Your guide to California's 1st Congressional District primary race

Mathew Miranda, The Sacramento Bee on Apr 9, 2026

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The three leading contenders for Northern California’s 1st Congressional District are hoping to win the seat twice in a matter of months.

Following the January death of U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa, who had held the seat since 2013, some voters in the district could see as many as four elections in the district between June and November. Two of those elections will occur in June — a special election to fill the remainder of LaMalfa’s term and the regularly scheduled primary for the November general election.

If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in the special election, a runoff will be held Aug. 4. The winner of that race, expected to be a Republican, would serve only the remainder of the current term, which expires Jan. 3.

The November general election, featuring the top finishers from the June 2 primary, will determine who holds the seat for the next full two-year term. That race is expected to favor a Democrat following the passage of Proposition 50.

The leading candidates in both contests are expected to be Democratic agricultural consultant Audrey Denney, Assemblymember James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, and state Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg.

Where is the 1st District?

The 1st Congressional District boundaries will change following the implementation of Proposition 50, a voter-approved initiative to help Democratic candidates win in response to a Republican-backed effort in Texas.

The district currently stretches from the Oregon-California border down through Sutter County before stopping right before the Sacramento International Airport. These boundaries will be used for the special election.

Under the new map, the district will shift down and westward to cover Sonoma County, Santa Rosa, Clearlake and Ukiah. The district will continue to cover Susanville, Red Bluff, Chico and Paradise. Redding, Yuba City, Colusa and Live Oak will no longer be in the district.

Who are the candidates?

The candidates bring a mix of experience and ties to Northern California.

Denney, 41, is the director of civic engagement at Chico State and has positioned herself as the progressive voice in the race. She has pledged not to accept corporate donations. She previously challenged LaMalfa, running against him in 2018 and 2020. Denney, who has mostly lived in Chico since 2003, has said she is working to dismantle Republican policies that are “crushing working families” while “big corporations cash in on massive tax breaks.” Her campaign website emphasizes forest health, fire prevention, healthcare and rural health as her top issues.

Gallagher, 45, is an agricultural attorney and recently a Republican minority leader in the state Assembly. He entered the race just days after LaMalfa’s death with the backing of the late congressman’s widow. Gallagher, who was voted into the Assembly in 2014, served on the Sutter County Board of Supervisors and is a native of Yuba City. His campaign website states he is focused on lowering taxes and fees, enacting tougher laws to protect communities from crime, toughening border security and protecting farms from “excessive government regulation.”

McGuire, 46, comes from a family of farmers and has served in the state Senate since 2014. Originally from Healdsburg, he announced his campaign bid last November following the passage of Prop 50. While in the Senate, he has been the Democrat majority leader and president pro tempore. He served on the Healdsburg City Council and Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. His campaign website frames McGuire as a politician who has pushed back against President Donald Trump’s policies, expanded health care coverage and spearheaded funding for schools.

Who is funding the race?

The available data on fundraising is limited because McGuire and Gallagher entered the race late and have not yet reported a full quarter of campaign finance reports.

Gallagher, who announced his campaign bid after LaMalfa’s death in January, does not yet have campaign finance information available on the Federal Election Commission website. In an email sent by his campaign Thursday, Gallagher reported raising more than $630,000 from late January to the end of March.

McGuire raised about $450,000 from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, 2025, according to the FEC site. Some of his largest donations have come from the Service Employees International Union Committee on Political Education; ActBlue, an American Democratic Party political action committee, and the Resource Conservation PAC.

Neither McGuire nor Gallagher are able to use any corporate money raised in their state campaign accounts for the congressional race.

Denney raised roughly $328,000 from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2025, according to the FEC. Her largest donations came from BCom Solutions, LLC, a marketing agency based in Lincoln, Nebraska; 314 Action Fund, a progressive political action organization, and Dale Walker, a man who lives in Mount Shasta.

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