U.S. House, Washington 7th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Washington's 7th Congressional District?
Pramila Jayapal has the strongest record in Washington's 7th Congressional District. Pramila Jayapal scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Pramila Jayapal's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Nirav Sheth (6 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
Pramila Jayapal
63 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 85
- Performance
- 50
Republican
Nirav Sheth
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- 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.
Pramila Jayapal
- Mark against2026-03-15
Filed a periodic transaction report on March 15, 2026 for an Oct. 31, 2023 Newell Brands stock sale, past the STOCK Act's 45-day deadline; she said she missed the filing.
Sources: House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20034160, NOTUS
- On the record2023-07-16
Called Israel a 'racist state' at a July 2023 conference, then issued a statement walking back the remark and apologizing.
Source: NPR, July 17, 2023
- On the record2023-05-31
Voted No on the Fiscal Responsibility Act debt limit deal, which Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries supported.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 243, 2023
- On the record2018-07-26
Was arrested June 28, 2018 during a protest in a Senate office building and forfeited a $50 collateral payment; the House Ethics Committee took no further action.
- On the record2017-01-06
Rose during the Jan. 6, 2017 electoral count to object to Georgia's electoral votes; the presiding officer did not entertain it because no senator had signed.
Sources: Congressional Record, Jan. 6, 2017, Roll Call, Jan. 6, 2017
- Credit2025-06-17
Held an in-person town hall at Seattle Central College on June 17, 2025.
- Credit2021-03-11
Sponsored H.R. 1139, the Feeding Homeless Youth During COVID-19 Act; its provisions were enacted in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
Nirav Sheth
- On the record2026
His campaign site says he resides in Pierce County, outside the 7th District he seeks to represent; members of Congress are not required to live in their district.
Source: Campaign site, Meet Nirav
- On the record2017
Served as a police officer in Lakewood from May to October 2017, after four years in the Marine Corps, according to his campaign.
Sources: Campaign site, Meet Nirav, Ballotpedia, Nirav Sheth
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Pramila Jayapal. Filed a periodic transaction report on March 15, 2026 for an Oct. 31, 2023 stock sale, past the STOCK Act's 45-day deadline; she told NOTUS she missed the filing. Annual 2025 disclosure filed May 14, 2026. No FEC fine found.
Sources: House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20034160, NOTUS, House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10076844, FEC administrative fines search
Nirav Sheth. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through July 22, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Pramila Jayapal. Voted against her party's leaders on significant measures: No on the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act and Nay on the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 and the GENIUS Act, when Democratic Leader Jeffries voted for each.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 243, 2023, Fiscal Responsibility Act, House Clerk Roll Call 45, 2026, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, House Clerk Roll Call 200, 2025, GENIUS Act
Nirav Sheth. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Pramila Jayapal. Holds open in-person town halls, including a June 17, 2025 town hall at Seattle Central College. No 2026 general election debate record found.
Sources: Shoreline Area News, June 14, 2025, Office site, home page
Nirav Sheth. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Pramila Jayapal. Has served in the Washington State Senate and in the U.S. House since 2017. No censure, reprimand or conduct finding; the Ethics Committee took no action on her 2018 protest arrest.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Pramila Jayapal, House Ethics Committee report 115-876, July 26, 2018
Nirav Sheth. 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.
Pramila Jayapal. On Jan. 6, 2017 she rose to object to Georgia's certified electoral votes; the objection was not entertained because no senator signed it. She voted Nay on both January 2021 objections.
Sources: Congressional Record, Jan. 6, 2017, Roll Call, Jan. 6, 2017, House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
Nirav Sheth. Served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2011 to 2014 and as a Lakewood police officer from May to October 2017. No finding of misconduct found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Nirav Sheth, Campaign site, Meet Nirav
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Pramila Jayapal. In the U.S. House since 2017, now in her fifth term, after serving in the Washington State Senate.
Nirav Sheth. Marine Corps service, a brief term as a Lakewood police officer, and ownership of small businesses in Washington. Has not held public office.
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Pramila Jayapal. Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, and serves on the Budget and Foreign Affairs committees; office site publishes issue positions.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Nirav Sheth. Publishes positions on public safety, education, infrastructure and immigration in general terms.
Source: Campaign site, home page
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Pramila Jayapal. Offers an email newsletter, holds town halls and publishes issue pages; completed a Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey in a past cycle but not in 2026.
Sources: Office site, home page, Ballotpedia, Pramila Jayapal
Nirav Sheth. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026 and publishes campaign issue pages.
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Pramila Jayapal. Founded the Washington immigrant group OneAmerica after Sept. 11, 2001 and represented the 37th District in the state Senate. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 68 percent of itemized individual contributions from Washington.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Pramila Jayapal, FEC contribution totals by state
Nirav Sheth. No public record found.
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Pramila Jayapal. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through July 15, 2026, with no debts owed. No FEC administrative fine record found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Nirav Sheth. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through July 22, 2026, with no debts owed. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Pramila Jayapal. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.242 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.535, below expectations. Raised to 2 under E14: her Feeding Homeless Youth During COVID-19 Act was enacted through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 1139 (117th Congress)
Nirav Sheth. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Pramila Jayapal. Missed 133 of 5,079 roll call votes, 2.6 percent, from January 2017 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Nirav Sheth. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Pramila Jayapal. Runs a Seattle district office with weekday hours and publishes casework results: $36 million brought back through casework and more than 10,000 constituents helped.
Sources: Office site, Contact My Offices, Office site, home page
Nirav Sheth. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Pramila Jayapal. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -1.31626 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 390 of 436, in the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Nirav Sheth. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Pramila Jayapal. No public record found.
Nirav Sheth. 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 6, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Washington's 7th Congressional District?
Pramila Jayapal has the strongest record in Washington's 7th Congressional District. Pramila Jayapal scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Pramila Jayapal's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Nirav Sheth (6 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 Washington's 7th Congressional District in 2026?
Pramila Jayapal (Democratic, incumbent), Nirav Sheth (Republican). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Pramila Jayapal a good candidate for Congress?
Pramila Jayapal scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 85 of 100, performance 50 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Nirav Sheth a good candidate for Congress?
Nirav Sheth has public evidence on 6 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 Washington race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the Washington 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.