California's 27th Congressional District election, 2024

	2026 → ← 2022
California's 27th Congressional District
	Top-two primary; General election
Election details
	Filing deadline: December 8, 2023
	Primary: March 5, 2024; General: November 5, 2024
How to vote
	Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Voting in California
Race ratings
	Cook Political Report: Toss-up; DDHQ and The Hill: Toss-up; Inside Elections: Toss-up; Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
	U.S. Senate battlegrounds; U.S. House battlegrounds; Federal and state primary competitiveness; Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
See also
	California's 27th Congressional District; U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th • 15th • 16th • 17th • 18th • 19th • 20th • 21st • 22nd • 23rd • 24th • 25th • 26th • 27th • 28th • 29th • 30th • 31st • 32nd • 33rd • 34th • 35th • 36th • 37th • 38th • 39th • 40th • 41st • 42nd • 43rd • 44th • 45th • 46th • 47th • 48th • 49th • 50th • 51st • 52nd ; California elections, 2024; U.S. Congress elections, 2024; U.S. Senate elections, 2024; U.S. House elections, 2024; Alabama U.S. House racesAlaska U.S. House racesArizona U.S. House racesArkansas U.S. House racesCalifornia U.S. House racesColorado U.S. House racesConnecticut U.S. House racesDelaware U.S. House racesFlorida U.S. House racesGeorgia U.S. House racesHawaii U.S. House racesIdaho U.S. House racesIllinois U.S. House racesIndiana U.S. House racesIowa U.S. House racesKansas U.S. House racesKentucky U.S. House racesLouisiana U.S. House racesMaine U.S. House racesMaryland U.S. House racesMassachusetts U.S. House racesMichigan U.S. House racesMinnesota U.S. House racesMississippi U.S. House racesMissouri U.S. House racesMontana U.S. House racesNebraska U.S. House racesNevada U.S. House racesNew Hampshire U.S. House racesNew Jersey U.S. House racesNew Mexico U.S. House racesNew York U.S. House racesNorth Carolina U.S. House racesNorth Dakota U.S. House racesOhio U.S. House racesOklahoma U.S. House racesOregon U.S. House racesPennsylvania U.S. House racesRhode Island U.S. House racesSouth Carolina U.S. House racesSouth Dakota U.S. House racesTennessee U.S. House racesTexas U.S. House racesUtah U.S. House racesVermont U.S. House racesVirginia U.S. House racesWashington U.S. House racesWest Virginia U.S. House racesWisconsin U.S. House racesWyoming U.S. House racesSubmit

California 2024 elections

U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Congressional special elections • State Senate • State Assembly • State ballot measures • Local ballot measures • School boards • Municipal • Recalls • All other local • How to run for office

George Whitesides (D) defeated incumbent Mike Garcia (R) in the general election in California's 27th Congressional District on November 5, 2024. Garcia was one of 15 incumbents who lost their re-election campaigns to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2024. Additionally, this was one of 19 seats that changed partisan control due to the 2024 U.S. House of Representatives elections.

The 27th district was, as of the 2024 election, one of 19 nationwide—including five in California—in which a Republican represented a district Joe Biden (D) won in 2020. Biden won the 27th over Donald Trump 54.0% to 43.9% in 2020. In the 2022 election, Garcia won re-election 53.2%–46.8% over Christy Smith (D). In that year's gubernatorial election, Brian Dahle (R) won the district 50.9% to 49.1% over Gavin Newsom (D).^[1] The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee listed the district as a target for 2024. Before the election, three major race rating outlets rated the general election Toss-up and one rated it Lean Democratic.

