ballotpedia, Armen Kurdian, Candidate Connection survey
Mike Levin. Sits on the House Appropriations Committee and its Energy and Water and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs subcommittees. Holds no chair or ranking post.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Armen Kurdian. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026.
Source: Ballotpedia, Armen Kurdian
Mike Levin. Offers an e-newsletter, holds town halls in several formats and publishes issue pages. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, Office press release, March 16, 2025, Office site, About, Ballotpedia, Mike Levin
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Armen Kurdian. His FEC candidate record lists a Vista address. FEC by-state totals show about 93 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.
Source: FEC contribution totals by state
Mike Levin. Raised in South Orange County, part of the district, and files from Capistrano Beach. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 81 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.
Sources: Office site, About, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Armen Kurdian. 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
Mike Levin. 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.
Armen Kurdian. No public record found.
Mike Levin. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 1.112 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.530, exceeding expectations (also exceeded in the 117th). Primary sponsor of 9 enacted bills.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, enacted legislation
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Armen Kurdian. No public record found.
Mike Levin. Missed 5 of 3,869 roll call votes, 0.1 percent, from January 2019 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Armen Kurdian. No public record found.
Mike Levin. Lists district offices in Carlsbad and Dana Point, open by appointment, 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.
Armen Kurdian. No public record found.
Mike Levin. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of 0.16735 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 95 of 436, in the top quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Armen Kurdian. No public record found.
Mike Levin. 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 49th Congressional District?
Mike Levin has the strongest record in California's 49th Congressional District. Mike Levin scores 75 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Armen Kurdian at 50, as of October 9, 2026. Mike Levin's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in California's 49th Congressional District in 2026?
Armen Kurdian (Republican), Mike Levin (Democratic, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Armen Kurdian a good candidate for Congress?
Armen Kurdian 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 Mike Levin a good candidate for Congress?
Mike Levin scores 75 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 60 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 88 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.