Two incumbents easily won re-election Tuesday night at the federal and state levels, Rep. Salud Carbajal and California State Assemblymember Gregg Hart.
Carbajal, a Democrat who has represented California’s 24th congressional district since 2017, won with 65.8% of the vote, his Republican opponent Bob Smith following with 34.2%. Carbajal’s district encompasses Santa Barbara County and parts of San Luis Obispo and Ventura Counties.
State Assemblymember Hart won with a similar majority, the democrat winning 66.3% of the vote. Sari Domingues, a Republican, claimed 33.7%. Hart will represent California’s 37th district, as he has since assuming office in 2022.
Hart celebrated his win as one among a wave of victory for the Democratic party Tuesdaynight. He spent the night at Validation Ale with hundreds of other Santa Barbara Dems. Hart told the News-Press that after celebrating in Santa Barbara, he planned to board a 6 a.m. flight to Sacramento.
“I’m looking forward to continuing the work I’ve been doing and hit the ground running,” Hart told the News-Press. “California is especially stressed, foremost in voters’ mind is affordability.”
Hart said that the Central Coast is a “microcosm” of the whole state, and even the country. The district includes rural, coastal and urban land, and industries varying from tech to agriculture, according to Hart.
“We really encompass all the complexities of California,” Hart said.
Rep. Carbajal will start his next term in a House that experienced a historic flip to a new Democratic majority. This will be his 6th term representing Santa Barbara and its surrounding counties in D.C.
“Im excited to go back to a Congress whose leadership has changed,” Carbajal told the News-Press. “The Central Coast spoke loud and clear, now that we’ve taken over as Democrats, we need to make sure we focus on legislating and governing.”
Carbajal said the Trump administration has remained oblivious to Americans desperately struggling with the cost of living. He watched the federal government take housing and food assistance from California’s most vulnerable.
The representative was also active in Santa Barbara’s local elections. He endorsed Eric Friedman for mayor, a game-changing move that contributed to Friedman’s pathway to what appears to be victory Tuesday night. The race for mayor has still not been called, but Carbajal said he’s “cautiously hopeful” that Friedman will be the next mayor of Santa Barbara.
“I see him as a bridge builder,” Carbajal said. “He’s someone who will lead our city, work with different points of view to try to find common ground.”
Rep. Carbajal and Assemblymember Hart stopped by multiple election watch parties last night, boasting the Democratic party’s sweeping success and hyping up crowds.
