Melissa Toomim
CA-36 primary: first place
$1.0K
JUN 6, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Overview
Current roleInvestigative journalist
PartyRepublican
Political ideologyConservative Republican
LocationCalifornia
BackgroundInvestigative journalist
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EducationMiddlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey — MA (attended; year listed 2017-)
Notable personal detailsLeah Melissa (Melissa) Toomim is a Republican candidate for the U.S. House in California's 36th Congressional District. She previously ran for U.S. House in 2024 against incumbent Rep. Ted Lieu. She has worked as an investigative journalist and has also been involved in film and theater-related work.
SourcesShowHide
Positions
Economy & Taxes
Supports lowering tax burdens and using tax incentives to bring industry and manufacturing back to the U.S., favors replacing the income tax with a national sales tax, and criticizes high taxation and government spending inefficiencies. Advocates audits of programs before additional appropriations and reducing regulatory barriers to encourage reshoring and investment.
Healthcare
The candidate supports keeping Medicare and Medicaid but opposes creating new taxpayer-funded universal healthcare programs and penalties to enforce universal insurance. The candidate opposes government, school, or employer vaccine mandates under any circumstance.
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Immigration & Border
The candidate supports securing the southern border while also backing managed immigration reforms and a pathway to citizenship for long-term undocumented residents. She emphasizes humane, lawful immigration systems with due process protections and oversight of enforcement agencies.
Climate & Energy
The candidate rejects mainstream climate science, stating opposition to the idea that man-made climate change is a global threat and criticizing climate funding. She promotes nuclear power as the preferred energy source and characterizes climate policies as part of an agenda she opposes. These positions indicate skepticism of aggressive emissions regulation and support for expanded fossil-free nuclear energy rather than Green New Deal–style policies.
News
Melissa Toomim is being mentioned in coverage about House Democrats considering more aggressive redistricting plans ahead of the 2028 elections. The discussion comes after court rulings blocked or weakened maps Democrats had hoped would help them gain seats. The reports say party leaders are looking at several states as they weigh their next move.
Fundraising
Latest report: Cycle 20262022
2024
2026
LatestCycle 2022
Cycle 2024
Cycle 2026
Source: FEC
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