Garcia was first elected in a special election in 2020. A U.S. Navy veteran, Garcia worked at Raytheon and as a real estate developer before entering politics. Garcia ran on his record, saying he stood for "common-sense policies that preserve your freedoms, protect your communities, and restore America’s standing on the international stage."^[2]

Whitesides was, as of the election, a businessman who served as NASA chief of staff under President Barack Obama (D) and as chief executive officer of Virgin Galactic. Whitesides said Garcia was too conservative for the district: "He’s on the wrong side...he’s been voting to co-sponsor the national abortion ban. He voted to cut law enforcement budgets and the VA budgets by 30%. He voted to decertify a free and fair presidential election."^[3]

Based on post-general election reports filed with the Federal Election Commission, Garcia raised $6.54 million and spent $6.58 million and Whitesides raised $10.2 million and spent $10.0 million. To review all the campaign finance figures in full detail, click here.

The outcome of this race affected the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 119th Congress. All 435 House districts were up for election.

At the time of the election, Republicans held a 220-212 majority with three vacancies.^[4] As a result of the election, Republicans retained control of the U.S. House, winning 220 seats to Democrats' 215.^[5] To read more about the 2024 U.S. House elections, click here.

In the 2022 election in this district, the Republican candidate won 53.2%-46.8%. Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have defeated Donald Trump (R) 55.1%-42.7%.^[6]

California's 27th Congressional District was one of 34 congressional districts with a Republican incumbent or an open seat that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) targeted in 2024. To read about DCCC targeting initiatives, click here. For a complete list of DCCC targeted districts, click here.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

California's 27th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 top-two primary)

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. House California District 27

George Whitesides defeated incumbent Mike Garcia in the general election for U.S. House California District 27 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	George Whitesides (D)	51.3	154,040
	Mike Garcia (R)	48.7	146,050

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 300,090
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 27

Incumbent Mike Garcia and George Whitesides defeated Steve Hill in the primary for U.S. House California District 27 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mike Garcia (R)	54.9	74,245
✔		George Whitesides (D)	32.8	44,391
	Submit photo	Steve Hill (D)	12.2	16,525

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 135,161
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Francisco Carrillo Jr. (D)

Voting information

See also: Voting in California

Election information in California: Nov. 5, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

In-person: Nov. 5, 2024
By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 21, 2024
Online: Oct. 21, 2024

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

Yes

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

In-person: N/A
By mail: N/A by N/A
Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

In-person: Nov. 5, 2024
By mail: Postmarked by Nov. 5, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Varies to Nov. 4, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (PST)

Candidate comparison

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Mike Garcia

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office:

U.S. House (Assumed office: 2020)

Biography: Garcia obtained a bachelor's degree from the United States Naval Academy and a master's degree from Georgetown University. Garcia served ten years in the U.S. Navy and three in the U.S. Navy Reserve. Before entering elected politics, Garcia worked at Raytheon and as a real estate developer.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Garcia said he was running because "Our District and Our Country are at an Inflection Point... I wouldn’t be able to look my 2 young boys in the face and tell them I had the opportunity to make things right, but I chose not to. The sacrifices to my family and me are significant but there is nothing more important than this today."

Garcia described his policy platform as "lower taxes, job growth and term limits for career politicians" and said he would "use his military and business experience to make sure the taxpayer dollars of hardworking Americans are spent effectively and responsibly."

Garcia said he had focused on serving his constituents and supporting policies that were important to California voters including opposing a bill that would reclassify gig work, supporting funding for improvements to wildfire detection efforts, and opposing the cap on SALT deductions.

Show sources

Sources: Mike Garcia 2024 campaign website, "Home page," accessed July 3, 2024; Mike Garcia 2024 campaign website, "Meet Mike Garcia," accessed July 3, 2024; Mike Garcia 2024 campaign website, "Meet Mike Garcia," accessed July 3, 2024; Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "GARCIA, Mike," accessed July 3, 2024

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House California District 27 in 2024.

