CA-26 primary: first place
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JUN 6, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Overview
Current roleFormer State Representative
PartyDemocratic
Political ideologyModerate Democrat
Age64 years old (Jan 3, 1962)
GenderFemale
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LocationCalifornia
BackgroundPolitician
EducationUniversity of California, San Diego — B.S. (systems engineering)
Notable personal detailsJacqueline Van Egmond Irwin is an American politician and Democratic member of the California State Assembly, representing the 42nd Assembly District since 2022 after previously representing the 44th District. Before her election to the Assembly in 2014, she worked as a systems engineer (including at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and Teledyne) and served on the Thousand Oaks City Council, including two terms as mayor. She earned a B.S. in systems engineering from the University of California, San Diego.
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Positions
Economy & Taxes
Jacqui Irwin has supported tax measures aimed at middle-class relief and targeted business tax credits (e.g., reinstating NOL and R&D credits and backing the Middle Class Tax Refund) while also exercising caution about new taxes on high earners (holding a proposed wealth tax) and opposing certain utility fee increases. Her record shows a mix of consumer- and small-business-focused tax relief alongside resistance to broad new taxes on wealth or business that could affect state competitiveness.
Healthcare
Supports strengthening and protecting public healthcare programs (Medicare, Medicaid/Medi-Cal) and advancing access to behavioral and hospice care through state legislation and oversight. Has sponsored bills addressing hospice fraud, mental health crisis care, and measures calling for protection of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid rather than privatization.
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Immigration & Border
Supports protecting immigrant rights and access to legal resources, has criticized local ICE raids and deportations as harmful to community safety, and has backed state-level measures that aid and protect immigrant communities. Focus is on humanitarian protections and legal assistance while operating within public-safety frameworks.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
Supports protecting and expanding access to abortion and reproductive health care in California, including measures to protect medication abortion and patients’ reproductive health data. Has a legislative record of voting for and supporting bills that safeguard reproductive freedom and was scored positively by Reproductive Freedom for All California.
Climate & Energy
Supports extending and strengthening California’s emissions trading (cap-and-trade/cap-and-invest) program, advancing clean transportation (electric vehicle charging infrastructure), and legislation to help farmers adopt climate-smart practices. Holds leadership roles on state climate policy committees and sponsors bills to accelerate clean energy interconnection and grid improvements.
Public Safety & Guns
Supports gun violence prevention measures including expansion and stronger use of Gun Violence Restraining Orders (red flag laws) and has authored state legislation to extend their duration and use; frames policy as preventing access to firearms for dangerous individuals while pursuing community safety.
News
Jacqui Irwin is in the news because she is running in the open California's 26th Congressional District primary. The race was triggered by Rep. Julia Brownley’s decision not to seek reelection, and Irwin is one of several Democrats competing for one of the two spots that will advance under California’s top-two system. Recent coverage has focused on the crowded field and the candidates’ positions on issues like immigration, wildfire mitigation and federal policy.
Fundraising
Latest report: Cycle 20262026
LatestCycle 2026
Source: FEC
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
- Polls
- Endorsements