George Whitesides

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography: Whitesides obtained a bachelor's degree in public and international affairs from Princeton University and a master's degree in remote sensing and GIS from the University of Cambridge. Whitesides worked on Barack Obama's (D) presidential transition team and served in the Obama Administration as NASA chief of staff. Whitesides later served as chief executive officer of Virgin Galactic and co-chairman of the Antelope Valley COVID-19 Task Force. Whitesides is the co-founder of Megafire Action, an organization aiming to prevent large wildfires.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Whitesides said he was running because it was "time we have bold, new leadership in CA-27." Whitesides said Garcia was out of touch with the district: "he’s been voting to co-sponsor the national abortion ban. He voted to cut law enforcement budgets and the VA budgets by 30%. He voted to decertify a free and fair presidential election. He supports policies that make our country less safe and our communities less safe."

Whitesides said his policy priorities included attracting jobs to the district, working to reduce the number of wildfires in California, opposing restrictions on abortion, and opposing cuts to Medicare and Social Security.

Whitesides said that "as a local leader, former NASA Chief of Staff and aerospace entrepreneur," he was "committed to moving Southern California forward." Whitesides said his experience solving problems at NASA and Virgin Galactic and in the Antelope Valley had prepared him to serve in Congress.

Show sources

Sources: George Whitesides 2024 campaign website, "Home page," accessed July 3, 2024; The Santa Clarita Valley Signal, "Garcia leading Whitesides in early returns," March 5, 2024; George Whitesides 2024 campaign website, "Home page," accessed July 3, 2024; LinkedIn, "George Whitesides," accessed July 3, 2024

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House California District 27 in 2024.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign advertisements

This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.

Mike Garcia

Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for Mike Garcia while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us.

George Whitesides

Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for George Whitesides while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us.

Election competitiveness

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.^[7]
Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.^[8]^[9]^[10]

Race ratings: California's 27th Congressional District election, 2024
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 5, 2024	October 29, 2024	October 22, 2024	October 15, 2024
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up
Decision Desk HQ and The Hill	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Lean Democratic	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

Click the links below to see official endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites for any candidates that make that information available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.

George Whitesides

Election spending

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Mike Garcia	Republican Party	$6,539,108	$6,605,923	$49,856	As of December 31, 2024
Steve Hill	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
George Whitesides	Democratic Party	$10,614,138	$10,287,404	$326,733	As of December 31, 2024
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2024. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). * According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election. * Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

Satellite spending

See also: Satellite spending

Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.^[11]^[12]^[13]

If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.

By candidate	By election
Mike Garcia George Whitesides	OpenSecrets Federal Election Commission

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2024 U.S. House elections in the state.
Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.

District map

Competitiveness
Presidential elections

State party control

Below was the map in use at the time of the election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2024

This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in California.

California U.S. House primary competitiveness, 2014-2024
Office	Districts/ offices	Seats	Open seats	Candidates	Possible primaries	Contested top-two primaries	% of contested primaries	Incumbents in contested primaries	% of incumbents in contested primaries
2024	52	52	7	241	52	42	80.8%	36	80.0%
2022	52	52	5	272	52	52	100.0%	47	100.0%
2020	53	53	4	262	53	47	88.7%	32	64.0%
2018	53	53	2	244	53	41	77.4%	39	76.5%
2016	53	53	4	202	53	40	75.5%	36	73.5%
2014	53	53	6	209	53	38	71.7%	32	68.1%

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in California in 2024. Information below was calculated on 1/16/2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Two-hundred forty-one candidates filed to run for California's 52 U.S. House districts in 2024, including 125 Democrats, 88 Republicans, and 28 independent or minor party candidates. That’s 4.63 candidates per district. In 2022, the first election after the number of congressional districts in California decreased from 53 to 52 following the 2020 census, 5.2 candidates filed per district. In 2020, when the state still had 53 Congressional districts, 4.94 candidates filed per district. In 2018, 4.6 candidates filed.

The 241 candidates who ran in California in 2024 were the fewest total number of candidates since 2016, when 202 candidates ran. Forty-five incumbents—34 Democrats and 11 Republicans—ran for re-election. That was fewer than in 2022, when 47 incumbents ran. Six districts were open, one more than in 2022, and the most since 2014, when six districts were also open.